Week 5 - Online Concept Mapping Reflection

This post will reflect on the use of online concept mapping using Bubbl.us and Text2Mindmap.

I decided to make an online concept map with Bubbl.us about teaching in relation to theory and practice, using TPACK.

I made a concept map using Text2mindmap about this week's topic.

What is it?

According to Vanides, Yin, Tomita and Ruiz-Primo (2005)

"A concept map is a graphical representation of the relationship among terms"

It begins with a main concept and branches out to show how the main idea can be pulled apart into specific topics (Teaching and Learning with Concept Maps, n.d.). When designing a concept mapping activity for primary school aged learners it is important to give a general description of what you are looking for however leave the activity quite open ended. When students are given the opportunity to complete a concept map without constraints it yields the most revealing results as to the students prior learning or learnings thus far. It provides a unique means of viewing how learners organize, connect and synthesize learning thus promoting the more complex cognitive intellectual skills in Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains (Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains, 2010). These complex skills are analyzing, evaluating and creating. Learners analyze the topic and evaluate what elements/concepts need to be included to satisfy their perception of the key parts of the topic. They then create the online concept map, manipulating the concepts into a logical pathway that is accessible and relevant to them in their understanding of the topic.

This tool operates under the Constructivism and Cognitivist theories. 

Constructivism Theory

As it focuses on prior knowledge, students interpretations of the topic and also the premise that learning is advanced through social interaction (as concept maps are typically conducted in groups). It is well suited to active and reflective learners as the task is focused on reflecting about what you know about the topic as well as doing something with that knowledge.

Cognitivist Theory

During the concept mapping process learners are required to access their prior long-term knowledge of a topic. According to this theory, in order for new knowledge to be attained (i.e transferred to long-term memory) it needs to be organized into schemas (both existing and new). Schemas are knowledge of how concepts fit together and are subsequently understood as a single item (Central Queensland University, 2013). Concept mapping chunks and links concepts together and presents it as a visual representation of what the brain does when transferring information from working memory into long-term memory.  The diagram below is a great representation of what ideally happens during a concept mapping activity.

source: http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm

I have used a PMI analysis to evaluate the use of online concept mapping in the classroom.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
Great brainstorming activity	Can be conducted at the beginning, middle or end of a unit of teaching	Teacher can give leading questions or just simply say “tell me about ___” depending on the learners abilities and needs
Gives the teacher a good indication of students’ prior learnings	Requires some prior learning to be an effective introductory tool	Great tool for learners who are unaware of their prior knowledge as it draws knowledge out in its design
Simple, easy and effective tool to use	Does require some technological knowledge but only very basic	The ease of its use (technological knowledge) ensures that there is adequate focus on the pedagogical and content knowledge as well
Is organised in a way that the learner understands as they construct the structure themselves	Does not allow for images or diagrams to be added	Consistent with Constructivism theory of how people learn and acquire knowledge
Helps integrate prior and new learnings together		Consistent with Constructivism theory of how people learn and acquire knowledge
Allows students to communicate their knowledge clearly	If conducted in a group learners need to make allowances as they would have differing beliefs as to where and how some concepts link	Collaboration forces students to discuss their views and knowledge of the topic in order to create relevant connections. Great for social interaction and it’s learning potentials

 



Using online concept maps in the Primary classroom

Here is a great video that shows the power of using a concept-mapping tool



Here is a slideshare presentation that discusses what concept/mind mapping is, when to use it and how as well as its benefits.  

Mind Mapping from Shipra Gupta

TPACK

Technological knowledge - requires little knowledge to operate either type of concept mapping tool. I was able to use it straight away without requiring any tutorials or guides. Digital natives would find this software easy to use however it would be recommended for learners from about Year 2 onwards due to it's use of text which requires the user to be able to spell/write the words themselves.

Content knowledge - Good for breaking information down into workable parts. Learners would be able to make a concept map to chart their development of knowledge in a subject from its introduction (their prior knowledge of the subject) to it's conclusion (what they learnt during the unit of study). They could use both maps to compare what they have learnt over time.

Pedagogical knowledge - concept mapping is not a new tool. It is common practice that, when introducing a new unit of study to the class, the teacher asks students to write down what they know about that topic. I remember writing up concept maps in groups on butchers paper when I was in primary and secondary school. Using an online concept mapping tool brings concepts maps into today's classroom, incorporating concept maps into a digital pedagogy framework which is more relevant and engaging for today's learners.

Concept Maps (2010) gives clear guidelines for how to effectively use concept mapping in the classroom. It notes that it is important to introduce younger learners to diagrams and charts before engaging in a concept mapping task.

There are several ways to construct concept maps. Most include the following steps:

1. Model how to identify the major ideas or concepts presented in a selection of text as you read.
2. Organize the ideas into categories. Remind students that your organization may change as you continue to read and add more information.
3. Use lines or arrows on the map to represent how ideas are connected to one another, a particular category, and/or the main concept. Limit the amount of information on the map to avoid frustration.
4. After students have finished the map, encourage them to share and reflect on how they each made the connections between concepts.
5. Encourage students to use the concept map to summarize what was read.

source: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/concept_maps/


Some great examples of concept mapping in the classroom are found at the American Geosciences Institute and Reading Rockets. Early Childhood Research and Practice has a great article on using Online Concept Mapping with early childhood learners.


Remember..

Please refer to the Ethics, Safety and Security post. Specific considerations when using online concept mapping are that students need to be aware of the conduct expectations. They need to know that at times they will be limited to using the bubbl.us or text2mindmap page only in order for the teacher to properly assess their prior learning however they can access search tools such as google, yahoo, etc when asked to find out more about that topic. Teachers need to give clear instructions and supervision when learners are searching online.

Also, because online concept mapping is sometimes conducted in a group setting students need to be aware of acceptable code of conduct, being considerate of each others ideas about the topic.

References

1. Vanides, J., Yin, Y., Tomita, M.,  & Ruiz-Primo, M.A. (2005). Using concepts maps in the science classroom. Science Scope, 28, 27-31.
2. Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains (2010). Retrieved 15 March 2013 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html.
3. Teaching and Learning with Concept Maps (n.d.). Inspiration Software Inc. Retrieved 10 April from http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning/concept-mapping