Closure is the complement of advance organizers. Closure acts as a cognitive link between past knowledge and the new knowledge (experiences). Closure can also function to help give the students a feeling of accomplishment or achievement.
Closure is not limited to the end of a lesson. There are many instances in a lesson in which you will help the students make a transition, for example from a pre-lab session to the laboratory activity itself. Closure in this instance functions as a transition from one activity to another.
There are a number of ways to integrate closure and transitions into your lesson plans. Three are identified below.
1. Drawing attention to the completion of a lesson or a part of the lesson.
The teacher can provide a consolidation of concepts and elements which were covered before moving to a subsequent activity. It is extremely helpful to relate the lesson back to the original organizing principle (advance organizer). Some teachers review (preferably the student) the main ideas of the lesson by means of an outline or a concept map. Another closure technique is to stop throughout a teacher directed lesson and ask student pairs to explain the ideas that were developed.
2. Making connections between previously knowledge and the new science concepts.
Teachers find it helpful to review the sequence which has followed in moving from previous knowledge to the new ideas. The learning cycle or generative model emphasizes this general sequence. Using examples (EEEPs) can facilitate student transition from a misconception state to one of understanding the concept.
3. Allowing students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
It is a much more powerful technique if students can suggest ways that demonstrate closure. One technique that researchers and teachers have found effective is concept mapping. A concept map drawn after a lesson, chapter or unit of study is a visual mechanism in which students describe their understanding.