Scientist-Educator Collaborative Workshop Workshop Evaluation: Concept Mapping

Held at the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, Groton, CT Thursday, October 8, 2009 through Saturday, October 10, 2009

Concept maps are designed to help teachers and their students understand connections and complex relationships. At COSEE, this tool is used to build understanding about climate and oceanography content. For scientists, concept mapping helps them share their understanding of connections in the earth system. For educators, concept maps can be powerful tools for exposing and clarifying topics in the classroom. For more information about concept mapping, visit this page.

The feedback about concept mapping has been very positive. In their post-workshop evaluations, educators were asked, "Do you think the process of concept mapping helped you think through the topics you learned during this workshop?" 93% said "yes" (n=15).

		Watch a video of scientist David Avery discuss how concept mapping and collaboration with educators can help him to meet broader impact requirements in his research.

Quotes from Workshop Participants

"This tool is useful in many areas including unit and lesson planning, direct student instruction, student driven lessons and as a communication tool."

"The maps are incredible tools and I will use them to help update a web page and create many new assessment tools, teaching tools and new ways to get engaged with my computer!!!!!"

"I will be using these concept maps to initiate each new major unit, to help my students better organize their work for that particular unit. I feel that it will significantly raise the level of learning that goes on in my classes."