Why Use Concept Maps?
The research suggests, a human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it can process text which signifies the importance of visual learning in classrooms rather than overburdening students with overwhelming wordy textbooks that are hard to digest and retain. This is where concept mapping is encouraged to be used to facilitate fun learning and keep students hooked during the lecture. Designed as a tool to represent and organize information concisely and appealingly, a concept map maker can help you in teaching various concepts and complex subjects that can be easily understood by your students. Through a graphical diagram, students can better retain the information and capture the understanding of a topic. They are most frequently used in academia, however, it can be used in many other fields as well. Concept maps tend to aid the learning process by:
- Facilitating comprehension of knowledge through its visual format.
- Sparks creativity as there is no rigid formal format to be applied but people can make as they like which makes it more interesting.
- Encourages brainstorming ideas.
- Fosters discovery of new things and their connections with each other.
- Sync the old concepts with new ones to get a picture regarding a specific topic.
- Promotes collaboration and team working in the classroom.
How Concept Maps Can Help In Teaching And Learning?
Teaching and learning can be a cumbrous task especially when the subjects are complex and require a lot of attention and hard work to grasp the concepts and apply them practically. Owing to these difficulties, studies now suggest professors to apply concept mapping techniques while delivering lectures and see the difference themselves. Visually displaying the information is retained by students 70% faster than the traditional way of writing long texts on board.
Concept maps not only assist teachers while conveying the lecture but also help students when making notes. For instance; students can map chapters briefly which makes it easier to highlight important points and skim through the topics. Education research also supports the fact that students are more attracted to reading chapters when they are mapped. Thus, teachers can encourage students by assigning them points for mapping that will count towards their final grade.
Another way of promoting this technique is by allowing students to prepare presentations and lecture notes through concept maps. Simultaneously, teachers can also consign various class activities and projects that can be done via concept maps. This will not only save their time and make it fun for them but also enhance students’ graphical skills of representing huge data briefly through charts and graphs and even images. Thus, building their ability to summarize a vast amount of data which is an essential skill in the corporate world.
The Bottom Line
Concept mapping is a highly recommended strategy for lecturers and students to employ and must add in their repertoire. This tool is so flexible and easy to use that even instructional designers, technical writers, engineers, and doctors can also use for structuring their knowledge. They are most helpful when you have to present a concise overview of a proposal or a topic or consolidating jumbled up ideas that are in your head but haven’t been documented in an organized way. Even when doing a research thesis, a concept map will help you in organizing the contents, adding details, and establishing relationships between different variables which will enable you in providing insights that were not known before.
So, the next time you find yourself struggling – Go Concept Mapping!
