In Short When you increase your awareness you observe more and make better sense out of your observations. Do that by using your senses, listening to what others have to say, and seeking more details. And when you are in the process of gathering information, concentrate, put it in a context, and be thorough. You will not miss a thing if you pay careful attention and you will become a bet- ter decision maker and problem solver in the process. – FOCUSED OBSERVATION– 28 ■ Find a good spot for people watching, such as a coffee shop or outdoor café. Observe those around you, using your senses, with the goal of increasing your awareness. Is a couple about to have an argument? Is someone who is walking down the street without paying attention about to trip over a dog on a leash? ■ The next time you are driving, make a mental list of the things you need to be aware of, and what might happen if you are not as observant as you should be. You might list an erratic driver, a child riding her bike, a utility company doing repair work from a parked truck, or an intersection regu- lated by four-way stop signs. Skill Building Until Next Time A FTER YOU RECOGNIZE and define the real problems and decisions you face, you must begin to develop viable, effective solutions. Brainstorming is a critical thinking skill that helps to do that by coming up with as many ideas as possible with no judgment being made during the process. Perhaps you have brainstormed before when you needed to get thoughts together to solve a prob- lem or complete a writing assignment. You took out a piece of paper and made a list of ideas, or possible solutions. Then what? While lists can be good for simply recording information, they do not help you organize your thoughts very well. Instead, try arranging your ideas or taking the information from an existing brainstorming list and putting them in the form of a graphic (visual) organizer. By visually arranging the information, you create a sort of map of your thoughts. And a map helps to point the way toward effective decisions and solutions. Why are graphic organizers more effective than lists? ■ They are a meaningful display of complex information. ■ They help you to see patterns and organization in your thinking. LESSON Brainstorming with Graphic Organizers LESSON SUMMARY In this lesson, you will learn how to use some of the most effective graphic organizers for brainstorming. Graphic organizers include word webs, Venn diagrams, and concept maps. 4 29 ■ They help you gather and compress information. ■ They keep you focused on your goal. ■ They show what you know and what you still need to find out. ■ They help you understand and interpret your thoughts and ideas. The types of graphic organizers covered in this lesson are: ■ concept map: explores a simple topic or problem ■ webbing: helps determine possible solutions for problems that have more than one cause or symptom ■ Venn diagram: finds solutions by showing common ground between two or more causes or symptoms of a problem ■ chart: compares and contrasts two or more elements ■ problem/solution outline: helps delineate a problem, including its causes and effects, while producing possible solutions and outcomes to those solutions Concept Map Concept maps, also called target maps, should be used when you are exploring a topic that is not complex. To make one, draw a circle and add spokes radiating from it. Put your central idea or problem in the middle, and add possible solutions around it in any order. As you can see from the example that follows, a concept map visu- ally arranges a simple decision and the factors that may be used in making that decision. Why Move to Idaho? schools better housing costs lower easier access to skiing crime rates lower taxes lower – BRAINSTORMING WITH GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS– 30 Practice Imagine that you are considering purchasing a new car. Come up with at least five reasons why you should make the purchase. Use a concept map to organize your answer. Answer While there are many factors that must be considered before buying a new car, a possible answer might look like: Purchase a New Car current car is old and needs major repair need mor e seating capacity need more reliable transportation safety features on new car would be improved interest rates are very low – BRAINSTORMING WITH GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS– 31 Webbing Webs are visual organizers that are more structured and complex than concept maps. They are most useful when you are exploring possible solutions to a problem that has a number of symptoms or causes. To develop a web, write your problem in a circle. Next, write the symptoms or possible causes of the problem in smaller, or secondary, circles, each connected to the center by a line. From each of the secondary bubbles, draw smaller bubbles in which you brainstorm possible solutions. Each possible solution is connected to the corresponding secondary bubble by a line. play only home games quit one team too much time playing sports friend wants to socialize every night hide in library not getting all school work done room too noisy for study work in library establish quiet hours (8–10) in dorm be honest to friend – BRAINSTORMING WITH GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS– 32 Practice Create a web for the following problem: you want to deposit $50 per month of disposable income in an invest- ment account, but never seem to have the money. Causes of this problem are eating out at restaurants four times per week, not returning videos on time and paying late fees, and buying too many clothes. Brainstorm possible solutions using a web. can’t save $50 a month – BRAINSTORMING WITH GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS– 33 . signs. Skill Building Until Next Time A FTER YOU RECOGNIZE and define the real problems and decisions you face, you must begin to develop viable, effective solutions. Brainstorming is a critical thinking. bet- ter decision maker and problem solver in the process. – FOCUSED OBSERVATION– 28 ■ Find a good spot for people watching, such as a coffee shop or outdoor café. Observe those around you, using. face, you must begin to develop viable, effective solutions. Brainstorming is a critical thinking skill that helps to do that by coming up with as many ideas as possible with no judgment being made