Concept Mapping

1. Clarissa Freshwater Elizabeth Honaker Concept Mapping Wendy Guthrie Laurie O. Campbell

2. What does concept mapping do? Concept mapping is seen as a supplemental teaching method that promotes learning. As opposed to graphical organizers, concept maps are hierarchal in nature.

3. A concept map is a graphical representation of knowledge. • Users create picture that demonstrates the complexity of issues, thoughts, ideas, or concepts. • Concept maps were developed in 1972, by Novak.

4. Why use a concept map? • Visual spatial strategy • Completed individually or collaboratively • Partially filled out by student – completely filled out by students • Promotes shared sense of power • Positively impacts achievement • Allows students to take control over learning • Promotes deep and meaningful learning

5. Sturm (2002) indicated that students with learning disabilities wrote better essays after learning how to create a concept map.

6. Examples of Concept Mapping

12. Current Research • Wendy Guthrie • Cohort 2006 – Educational Psychology

13. A concept map is intended to externalize an individual’s cognitive structure (Freeman & Jessup, 2004).

14. Current Research • Kinchin, I. • Brown, D. (2000) • Canas, A, Ford, K, Novak, J. & Hayes, P. (2001) • Chang, K., Sung, Y., & Chen, I. (2006) • Cheung, L. S. (2006) • De Simone, C. (2007) • Freeman, L. A., & Jessup, L. M. (2004) • Güvenç, H., & Açikgöz, K. (2007) • Harpaz, I., Balik, C., & Ehrenfeld, M. (2004) • Hsu, L. (2004). • McLay, M., & Brown, M. (2003). • Sturm, J. M., & Rankin-Erickson, J. L. (2002) • Tergan, S., Graber, W. & Neumann, A. (2006) • Torp, L. (2002). • van Boxtel, C., van der Linden, J., Roelofs, E., & Erkens, G. Zanting, A., Verloop, N., & Vermunt, J. D. (2003).

15. Gleanings from the Research • effectiveness of concept mapping for students. • maps with some info completed by the teacher are more effective • complete concept mapping by students may be too difficult • thorough training is the key to effective use of concept mapping

16. Ideas for future exploration in Concept Mapping • More studies with Elementary students and learning level • Extend training of how to do a concept map • Test using concept mapping in distance education • Consider cognitive styles of learners and concept mapping • Grading concept maps as an assessment • What is the optimal class size to make effective use of concept mapping?

17. More ideas for future exploration in Concept Mapping • Creating a Model for Teaching Concept Maps • Study the Transfer of developing a concept maps to other classes • Using concept maps as assessments for book reports • Training for Teachers to better utilize concept mapping.

18. The process of creating and using the map is as important as the content of the map (Freeman & Jessup, 2004).

19. Validity and Reliability • Elizabeth Honaker • 2007 Cohort – Character Education

21. Overall Analysis Appropriateness • Clarrissa Freshwater • Cohort 2005 – Educational Psychology

22. The Research Study • Laurie O. Campbell • Cohort 2005 – Educational Psychology

23. Research Problem Teachers do not know how to use concept maps as an effective strategy because of lack of training. Furthermore it is unknown how much training time a teacher actually needs to effectively learn how to create an effective concept map.

24. Dependent Variables/Independent Variables • Independent variable – Teacher training (3 levels) (1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks) • Differences • Dependent variable – instructor’s rubric of concept map – the rubric will contain numbers that will correlate with each category.

25. Target Population/Sampling Technique • Pre-service education major in their 4th year of college (prior to student teaching).

26. Threats and Controls • Threats – students discussing the treatment with each other – compensatory rivalry • Controlled sign a pledge if one college • Threats – students practicing at home • Only done in class for the time period • Sample size – could be small • Strive for 90 – (30 in each group)

27. Internal Validity One professor teach all students if conducted at one university. Have students sign a pledge Times of classes Mortality – 3 weeks should not lose many External Validity Try to use more than one University. Internal and External Validity

28. Intervention Fidelity • Treatment Integrity – Will be addressed by one instructor at one school or each school

29. Reliability and Validity of Instrumentation • Send the rubric (instrument) to several educational psychologist to evaluate • Revise the rubric accordingly

30. Quantitative and/or Qualitative Methods used to analyze the data • Quantitative methods will be employed • A number will be assigned to each category being evaluated. • The means per group will be evaluated. • ANOVA

31. Expected Results • We expect that week 3 will demonstrate a higher level of concept mapping and more in-depth map that demonstrates critical thinking. • We expect to evaluate the mean samples from each group over several weeks to determine how much training to teach concept mapping. (The one week, two week, and three week groups will produces an in-depth map that will be compared against the rubric.

32. The theoretical frameworks underpinning concept mappings are the works of Ausbel’s Assimilation Theory, Deese’s Association Theory, (Freeman & Jessup, 2004) and the constructivist approach to learning (Tergan, Gruber & Neumann, 2006).

33. The active process of developing a concept map moves students from being passive to active learners (Clayton, 2006). Concept mapping promotes the development of a deep level of integrative knowledge.