CONCEPT MAP

A Concept can be defined as an abstract idea or general notion that occurs in the mind, in speech, or in thought. It is regarded
as the fundamental building block of thoughts and beliefs. The concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition.

Concept Mapping is used as learning and teaching technique that gives a visual illustration of the relationships between
concepts and ideas. This method is often represented in the form of circles or boxes. Here the concepts are linked by words and
phrases that explain the connection between the ideas, helping students organize and structure their thoughts to further understand
information and discover new relationships.

Concept maps function as a type of graphic organizer to help students organize and represent knowledge of a subject. Concept
maps begin with a main idea (or concept) and then branch out to show how that main idea can be broken down into specific topics.
Most concept maps represent a hierarchical structure, with the overall, broad concept first with connected sub-topics, more specific
concepts, following.

Significance of concept maps

A Concept map has a lot of significance in the teaching-learning process. They are listed below:

 Helps the students to brainstorm and generate new ideas

 Encourages the students to discover new concepts and the propositions that connect them

 Allows the learner to clearly communicate ideas, thoughts and information

 Helps the students to integrate new concepts with older concepts

 Enables the learner to gain enhanced knowledge of any topic

Types of concept maps

According to the structure, concept maps can be categorized as:-

 Spider-like maps- These maps are considered as a typical concept map. They have labeled arcs.

 Hierarchical maps- Here concepts are organized in the hierarchical order.

 Diagrammatic maps- In these maps, concepts in the diagrammatic manner.

e.g. Flow charts

 Formal maps- These maps are like UML diagrams. A UML diagram is a diagram based on the UML (Unified Modeling
Language) with the purpose of visually representing a system along with its main actors, roles, actions, artifacts or classes, in
order to better understand, alter, maintain, or document information about the system.

 Formal semantic networks Maps or Topic maps- In these maps, the drawings are associated with a formal symbolic
representation. Semantic maps (or graphic organizers) are maps or webs of words which gives a visual display of meaning-
based connections between a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts.

 Others- These maps carry specialized contents like arguments, part-of maps, organigraphs (organization charts) etc…

Construction of concept map

The major steps involved in the construction of a typical concept map are as follows:

i. Start with a main idea, topic, or issue to focus on

A helpful way to determine the context of your concept map is to choose a focus question—something that needs to be solved
or a conclusion that needs to be reached. Once a topic or question is decided on, that will help with the hierarchical structure of
the concept map.

ii. Determine the key concepts

 Find the key concepts that connect and relate to your main idea and rank them; most general, inclusive concepts come first,
then link to smaller, more specific concepts.

iii. Finish by connecting concepts by creating linking phrases and words

Once the basic links between the concepts are created, add cross-links, which connect concepts in different areas of the map, to
further illustrate the relationships and strengthen student’s understanding and knowledge on the topic.

Role of Concept Maps in Education

When created correctly and thoroughly, concept mapping is a powerful way for students to reach high levels of cognitive
performance. It is not just a learning tool, but an ideal evaluation tool for educators measuring the growth of and assessing student
learning. As students create concept maps, they reiterate ideas using their own words and help identify incorrect ideas and concepts;
educators are able to see what students do not understand, providing an accurate, objective way to evaluate areas in which students do
not yet grasp concepts fully.

The learning softwares such as Inspiration Software®’s Inspiration®, Kidspiration® and Webspiration Classroom™ service all
contain Diagram Views that makes it easy for students to create concept maps; students are able to add new concepts and links as they
see fit. Inspiration, Kidspiration and Webspiration Classroom also come with a variety of concept map examples, templates and lesson
plans to show how concept mapping and the use of other graphic organizers can easily be integrated into the curriculum to enhance
learning, comprehension and writing skills.
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