Difference between revisions of "Concept maps"

From WikIT
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>WikITSysop
imported>WikITSysop
Line 51: Line 51:
  
 
placeholder
 
placeholder
 +
{{stub}}
  
 
=== Concept Maps for youngsters ===
 
=== Concept Maps for youngsters ===

Revision as of 11:32, 17 November 2008

A simple concept map

Uses of the term “concept map”[edit]

Some people use the term concept map for any web that is not bound to the limitations of a strict hierarchy. This implies that any node/concept may potentially connect to any other node.

Others stress the importance of relationships between concepts, and the linking phrases describing the relationship. Novak, the originator (with others) of concept maps, included this requirement at an early stage when developing this way of visualising knowledge.

The example on the right meets both these criteria.

A concept map will always be about a knowledge domain. In the case of the example here, “Hong Kong Law”.

The three units, concept; linking phrase; concept, can be read as a proposition. For example:

   Hong Kong   administers itself except for   Foreign affairs and Security.

This may not be an elegant statement but it is meaningful.

How to recognize a concept map[edit]

If some of the nodes on a map have multiple parents, it is a type of concept map. In the example above, the concept “a mini-constitution” has two parents: China and Great Britain, and it is linked to both of these by the phrase “jointly agreed”.

If there is a phrase across the relationship line joining two nodes, it’s likely to be a concept map. For example, “uses” between Hong Kong and Common Law system.

In concept maps, nodes are usually boxes, but this is not a defining feature.

Deciding when to use a concept map[edit]

Concept maps are most useful when visualizing knowledge:

  • They may be used by teachers to present a concise overview of a field to students.
  • They may be used by teachers to assess student understanding, by requiring each student to prepare a concept map.
  • They may be used by anyone who wants to consolidate knowledge as they study.
  • They may be used by knowledge workers in a group activities to create and formalize knowledge.

An important benefit is that they can be evaluated for correctness. While you may not be able to guarantee that a concept map is complete, by evaluating each proposition, you will be able to say whether the map is correct or not.

This type of map is not so useful when organizing information, brainstorming new ideas, managing projects or a tssk list, or organizing meetings, to give a few counter examples. Other map types would be more appropriate for these pragmatic map designs.

How to make a concept map[edit]

Concept Maps while reading or studying[edit]

  1. Place the main concept at the top of the page.
  2. While reading or gathering information, add concepts.
  3. If you know how they are related to the top one, add in the new concept and try to write how they are related (the link description).
  4. If you do not yet know how they are related to the top one, note them on pending list on a separate piece of paper, with any notes that may help describe the link later.
  5. As you build the next layer of concepts, link to those when you can.
  6. Each time you add a concept, look for other relationships to the added concept.
  7. Each time you add a concept, consider whether you know enough to add any of the concepts currently on the pending list.


Concept Maps for knowledge creation[edit]

Uses in knowledge management.

placeholder


Concept Maps for youngsters[edit]

  1. Give students Post-It notes with terms on them, related to the subject being taught.
  2. On a large sheet of paper on the wall, have them group the notes where they think they go. This is somewhat like clustering.
  3. Leave these open for changes as new concepts are introduced to the class, and let the students move the notes as they learn.
  4. When finished, draw lines connecting the notes.
  5. Walk all students around the maps, having them grade other’s maps – do they make sense?


External sources[edit]

The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct Them (Novak and Cañas)