Concept mapping- A critical learning strategy

Concept mapping- A critical learning strategy

The term ‘Concept mapping’ has been known to all of us. But little do we know that their origin lies in David Ausubel's theories about the psychology of learning from the 1960s. Concept maps were born out of the constructivist theory of learning, which holds that the learner constructs or builds his/her own knowledge, as opposed to the previous notion of knowledge as something that was acquired through direct transfer from books or experts.

In the constructivist theory of learning, information can be acquired, but knowledge is pieced together only through the incorporation of new information or ideas into the framework of the learner’s existing knowledge (Cheek, 1992).

The objective of making a concept map is to represent the relationships between concepts. A visual map is created which helps students to understand the connections between concepts.

Joseph D. Novak describes concept maps as: "Tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts or propositions, indicated by a connecting line between two concepts".

The concept map is an effective teaching tool that can be fun, interactive, and effective. It can be used in a variety of settings. It is an innovative teaching and learning tool that engages the learner and prepares the learner for future decision-making in a complex and diverse environment.

Concept maps allow the learners to

(1) See the connections between ideas they already have,

(2) Connect new ideas to knowledge that they already have, and

(3) Organize ideas in a logical but not rigid structure that allows future information or viewpoints to be included.

Unless there is understanding, we may only commit unassimilated data to short-term memory and no meaningful learning will occur. Meaningful learning is most likely to occur when information is presented in a potentially meaningful way and the learner is encouraged to link new ideas to the old (All & Havens, 1997). Concept mapping is an effective teaching and learning method for promoting critical thinking. It is an excellent way to evaluate students' critical thinking because it is a visual representation of our thinking.

Following are some useful links which will help us in creating different concept maps.

• SmartDraw (http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/flowchart.asp)
• Concept Draw (http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/mindmap/main.php)
• SMART Ideas (http://www.smarttech.com/products/smartideas/index.asp)
• Inspiration (http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/Inspiration/index.cfm)
• Knowledge Manager (http://www.knowledgemanager.us/KM-KnowledgeManager-eng.htm)