Background

Ocean Climate Interactive screenshot
Concept mapping can multi-task throughout a curriculum unit, serving a variety of functions for both teachers and students. Concept maps can be used to assess student knowledge and encourage thinking and problem solving along with organizing information and learning goals. It helps the learner see what they've learned and the steps that were taken to gain deeper understanding.

Concept maps are “graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes and relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts. Words on the line, referred to as linking words or linking phrases, specify the relationship between the two concepts” (Novak and Canas, 2006).

The COSEE-OS Concept Map Builder (CMB) is a mapping tool that allows users to directly retrieve, by concept, existing resources. This technology also allows the user to see which of the concepts s/he has visited during a session and, through color-coding, how those concepts align with key National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996).

1Read the full article on our approach, view an evaluation of concept mapping software options, and find out what scientists think about concept mapping in "Mapping the Oceans" - Helping Students Make Connections.

References

National Research Council, 1996. National science education standards. Washington DC: National Academy Press, 262 p.

Novak, J.D. and Canas, A.J., 2006. The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct Them. Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.