What is a concept map and how can they be used by constructivist science teachers? Describe the use of concept maps in a process-oriented inquiry science class. Who can concept maps help in teaching students how to do science through the process of science? Can concepts maps be used for assessments? How?
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ReplyDeleteChristine Haffling
ReplyDeleteChapter 12: Concept mapping in elementary science
A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among different concepts. It creates a visual representation to help show relationships between different items. Concept mapping is a valuable tool in constructivist science education because it helps provide achievement and provides relevance of how different materials come together for one understanding on a specific subject. Constructivist science teachers use these mapping techniques to illustrate most inclusive information at the top and the least inclusive information towards the bottom. Lines are drawn to connect the concepts that share a relationship in a specific way. Inquiry science is a set of processes for operating directly on the physical environment to gain understanding and knowledge of it. Students who have a commitment to understand the concepts within an instructional unit are more likely to get a deeper understanding of the content. The student will then be able to retain and build on the information learned. The concept mapping facilitates and increase learning for students. Concept mapping aide children who struggle academically, children with learning disabilities, and it has proven to be a beneficial tool in assisting field-dependent students in science comprehension and achievement. Children as early as kindergarten through college age use concept mapping. Concept mapping is used for assessment. Children are asked to draw a concept map showing the relationship of key concepts that they are studying. The teacher can decide to provide the class with the concepts or have the students provide their own concept. Using this technique, an assessment of the child’s understanding of the material can be made. Some teachers use concept mapping to finish a unit of study. Children draw their concept maps as a final activity. The teacher then grades the map using a rubric. The completed map can be included in a science journal as well.
Sabina Soloway
ReplyDeleteJune 7
I like the idea of a concept map as a visual representation of ideas and thinking. Concept maps seem to be a perfect way of allowing learners, and especially visual learners, an opportunity to explore science concepts and the way components of the concepts are relevant, important, and interconnected. One of the values for students, and especially students in a constructivist science classroom, is the act of creating the concept map. It’s this process that results in more thorough learning, learning that has relevancy, and learning that is more easily retained. As a teacher, I can see how having a student explain his concept map would provide an opportunity to assess learning and to explore the way a student is thinking about the subject matter. This, in turn, can lead to curriculum choices and ideas for teaching strategies that better attend to the needs and interests of the students in one’s class. It definitely seems like a concept map can be used before, during, and after a lesson. Learning how to make concept maps, however, seems to me to be a lesson in and of itself. I feel there is the potential for a concept map to become unruly or confusing if not done methodically and carefully. Recently there was a front page of the NYTimes that had a very crazy, confusing, and dense concept map created to explain the Afghan/Iraq/US military strategy (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html) Upon seeing the slide in a PowerPoint presentation General McChrystal remarked, “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.” The need to explain one’s concept maps is a vital part of the concept map process.
I see Christine's observation of concept mapping greatly helping those with learning disabilities and those who struggle academically, but I sense that those students would also have to possess more visual learning styles, and perhaps artistic/spatial intelligences. What if a student is less visual and perhaps kinesthetic or auditory in his learning style? Might such a student struggle with understanding the concept mapping technique? Or perhaps the child who deals best with linguistic/verbal intelligence would prefer to see the complete sentences than a chart. This method reminded me of a food web, or family tree, where the interconnections are all indicated, and the learner gets a big picture of how the whole goes from more general to more specific. I've substitute taught in classrooms where a few students could not grasp the concept map on paper, but if I asked them questions out loud about the animals in the food web, for example, they got the concept perfectly. There was some disconnect between their minds and the paper ... hence my curiousity if this method effectively builds on prior learning for different types of learners.
ReplyDeleteThe exercise of building a concept map makes good sense for reinforcement of material for those students who have a good grasp on the method. With the student having to identify all the main concepts and then listing more specifics, he or she must examine and re-examine notes and recorded material or lab observations, for example, and re-configure them in the mapping method and then identify how everything is linked. The thought process of repeatedly looking at the concepts and connecting them seems to give students a much closer look at the information collected and allows for deep reflection. The practice of labeling the lines "forces" the student to see connections and commonalities, thereby reinforcing even more. This would also be a good opportunity for any doubts to surface that would prompt students to question, either the teacher, their student peers or themselves for clarification and deeper understanding. I suppose if students are taught this method as early as in kindergarten, they should be comfortable with it by the time they've reached the higher grades, and would tend to feel a security with this method, especially if visuals are helpful to those students.
Concept maps are like graphic organizers in language arts. I find them to be a bridge between science and language arts. It has been my experience to even have them presented as a visual representation before producing an outline in a Study Skills class. When they are thoroughly explained, and the class has been taught how to carefully construct them, their use is immeasurable. Concept maps are on the science section of NJASK. Students are asked to refer to them as well as respond in open ended questions with concept maps, so as educators we will need to become more comfortable with them. Yes, graphics, like the one referred to by Sabina (sadly, very comical), can be confusing when there are too many sources and topics that refer back and forth to one another.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in elementary science concept maps can first be shown in picture form. Take the flowers concept map on page 519 and imagine it with visuals, maybe even on a Smartboard where the children can move each picture into place with the sliding of their finger. I have actually seen Montessori preschoolers use pictures and place them in rudimentary concept maps for various topics in science; parts of a flower, animal habitats, and differences between moths and butterflies. My students love to produce concept maps on PowerPoint presentations for many of their larger, research projects too! This is also a great way for teachers to structure some of their visuals for their introductions to new units. Handing out a worksheet with some circles filled in, and others left blank, can keep the class involved as a lesson is given and provides the teacher with a reference point from which to frame questions.
Chapter 12 comments:
ReplyDeleteAs Christine explains, concept maps are useful visual representations of concepts. They provide a way for our brain to organize and make sense of the information. They encourage thinking at higher levels by demonstrating the connective nature of information and the links to new and different knowledge. As Sabina describes, it can be used to assess learning and uncover the student’s inner thinking. MaryLou adds that this is a great tool for students with special needs and/or struggling students. We must remember that our students have limited experiences and need to construct understanding between concepts and topics so their learning has meaning, relevancy and connections to life. I think using pictures for young student concept mapping is a wonderful idea. This can accompany learning of similarities and differences that students explore. There are many uses for concept maps that we should continue to incorporate into our instruction.
Nice discussion team 12!
~Rosalie