Concept Mapping

05/14/15

Today we went into more detail on concept maps. I learned that concept maps can be used to construct your knowledge. It is like taking a snapshot of your brain. The more ideas generated in a concept map show fluency in that subject, and stringing these ideas together shows efficiency. While the construction of a concept map can illuminate the knowledge someone has on a specific topic, it can also unveil hidden misconceptions a student may have. A concept map can be a great way to see what a student knows before and after a lesson.

In class, we were asked to quickly construct a concept map on the seasons. I felt a little uneasy with this exercise. A concept map shows how you're organizing your thoughts, and I felt like I needed more time to organize my thoughts in my mind before I could put them down on paper. Then, I wanted to go through a few rough drafts until I could come up with a final, organized map. Concept mapping scares me a little, because I feel my brain makes so many connections, it's hard to put it all down on paper neatly and organized. I didn't write much on my map, because there's so many things I can tie into one subject, likes the seasons, that all that information gets stuck trying to make its way out neatly and organized into the right categories on this piece of paper. I was uncomfortable letting my teacher look at my messy paper, but that's the point. Our brains are a mess of information, and the concept map takes a picture of that mess! Concept mapping can help us organize information and make sense of it, while discarding misconceptions and improving comprehension!

Check out this blog on concept mapping!
http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/using-concept-mapping-techniques-for-elearning-content-analysis

Or this link!
http://www.schrockguide.net/concept-mapping.html