Table of content
Sl.no Topics Page no.
1 Concept map 2
2 History 2
3 Use of Concept Map 3
4 Constructing a Concept Map 4
5 Concept map- Animal Husbandry 6
6 Concept map-Dyeing 7
7 References 8
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Concept Map
A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. They are graphical
tools for organizing and representing knowledge. Concepts, usually represented as boxes or
circles, are connected with labeled arrows in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. A
concept map is a way of representing relations between ideas, images or words. In a concept
map, each word or phrase is connected to another and linked back to the original idea, word or
phrase.
It is a tangible way to display how your mind "sees" a particular topic. By constructing a
concept map, you reflect on what you know and what you don't know. Concept maps are a way
to develop logical thinking and study skills, by revealing connections and helping students see
how individual ideas form a larger whole.
Concept mapping is a technique for representing knowledge in graphs. Knowledge graphs are
networks of concepts. Networks consist of nodes and links. Nodes represent concepts and links
represent the relations between concepts. Concepts and sometimes links are labeled. Links can
be non-, uni- or bi-directional. Concepts and links may be categorised, they can be simply
associative, specified or divided in categories such as causal or temporal relations.
History
The technique of concept mapping was developed by Joseph D. Novak and his research team
at Cornell University in the 1970s as a means of representing the emerging science knowledge
of students. This work was based on the theories of David Ausubel, who stressed the
importance of prior knowledge in being able to learn about new concepts. Novak concluded
that "Meaningful learning involves the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into
existing cognitive structures’’
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Use of Concept Map
“What does it mean when you say, I understand? Does it mean the same thing to you as it does
to another student or your teacher? How can you demonstrate your understanding?
Constructing a concept map provides a way to expose, reflect on, deepen, and share your
understanding.” Hal White (2002).
Concept maps are used to stimulate the generation of ideas, and are believed to aid creativity.
For example, concept mapping is sometimes used for brain-storming. Although they are often
personalized and idiosyncratic, concept maps can be used to communicate complex ideas.
Concept mapping can be done for several purposes:
To generate ideas (brain storming, etc.);
To design a complex structure (long texts, hypermedia, etc.);
to communicate complex ideas;
to aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge;
To assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding.
Concept maps are widely used in education for:
Note taking and summarizing gleaning key concepts, their relationships and hierarchy
from documents and source materials;
New knowledge creation: e.g., transforming tacit knowledge into an organizational
resource, mapping team knowledge;
Institutional knowledge preservation (retention), e.g., eliciting and mapping expert
knowledge of employees prior to retirement;
Collaborative knowledge modeling and the transfer of expert knowledge;
Facilitating the creation of shared vision and shared understanding within a team or
organization;
Increasing meaningful learning;
Communicating complex ideas and arguments;
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Examining the symmetry of complex ideas and arguments and associated terminology;
Detailing the entire structure of an idea, train of thought, or line of argument (with the
specific goal of exposing faults, errors, or gaps in one's own reasoning) for the scrutiny of
others.
Enhancing metacognition (learning to learn, and thinking about knowledge);
Improving language ability;
Knowledge Elicitation;
Assessing learner understanding of learning objectives, concepts, and the relationship
among those concepts;
Constructing a Concept Map
Brainstorming Phase:
From the jogged notes and related course material, identify facts, terms, and ideas that are in
anyway associated with the topic that you are preparing concept map. This is a brain-
storming process where the important items are written down. The objective here is to
generate the largest possible list of topics that need to be included in the concept map.
Organizing Phase:
In this step the concepts that are listed in phase is spread on a paper so that it becomes easy
to read and, create groups and sub-groups of related items. The items are grouped to
emphasize hierarchies. Those terms that represent higher categories are added to them. If
necessary, those items that are omitted initially are rearranged and introduce again in this
phase.
Layout Phase:
In this phase, arrangements (layout) of the items are made on a sheet of paper that represents
collective understanding of the interrelationships and connections among groupings of the
items. Use a consistent hierarchy in which the most important concepts are in the center or
at the top. Within sub-grouping, those closely related items are placed near to each other.
The terms are connected in a simple sentence that shows the relationship between them.
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Linking Phase:
Use lines with arrows to connect and show the relationship between connected items. Write
a word or short phrase by each arrow to specify the relationship. Many arrows can originate
or terminate on particularly important concepts.
Finalizing the Concept Map:
After the arrangement of items are made which coveys understanding, the concept map is
converted into a permanent form that others can view and discuss. It can be typed o written
on a sheet of paper. It would be better if the concept map is made creative in a constructive
way through the use of colors, fonts, shapes, border thickness, etc. to communicate
understanding. The topic of concept map is written on top or else it is reflected in itself. It
would be more effective if the concept map that has been created is typed with c-map
software.
In reviewing concept map, it is very necessary to consider the following attributes:
Accuracy and Thoroughness. Are the concepts and relationships correct? Are important
concepts missing? Are any misconceptions apparent?
Organization. Was the concept map laid out in a way that higher order relationships are
apparent and easy to follow? Does it have a title?
Appearance. Was the assignment done with care showing attention to details such as
spelling and penmanship? Is it neat and orderly or is it chaotic and messy?
Creativity. Are there unusual elements that aid communication or stimulate interest
without being distracting?
In this booklet, I have made two concept maps from Class VIII science test book. The topics
are about Animal Husbandry and Food. Those concept maps are shown in the page below.
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References
Curriculumn and Professional Support Section . (200). Science for Class VII: Learning Science Through
Environment. Thimphu: CAPSS.
What is Concept Mapping? (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2010, from
http://users.edte.utwente.nl/lanzing/cm_home.htm.
White, H. (2010, March 8). How to construct concept map? Retrieved April 3, 2010, from
http://www.udel.edu/chem/white/teaching/ConceptMap.html.
wikipedia. (n.d.). concept map. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_map.
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