Knowledge organiser

A knowledge organiser is an educational template on a single A4 sheet consisting of grids, each with a term and a short explanation, making it clear to the student as to what is essential to learn. Each grid has an overall theme and these vary according to the subject being taught. The term became well known throughout social media, and its creation and popularity has been credited to previous Michaela Community School teacher, Joe Kirby.

Origins and use

In 2015, Michaela Community School teacher, Joe Kirby, wrote a blog detailing the value of listing, on one side of A4 paper, key points to learn.[1][2] He coined the template a knowledge organiser.[3][4]

To construct a knowledge organiser, the unit of study and the content requiring to be taught needs to be identified. Subsequently, around five to ten key points based on the key areas are documented on one column and their definition in the opposite column.[5] Dates, events and characters can be listed as items to learn.

There are several ways to use a knowledge organiser, for instance as a homework activity. Students read, cover, regurgitate and then check their answers at home knowing they will be tested on this knowledge in class and that teachers will check for evidence of the self-quizzing. They add any missed information in a different colour pen to show where the gaps in their knowledge occur.[6]

Swindon Academy collates all the knowledge organisers for each year group and set into a termly booklet allowing parents and student to be informed of future work. [7]

Individually tailored, knowledge organisers may be more useful in subjects such as history rather than English.[1] The method has increased in use by a number of teachers who can then clarify what is important to learn.[8]

See also

References
  1. Runeckles, Chris (8 November 2018). Making every history lesson count: Six principles to suport great history teaching. Crown House Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-78583-379-3.
  2. Sharpe, Helen (11 March 2018). "5 Ways To Make Knowledge Stick". TeacherToolkit. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. Tharby, Andy (2017). Making every English lesson count: Six principles to support great reading and writing. Crown House Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781785832512.
  4. Miller, Mark (September 2018). "Organising knowledge: The purpose and pedagogy of knowledge organisers". Impact: Journal of the Chartered College of Teaching. The Chartered College of Teaching.
  5. Facer, Jo (2019). Simplicity Rules: How Simplifying What We Do in the Classroom Can Benefit Children. Routledge. ISBN 978113848863-2.
  6. Sharpe, Helen (11 March 2018). "5 Ways To Make Knowledge Stick". TeacherToolkit. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  7. "Swindon Academy > Secondary > Prep Guidance > Knowledge Organisers". www.swindon-academy.org. Retrieved 8 November 2020. (with video link)
  8. Turner, Summer; Library, Bloomsbury CPD (2016). Bloomsbury CPD Library: Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Design. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 141–145. ISBN 9781472928511.
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