MECA 2009 conference at Jackson, February 17 - 19, 2009

Inspiration: The Road to Concept Mapping

Shuyan Wang, Ph.D.

Department of Technology EducationCollege of Education and PsychologyThe University of Southern Mississippi

What is Concept Mapping

Concept Mapping:is a way of representing or organizing

knowledgeis a visual graphic that represents how

the creator thinks about a subject, topic, etc.

identifies the way we thinkillustrates how knowledge is organized

for the individual

What is Concept Mapping (cont.)It shows the relationships between

concepts, including bi-directional relationships

It is divided into nodes and linksNodes (often circles) represent various

concepts Links (lines) represent the relationships

between concepts Linking Words are used to label the links in

order to explain the relationships

Why Concept Mapping

To generate ideas (brain storming, etc.)To design a complex structure (long

texts, hypermedia, large Websites, etc.)To communicate complex ideasTo aid learning by explicitly integrating

new and old knowledgeTo assess understanding or diagnose

misunderstanding

Why Concept Mapping (cont.)

Concept mapping is an excellent planning device for instruction because it:

helps teachers select appropriate instructional materials

visually explains the conceptual relationships used for meeting lesson objectives

illustrate areas that may appear minor or trivial

articulates the themes that teachers want to emphasize

Why Concept Mapping (cont. 2)

Concept mapping helps teachersunderstand how students see or

organize knowledge differently from themselves

identify concepts that are related to more than one discipline

know what they want their students to learn

Why Concept Mapping (cont. 3)

Concept mapping:provides a basis for discussion among

students and helps summarize general course concepts

supports a holistic style of learningsustains meaningful learningassists in collaborative learning

Why Concept Mapping (cont. 4) Student made concept maps

allow teachers to see how students structure their knowledge and comprehend a subject of study

help teachers identify missing or misunderstood concepts

Teacher made concept maps enable students to identify and explore the structure

and nature of domain knowledge presented by the teacher

help students identify new concepts and relate them to concepts that are already understood

Steps in Making Maps Write down major terms or concepts about a topic Identify the most general, intermediate, and

specific concepts Begin drawing the concept map:

Concepts are circled Place the most general concepts at the top Place intermediate concepts below general concepts Put specific concepts on bottom

Draw lines between related concepts Label the lines with "linking words" to indicate

how the concepts are related Revise the map

Some Tips

Use a top down approach, working from general to specific or use a free association approach by brainstorming nodes and then develop links and relationships

Use different colors/shapes for nodes & links to identify different types of information

Use different colored nodes to identify prior and new information

Use a cloud node to identify a question Gather information for a question in the question

node

Examples in Language Art

Inspiration helps students bridge the gap between visual and verbal modes of expression as they brainstorm, draft and revise their writing. Students simply switch to Outline View to begin writing an essay.

Examples in Social Studies

In social studies classes, Inspiration helps students explore historical events and people, as well as understand cause and effect relationships.

Examples in Math

Inspiration visually explains concepts like Addition and Multiplication, making difficult math problems easier to comprehend.

Examples in Planning

Teacher PlanningInspiration is used to plan class projects, activities, lessons, and units. Visual diagrams make it easier to understand and share a process.

Student PlanningStudents can use Inspiration to plan speeches, presentations and projects. Hyperlinking to a file or site makes Inspiration a great choice for creating student portfolios.

Examples in Planning

Resources

Concept Mapping, http://www.cotf.edu/ete/pbl2.html

The Concept Mapping Homepage, http://users.edte.utwente.nl/lanzing/cm_home.htm

Concept Mapping software, http://www.inspiration.com/

A Video on Inspiration Introduction, Examples, and a QuickTour,http://www.inspiration.com/test/dswmedia/intro.html

Examples for Inspiration Integration into the Classroom,http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/using_insp/index.cfm