Using Graphic Organisers to Promote Mathematical and Computational Thinking

LOW Leng*, LOH Kwai Yin^ and WONG Lai Fong^

*Academy of Singapore Teachers
Singapore

^School of Science and Technology
Singapore

Published in The Mathematician Educator, 2024, Vol 5, No. 1, pp 31-44.

Abstract

A graphic organiser is an instructional tool students can use to organise and structure information and concepts, and to promote thinking about relationships between concepts and making connections. Furthermore, the spatial arrangement of a graphic organiser allows the student, and the teacher, to identify missing information or gaps in one’s thinking. Graphic organisers help students organise and then clarify their thoughts, infer solutions to problems, and communicate their thinking strategies. Thus, in addition to structuring information, graphic organisers can improve students’ abilities to comprehend and process information, thus aiding in their mathematical and computational thinking. Over time, graphic organisers help learners become strategic problem solvers. In this paper, we discuss graphic organisers and their potential benefits for students in enhancing their mathematical thinking as well as computational thinking.

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