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The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct Them

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Saved by 99 people (-22 private), first by anonymouse user on 2006-04-28


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Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge.

Highlighted by hanswobbe

on 2009-04-29 by hanswobbe

Further annotations may need to be private to avoiding over-loading what is obviously a shared page.

on 2009-05-07 by fridemar

Fortunately we can accumulate our annotations here: * externally via ** DiiGo (as you did it) ** FireFox * internally via Cmap annotations, if the permissions of the author allow it.

Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge.

Highlighted by mahara

define concept as a perceived regularity in events or objects, or records of events or objects, designated by a label

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Propositions are statements about some object or event in the universe, either naturally occurring or constructed. Propositions contain two or more concepts connected using linking words or phrases to form a meaningful statement.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts. Words on the line, referred to as linking words or linking phrases, specify the relationship between the two concepts.

Highlighted by wilhelm123

Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge.

Highlighted by wilhelm123

Propositions are statements about some object or event in the universe, either naturally occurring or constructed. Propositions contain two or more concepts connected using linking words or phrases to form a meaningful statement.

Highlighted by bdubois

hierarchical fashion with the most inclusive, most general concepts at the top of the map and the more specific, less general concepts arranged hierarchically below.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

on 2009-01-31 by sarahsutter

Or radiant associations and hierarchy such as that suggested by a center weighted concept map - Tony Buzan style.

it is best to construct concept maps with reference to some particular question we seek to answer, which we have called a focus question. The concept map may pertain to some situation or event that we are trying to understand through the organization of knowledge in the form of a concept map, thus providing the context for the concept map.

Highlighted by brainious

hierarchical structure

Highlighted by yansuo

hierarchical structure

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focus question

Highlighted by bdubois

Focus Question

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Focus Question

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Focus Question

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concepts are represented in a hierarchical fashion with the most inclusive, most general concepts at the top of the map and the more specific, less general concepts arranged hierarchically below.

Highlighted by wilhelm123

Novak & Musonda, 1991

Highlighted by cinzia

Ausubel

Highlighted by cinzia

two features of concept maps that are important in the facilitation of creative thinking: the hierarchical structure that is represented in a good map and the ability to search for and characterize new cross-links.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

ability to search for and characterize new cross-links

Highlighted by yansuo

cross-links

Highlighted by wilhelm123

specific examples of events or objec

Highlighted by yansuo

specific examples of events or objects that help to clarify the meaning

Highlighted by sarahsutter

discovery learning process

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Meaningful learning requires three conditions

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material to be learned must be conceptually clear and presented with language and examples relatable to the learner’s prior knowledge

Highlighted by bdubois

learner must possess relevant prior knowledge

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choose to learn meaningfully

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Instructional strategies that emphasize relating new knowledge to the learner’s existing knowledge foster meaningful learning.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Evaluation strategies that encourage learners to relate ideas they possess with new ideas also encourage meaningful learning.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Creativity can be seen as a very high level of meaningful learning

Highlighted by sarahsutter

autonomous discovery approaches where the learner perceives the regularities and constructs her/his own concepts.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

The reality is that unless students possess at least a rudimentary conceptual understanding of the phenomenon they are investigating, the activity may lead to little or no gain in their relevant knowledge and may be little more than busy work. In fact, the research basis for support of widely recommended inquiry learning is largely absent (Mayer, 2004; Kirschner et al., 2006; Sweller et al., 2007).

Highlighted by sarahsutter

on 2009-01-31 by sarahsutter

Not so sure I agree with this. Yes, you have to scaffold student learning as they approach an inquiry experience - but if they have a starting point to work with they can, with peer support perhaps, have a meaninful learning experience through inquiry. (Admittedly, you have to get to the point where they have relevant prior knowledge to attach the new learning TO - that's where the scaffolding or remediation comes in first)

Mintzes

Highlighted by cinzia

Human’s ability to recall sounds is also remarkable. The learning and recall of sounds is also referred to as archic memory. Consider the musician who can play hundreds of songs without reading any music. Again we are dealing with memories that are not coded as concepts or propositions. Studies by Penfield and Perot (1963), among others, indicate that regions of our brain that are activated when we hear sounds are the same regions that are active when we recall sounds. While we can locate regions of the brain that are active in learning or recall of information using positron emission tomography (PET) scans, the specific mechanisms by which neurons store this information is not known. A full discussion of memory mechanisms is beyond the scope of this document.

Highlighted by cinzia

Gardner

Highlighted by cinzia

rote learning, there is little or no integration of new knowledge with existing knowledge

Highlighted by yansuo

rote-mode learning

Highlighted by cinzia

he knowledge structure or cognitive structure of the learner is not enhanced or modified to clear up faulty ideas. Thus misconceptions will persist, and knowledge learned has little or no potential for use in further learning and/or problem solving

Highlighted by sarahsutter

rderly sequence of iterations between working memory and long-term memory

Highlighted by sarahsutter

construct new knowledge

Highlighted by cinzia

humans have a remarkable ability to recall images,

Highlighted by sarahsutter

knowledge and our emotions

Highlighted by cinzia

recall sounds is also remarkable. The learning and recall of sounds is also referred to as archic memory

Highlighted by sarahsutter

it is important to begin with a domain of knowledge that is very familiar to the person constructing the map

Highlighted by cinzia

Focus Question

Highlighted by cinzia

the next step is to identify the key concepts that apply to this domain.

Highlighted by cinzia

While concept maps can help, students also need to be taught something about brain mechanisms and knowledge organization, and this instruction should accompany the use of concept maps.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

A good way to define the context for a concept map is to construct a Focus Question, that is, a question that clearly specifies the problem or issue the concept map should help to resolve.

