Concept/Mind Mapping: Why Concept Mapping?

Why Use Concept Mapping in your Course?

• Help  students organize new information and connect it with their prior knowledge
• Help students make connections between the main idea and other subtopics (brainstorming)
• Provides an opportunity for students to construct their knowledge visually in a format that aligns to their multimedia and visual learning styles
• It can be used individually, with small groups or with a whole classroom participating

Multimedia Learning

• Richard Mayer Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
• Mayer & Clark (2002) Multimedia Learning and E-learning

Constructivism

• MindTools Research and Resources

Connectivism

• Connectivism and Connective Knowledge

Social and/or Cognitive Learning Theory

• Ausubel's Assimilation Learning Theory for concept mapping
• Advance Organizers

Assessment

• Demonstrates student understanding of concepts
• Provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other and contribute knowledge to a group map
• Rubric for assessing concept maps (connected to the Waterloo video about concept mapping)

Alternative Presentation Format

• Students can create a concept map instead of a PowerPoint or a website

Alternative Way to Organize Writing and Research

• Students can use a concept map as a way to organize their writing, outline arguments (overcome "writer block" but using a visual format
• Design a research study or conduct a bibliography search by laying out the research introduction, literature review, methods and discussion
  • You-tube videos about:
    • how to use concept mapping for how to narrow down a topic

Reading and Content Studying Aid

• Students can map out their readings as they read or use mapping as a way to review their reading
• You can provide an Advance Organizer (another form of concept map) to the students about the materials in the readings to help them see connections and relationships in the readings and materials