Concept Maps: Snapshots of Understanding

Concept mapping is what? Can one teach students how to create them? Why do concept maps benefit the learning of middle school students? These are the questions answered in this article. The... See More

Concept mapping is what? Can one teach students how to create them? Why do concept maps benefit the learning of middle school students? These are the questions answered in this article. The authors include instructions for teaching this strategy through a concept mapping activity that can serve as an assessment tool for the teacher and as an instructional aid for the students. The authors use the concepts of density and buoyancy to explain their concept mapping activity. Student-generated examples and a rubric to assess the concept maps are shared within the article. I found the step-by-step instructions easy to follow and appreciated the two URLs listed in the resources. One resource is a word document that contains the basic instructions for teaching the concept map activity described in the article, and the other resource is a website about SEAL (Stanford Education Assessment Laboratory), an organization that provides access to research articles on curriculum-embedded formative assessments and learning.

Concept Maps and Science

The idea of having students create concept maps in science was new to me. I had used concept maps to introduce new terms to the class in order to discuss prior knowledge and clarify meaning... See More

The idea of having students create concept maps in science was new to me. I had used concept maps to introduce new terms to the class in order to discuss prior knowledge and clarify meanings. I can see, though, how a concept map would be an excellent means of assessment. Students would need to understand the relationships between important terms, and a concept map would reflect this understanding. I think the suggestion for the teacher to supply a list of terms is a good one, since this would give the students an idea of what is expected of them. I would imagine that my fifth graders would need me to model more than just one concept map before I could expect them to create one of their own. Once the students understand how to create a concept map, I think it is an excellent way to organize information and would help with several of my students who have a very hard time with organization. The use of arrows between terms also makes it easier for an English Language Learner or children with disabilities to get their point across without having to write complex sentences. I would like to try it with my classes to see if they could catch on.