Concept Maps

The Study Skill: Concept Mapping

Purpose of a making Concept Maps: To remember information longer and to be able to use it more effectively. It will allow you to move information into your long term memory.

How to make Concept Maps:

1. Start with a list of concepts or ideas to be mapped. This list does not have to be complete, but it should be complete enough to allow you to choose the main idea of the map.

2. Look through the list to identify the concept words that directly relate to the main idea. Place these works below the main idea. Continue this procedure with all the words on you list and any supporting ideas until they are all placed in order of priority under the main idea.

3. Use lines to connect the concepts, based on relationships that link them.

4. Use connecting words to label the linking lines so that the relationship between any two concepts is a clear and complete thought.

5. Look for all possibilities to add cross-links to the map. Cross-links show how completely one understand the relationships among concepts.

Features of Good Concept Maps:

	A concept map does not have to be symmetrical. It can have more concepts on one side than the other.
	There are no perfectly correct concept maps, only maps that come closer to the meanings you have for those concepts. As the mapmaker, you must make it correct for you.
	Do not put more than 3 words in a concept box
	Do not string out more than three boxes in a row or line without branching out.
	Write linkage words connecting every two concepts. Use as few words as it takes to make the connection between the concepts clear.
	Maps are two dimensional-not just a list of concepts connected by lines
	They show which concepts are more important by their placement on the map and by what concepts branch off them.
	Concept maps have many branches with no more than 3 concepts boxes in a row and no more than 3 or 4 words in a concept box.
	Maps have only concepts in the boxes and only linkage words on the lines.

How Concept Maps are Evaluated: Maps must have the following criteria:

1. Appropriate labeling of concepts. Concepts should be succinctly represented-no longer than 3 words. The arrangement of concepts should be hierarchical from general to specific. Concepts should be represented by a cross-link.

2. Appropriate labeling of linkage words. Does the map show a clear distinction between concepts and links? Is the link between the 2 concepts meaningful? Does it correctly represent the relationship? Can complete ideas be traced through several links?

3. Adequate branching. Student's first maps generally look similar to outlines and as such are linear in form without good branching. Be sure to links as many boxes together as possible. Well done maps should be as wide as they are long.

4. Cross-linking of concepts. The best maps show sufficient cross-links among concepts. Cross-links show that you know how multiple ideas are connected.

from: http://www.iloveteaching.com/chs/study/cm/

Example concept map:

For questions or comments, please contact Sue Kloss - kloss@ltcc.edu