Highlighted by mclane

The next step is to construct a preliminary concept map.

Highlighted by cinzia

cross-links should be sought.

Highlighted by cinzia

Epistemology is that branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge and new knowledge creation.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

a domain of knowledge

Highlighted by yansuo

Creating new methods of observing or recording events usually opens up new opportunities for new knowledge creation. For example, the creation of the concept mapping method for recording subject’s understandings has led new opportunities to study the process of learning and new knowledge creation.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Cross-links are key to show that the learner understands the relationships between the sub-domains in the map.

Highlighted by mclane

the map should be revised, concepts re-positioned in

Highlighted by cinzia

key concepts

Highlighted by yansuo

When learning to construct concept maps, learners tend to deviate from the focus question and build a concept map that may be related to the domain, but which does not answer the question. It is often stated that the first step to learning about something is to ask the right questions.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

a rank ordered list should be established from the most general, most inclusive concept, for this particular problem or situation at the top of the list, to the most specific, least general concept at the bottom of the list.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

on 2009-01-31 by sarahsutter

Yeah, maybe, but I still like the associative version from Buzan. This seems to already be somewhat limiting the associations that can be made among the ideas, and giving importance where it might not be relevant.

on 2009-08-17 by hrheingold

The cross-links in cMap that don't force hierarchy are exactly why I prefer it to other mindmapping tools, so I agree with Sarah in disagreeing slightly with the author here. c.f. David Weinberger, "Everything is Miscellaneous"

a concept map is never finished.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

esult from three to many revisions

Highlighted by sarahsutter

cross-links

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introduced the idea that language and social dialogue can support learning

Highlighted by cinzia

CmapServers

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Facilitating Collaborative and Distance Learning

There is a growing body of research that shows that when students work in small groups and cooperate in striving to learn subject matter, positive cognitive and affective outcomes result (Johnson et al., 1981; Berk & Winsler, 1995). Vygotsky (1978) introduced the idea that language and social dialogue can support learning, especially when members of the social group are at about the same Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). He describes the ZPD as that level of understanding for a given subject where the learner can progress on her/his own, with minimal aid from a tutor. When students work cooperatively in groups and use concept maps to guide their learning, significantly greater learning occurs (Preszler, 2004). In our work with both teachers and students, small groups working cooperatively to construct concept maps have proven to be useful in many contexts.

Highlighted by mclane

“String maps” illustrate either poor understanding of the material or an inadequate restructuring of the map

Highlighted by sarahsutter

focus-in on good linking words, and on the identification of good cross-links, they can see that every concept could be related to every other concept. This also produces some frustration, and they must choose to identify the most prominent and most useful cross-links.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

namely evaluation and synthesis of knowledge

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Based on the features provided by CmapTools, the student can use the concept map prepared as a pre-test as an initial step towards learning the pieces of knowledge that he/she needs to better understand, as the basis on which to perform the research that leads to this understanding, as a way to organize the various sources from which the student will construct this understanding, as the artifact with which to collaborate with peers, and as the means to present his/her findings at the end of the unit. Furthermore, the concept maps constructed by the student can become the foundation for a portfolio evaluation (see Vitale & Romance, 2000) of his/her performance.

Highlighted by eric_c

Parking Lot

We refer to a list of concept waiting to be added to a concept map as the parking lot of concepts.

Highlighted by agcrum

“Expert skeleton” concept maps serve as a guide or scaffold or aid to learning in a way analogous to the use of scaffolding in constructing or refurbishing a building.

Highlighted by agcrum

We foresee a program of using “expert skeleton” maps to scaffold learning beginning with the development of a series of concept maps in a discipline, starting with the most general, most inclusive ideas and then gradually moving to more specific concept maps that will guide the learners.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Many feel they cannot master knowledge in the field. If concept maps are used in planning instruction and students are required to construct concept maps as they are learning, previously unsuccessful students can become successful in making sense out of science and any other discipline, acquiring a feeling of control over the subject matter

Highlighted by agcrum

We might expect some oppositioin to implementation of the New Model of Education from individuals who believe that "inquiry" learningis the only way to improve education.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

on 2009-01-31 by sarahsutter

Yes, you might. I look forward to hearing Gary Stager expound on that . . if you want un-padded feedback, he's your man!

oncept mapping as one way to summarize understandings acquired by students after they study a unit or chapter.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

The hierarchical organization of concept maps suggests more optimal sequencing of instructional material. Since the fundamental characteristic of meaningful learning is integration of new knowledge with the learners’ previous concept and propositional frameworks, proceeding from the more general, more inclusive concepts to the more specific information usually serves to encourage and enhance meaningful learning. T

Highlighted by sarahsutter

Such students fail to construct powerful concept and propositional frameworks, leading them to see learning as a blur of myriad facts, dates, names, equations, or procedural rules to be memorized. For these students, the subject matter of most disciplines, and especially science, mathematics, and history, is a cacophony of information to memorize, and they usually find this boring. Many feel they cannot master knowledge in the field. If concept maps are used in planning instruction and students are required to construct concept maps as they are learning, previously unsuccessful students can become successful in making sense out of science and any other discipline, acquiring a feeling of control over the subject matter

Highlighted by sarahsutter

use of concept maps to capture the “tacit” knowledge of experts. Experts know many things that they often cannot articulate well to others.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

the concept map not only allowed us to represent the expert’s knowledge, but also to find gaps in the knowledge structure we were procuring through interviews.

Highlighted by sarahsutter

one begins to see that a good concept map is at once simple, but also elegantly complex with profound meanings.

Highlighted by sarahsutter