Concept Mapping
“Learning to Learn”
First a Quiz…
Look at this list of words. Memorize as many words as you
can in 20 seconds.
black
cinnamon
canary
sweater
dove
garlic
brown
gloves
parrot
shirt
green
pepper
Now, look at this list of words. Memorize as many words as
you can in 20 seconds.
Vanilla
chocolate
Strawberry
horse
camel
elephant
yellow
red
green
desk
table
chair
Which list was easier to remember? Why?
Divide the following words into two simple groups:
Does your list look like this?
Thinking
Partying
Thundering
Cloud
Book
Dog
Car
Playing
Chair
Tree
Washing
Raining
car
dog
chair
tree
cloud
book
raining
washing
playing
thundering
partying
thinking
All of the previous words are
concepts
• Concepts cause a picture to form in
your mind
• Concepts are represented in
different languages by
words/terms…words are labels for
concepts
• Concepts are based on your prior
experience and knowledge
• Concepts are very important in
science teaching and learning
Linking Words
• Linking words connect concepts to form
propositions
• Propositions are statements (not
necessarily complete sentences) that
make sense
• e.g., “The dog is playing.”
Concept Maps
• Concept maps consist of many
propositions linked together
• They are metacognitive tools that help
people learn
• They are similar to semantic webs
• They can be used by any age level
• They make good assessment tools
Steps to Concept Mapping
• Identify the key concepts (teacher
or student can do this)
• Rank the concepts from general
to specific. Put general concepts
at the top or in the center.
• Connect the concepts using
linking words.
• Make cross links between
concepts (cross links show deep
understanding).