Concept Maps and the Trajectory
of Learning for Teachers
Peter R. Hester
Teacher Education
Faculty of the Future
June 2, 2006
How People Learn: Brain,
Mind, Experience and School
(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 2000)
“Expert teachers know the structure of
their disciplines and this provides them
with cognitive roadmaps that guide the
assignments they give students, the
assessments they use to gauge student
progress, and the questions they ask in
the give and take of classroom life.”
A Cognitive Roadmap for
Teaching and Learning
“Meaningful learning involves the
assimilation of new concepts and
propositions into existing cognitive
structures" (Novak & Gowin, 1984).
Graphic Organizers as
Cognitive Road Maps
Graphic organizers are designed as visual
representations of cognitive structures
(knowledge, concepts or ideas). A sampling
of graphic organizers is entabled below:
Flow chart
Fishbone diagram
Events chain
Venn diagram
Brainstorming web Hierarchy diagram
Story board
Concept map
Chart / Matrix
Word web
KWL chart
Cycle diagram
File and folder
Thinking grid
Mind map
Sample Graphic Organizers
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/
Fishbone Diagram
Venn Diagram
Chart / Matrix
KWHL Chart
Educational Applications of
Graphic Organizers
Convey a clear general picture of topics.
Reinforce understanding through
visualization of relationships between key
concepts
Help identify misconceptions and/or missing
concepts
Can be used in creative ways to assess
student achievement
The Problem
How can prospective teachers (ELD-376
students) address perceived gaps in
their content preparation in order to
better prepare themselves for teaching?
ELD-376: Teaching Science
Social Studies & the Arts
The course has been a major requirement
for three distinct populations:
 junior-level elementary education majors
(w/ any CLAES second major)
 junior-level secondary education majors
(w/ science second major)
 junior-level secondary education majors
(w/ social studies second major)
Enrollment in ELD-376
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
ELED majors
33
55
2º social
studies majors
2º science
majors
Total
enrollment
7
11
2
0
42
66
Trajectory of Learning Experiences
• Each student begins by finding a topic they
feel uncomfortable about teaching.
• Students begin developing an annotated list
of resources to learn about their topic and
post entries to the online Web-Bib
database.
• Students create and subsequently modify a
concept map for their topic.
• Students develop materials to teach their
topic to K-12 students (one grade level).
Why concept maps?
"The most important single factor
influencing learning is what the learner
already knows. Ascertain this and teach
accordingly" (Ausubel, 1968).
A Concept Map of Concept Maps
A Constructivist Approach
The concept maps that students create in
ELD-376 serve two purposes:
– They provide the instructor with a “window”
onto students’ understanding.
– They actively engage students in
identifying what they know…and what they
need to learn.
Data Collected
• Concept maps were constructed by
pairs of students over the course of
each semester using Inspiration™ and
laptop computers in the TLC.
• A series of questions was asked of
students in a “test” on Blackboard™ at
the end of the semester (Fall 2005 and
Spring 2006).
Iteration 1: Physics
Student Concept Maps
Iteration 2: Physics
Iteration 2: Weather
Iteration 2: Weather
(highlighted by instructor)
Iteration 2: Weather (Detail)
Web-Bib Entry Screen
Web-Bib Sample Entry
Inserting a New Web-Bib Record
Editing an Web-Bib Existing
Record
Exporting Web-Bib Records
Results of Blackboard “Quiz”
QUESTION #1: Do you think that the concept
mapping activities we did in class this semester were
useful to your development as a teacher?
(n = 97)
Perceived
usefulness of
concept maps
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Total
Useful
32
51
83
Not useful
6
8
14
QUESTION #1: Do you think that the concept
mapping activities we did in class this semester
were useful to your development as a teacher?
Student response - The concept map is a
useful graphic organizer because it
literally lets me visualize the
connections between the various
aspects in a particular unit. When I can
see that two concepts can be
connected, I am much more likely to
understand the content.
Results of Blackboard “Quiz”
QUESTION #2: Did you make any changes in your
concept map over the course of the semester ?
(n = 98)
Perceived
changes made on
concept maps
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Total
Major changes
24
33
57
Minor changes
10
17
27
No changes
5
9
14
QUESTION #2: Did you make any changes in
your concept map over the course of the
semester ?
Student response - Throughout the
semester, I have added a lot of
information to my concept map …My
map was constantly changing [as] I was
bringing in new ideas and going in
different directions…Just through
adding the new information, I was able
to see how I could incorporate science
into my other lessons and classes.
Results of Blackboard “Quiz”
QUESTION #3: Do you expect to use concept
mapping as a teaching or learning tool in the future?
(n = 98)
Prediction of
future concept
map use
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Total
Will use
34
53
87
Will not use
5
6
11
QUESTION #3: Did you make any changes in
your concept map over the course of the
semester?
Student response - I most definitely plan
to use concept mapping as a teacher
….[and] as a learning tool in the future.
I am a very visual learner, and this
activity gave me a new way to learn
information. I think I will use concept
mapping when I need assistance in
relating information and making
connections.
Summary of Responses to
“Quiz” Questions
• ~85% indicated that they felt concept maps
were useful
• ~58% indicated making major changes,
~28% indicated making minor changes,
~14% indicated making no changes to
concept maps during the semester
• ~90% indicated that they plan to use concept
maps in future teaching and learning
Future Work
• Analyze the relationship between the concept
maps that students produce and their WebBib entries (the Web-Bib database currently
contains ~2200 annotated sources).
• Qualitatively analyze student responses to
Blackboard “quiz” questions in order to
improve concept mapping instruction and
Web-Bib resource.
• Conduct a longitudinal study to examine
usage of concept mapping as a tool for
teaching and learning among Rider Education
graduates.
Concept mapping software:
www.inspiration.com
cmap.ihmc.us
Graphic organizers:
www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers
www.graphic.org/goindex.html
Thank You!