What Is Concept Mapping?

What Is Concept Mapping?

Concept mapping is a way to visually organize information and see the relationships between different ideas. It's a graphical tool that helps students structure what they've learned in a way that makes personal sense to them. By actively connecting concepts and adding terms to explain those connections, students can gain a much deeper understanding of the material and remember it longer. This method is a great learning tool for almost any subject you teach, from STEM to the humanities.

Concept Mapping Strategies and Activities

Concept mapping can be applied in the classroom through various strategies and activities. These methods are designed to help students organize information and show the relationships between different ideas.

Strategies often involve using concept maps to plan lessons, guide instruction, and assess student understanding. The related activities focus on the process of building the maps, from brainstorming ideas to drawing connections between them.

Here are some concept mapping strategies and activities:

• Brainstorming: Generating a list of key terms about a topic before starting the map
• Hierarchical Structuring: Organizing terms from most general to most specific to create a top-down structure
• Collaborative Mapping: Working in groups to construct a map, which can involve discussion and building a shared understanding
• Fill-in-the-Map: Completing a partially finished map by adding in missing concepts or connecting phrases
• Serial Mapping: Creating maps at different points in a unit to show how understanding develops over time
• Curriculum Planning: Using concept maps to plan lessons or a curriculum by identifying key themes and sequencing content
• Note-Taking and Note-Making: Applying concept maps as a method for taking notes during a lecture or for summarizing information afterward
• Assessment Tool: Evaluating student-created maps to check their understanding of a topic, its accuracy, and its connections
• Case Scenario Analysis: Applying knowledge by creating a concept map based on a specific case study or problem
• Digital Mapping: Using online tools to create maps, with options for editing and collaboration

Concept Mapping Benefits

Concept mapping is a learning technique with a range of reported outcomes for both students and teachers. Research points to effects on student performance and engagement, but also highlights challenges with its implementation. Understanding these different aspects can help you decide how it might fit into your own teaching practice.

On one hand, concept mapping can provide a structured, visual approach to learning that supports the organization of complex information. On the other, its effectiveness can vary, and some students may find the process time-consuming or difficult, particularly if they are more accustomed to traditional learning methods.

Here are some of the reported effects of using concept mapping in the classroom:

• Problem-Solving Application: It has been shown to affect student performance on questions that require the application and integration of knowledge.
• Knowledge Organization: The method helps students visually structure their thoughts and identify the relationships between different ideas.
• Information Retention: The process of creating a map may support students in remembering and recalling information over time.
• Active Learning: It requires students to actively engage with course material by constructing their own understanding.
• Communication: In group settings, concept maps can serve as a focal point for discussion among students and between students and teachers.
• Identifying Knowledge Gaps: The visual layout can make it easier for students to see what information they are missing or do not yet understand.
• Formulating Learning Goals: Students can use the mapping process to help set objectives for their own learning.
• Self-Assessment: Creating a map gives students a way to check their own understanding of a topic and its components.
• Meaningful Learning: The technique encourages students to build connections between concepts, which can lead to a deeper understanding beyond rote memorization.
• Revision Aid: A completed concept map can be used as a visual summary for quick review of a topic.

Concept Mapping Examples

Concept maps are a tool that can be used in various subjects to represent knowledge visually. They are designed to break down a central topic into simpler sub-topics, showing the connections between them.

While they can be a helpful tool, a concept map may become complex and confusing if it is not organized clearly. The process of creating a detailed and accurate map for a complex topic can also be time-consuming for both you and your students.

Here are a few examples of concept maps applied to different subjects:

• World War II: A map that outlines the causes and aftereffects of the war, including the major countries involved and the outcomes for each.
• Types of Numbers: A visual used in math to introduce students to different kinds of numbers, such as fractions, decimals, and negative numbers.
• How a Tsunami Happens: A map for geography that explains the natural disaster, its contributing factors like ocean earthquakes, and the areas it affects.
• Types of Cells in the Human Body: A biology concept map exploring various cell types, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and muscle cells.
• Basketball vs. Football: A map for physical education that compares the two sports, showing their differences and similarities based on various parameters.

Concept Mapping Best Practices

Applying concept mapping in the classroom involves a set of practices to guide the process. These practices focus on how to structure the activity for students and how to approach the creation of the maps themselves. Following a consistent method can help with the implementation of this learning tool.

Implementation generally starts with brainstorming key ideas from course materials and selecting a central concept to begin the map. From there, related ideas are connected and organized visually. The process often includes using linking terms to explain the relationships between concepts.

Here are some common practices for concept mapping:

• Brainstorming Ideas: Begin by creating an unordered list of all the main concepts to be included in the map.
• Using Linking Terms: Add words or short phrases on the lines connecting concepts to describe how they are related.
• Encouraging Collaboration: Have students work in groups to discuss their ideas and build maps together, which can help clarify thinking.
• Continuous Practice: Incorporate concept mapping regularly into different learning activities so students become more familiar with the technique.
• Reviewing Materials: Check class notes, chapter headings, and other resources to make sure no major ideas have been missed.

Teach with TeachShare

Concept mapping is a powerful strategy that helps students visually organize information and build a deeper understanding of how ideas connect, making it a great choice for meaningful learning. Start creating resources with TeachShare now to easily build activities that incorporate effective, research-backed methods into your lessons.