When you hear about a concept map for the first time, surely more than one of you will have a doubt or will not know what you are talking about or what it refers to. They are technical words to finally refer to such a normal thing (which practically all of us will have done at some point in our lives while we have studied) such as summarized schemes, above all, in the concept.
And it is that, referring to a conceptual map, is nothing else, more than a method to learn. The difference with the concept map is that graphic representations of what is studied are made and it is elaborated as a scheme. That is to say, all the concepts are reflected in a schematic way.
Neither should they be written or captured lightly, because if it is characterized by something, it is precisely because of how well elaborated, ordered and summarized it is. They must be concepts elaborated in a hierarchical way and these, in turn, are inserted into geometric shapes (usually square or round) and from there they are connected to each other. Whenever they are linked, it is done with lines and/or arrows.
Do not confuse when you say and talk about conceptual map and mental map. They have nothing to do. A mental map is much more linear while the conceptual one (of which we are talking) is much more visual. For this reason, it is what is called meaningful learning. This is the one that connects with the visual field and exactly what we are going to deal with.
Instructions
- To start developing a concept map, you have to be very clear about what you want to convey, what you need to summarize, what the basic concepts are. Because from them (the concepts) the rest of the conceptual map will be elaborated.
- You need to have a hierarchy. How do you do this? The concepts are taken and they begin to be ordered, but when they are ordered they must be in a hierarchical way (very important and for this reason we place so much emphasis on the matter).
- You must decipher or take into account what is the main idea of everything. Once you have it, you should always place it, in the upper area of the scheme (as an important word and concept and from which the others or all of the following concepts will begin to emerge).
- You must decipher or take into account what is the main idea of everything. Once you have it, you should always place it, in the upper area of the scheme (as an important word and concept and from which the others or all of the following concepts will begin to emerge).
- If the scheme is elaborated as we are indicating, you should not have problems to elaborate a perfect graphic scheme and without problems.
- You don’t have to decorate it much, you don’t have to wind up, you don’t have to search, you don’t even have to make it eternal… simple and concise. You have to place the word or the concept or the information that is extremely important and that’s it.
- Very important, as much as not only for yourself or yourself, but, in some cases, if you don’t do it, you can get suspended in the institute or university. Not to mention at work how bad you can look and for yourself/to be a real mess to understand and/or study it. A concept map always in view has to be nice. We are not referring to making it colorful, painting it, underlining it, or stories like these… you don’t have to. But it must be well done, with clear concepts, arrows and/or dashes that lead to the words or the precise information without tumbling around the page and driving you (and whoever looks at it) crazy. Make them carry a certain order.
- We must not forget (in some schools they will even penalize you in an exam or work if you do not do it), having to place, put, write the propositions. How is that, well, so simple how they have to be spinning. When you have several concepts (words or highly relevant information) you will have to string them together with their concepts by means of lines, arrows, points… (whatever you are using) to connect them together. If you forget this, the concept map is not very useful so write it down and do not forget it because it will be a disaster of work.
- The nodes. Do not lose sight of this name or better, what has been the nodes because it is neither more nor less than the geometric figures that encompass and/or collect the concepts.
- When you go to write the concept never above all and we repeat, never, do it with a verb. It must always be the concrete word or the sentence, but never the verb. If the verb is important or not, it is also very important, the fact that the same word or the same concept is never repeated. Place it, but from there, link it with arrows, stripes, dots… whatever you want. Never repeat.
- Emphasizing the verbs, if they can be in the words that are going to link. Why? As simple as the concepts are expressed with verbs and must be explained explicitly and clearly. These are the ones that you will see presented with the lines that are called connectors (and that we already discussed).
- We give you some ideas for you to use with the words that can be used in the links, such as for example and among many others: is, for, are classified, are… there are many, but you already have a slight idea with these words.
- When you make a concept map you must prepare it and after knowing what it is going to be about and what is the key word, the concept, go get the ideas to be able to develop it. That is, we are going to make it a little easier for you for some idea. Let’s imagine that you want to make a concept map and the topic is about the environment. Starting from the main concept, the questions can be of the type, “What is the biggest problem for the environment?” or “the consequences of man in the environment”, among others. If you pay attention, the idea that we try to capture so that you understand it, is that it has to focus on the details about the environment because the main concept is that.
- Something that can be extremely useful for you so as not to get involved, so as not to apply or capture a multitude of ideas and the scheme ends up being very confusing and unclear or eternal, is to give you a summary in a “rough way” in a dirty way. Try to capture the main idea and from there, you make several concepts on the topic that seem very important to you and that are totally necessary for the concept map. When you have the words and want to convey it, make a very brief summary. And from that summary, start choosing and making the outline with the keywords. It will be so much easier for you. It may be a bit laborious to prepare, but it will end up being more concise and easier to understand later.
- If none of the above seems simple to you, another more basic idea but just as effective is this . Take the main concept (the keyword) and when you know it, write it on the page, in the upper centered part (as we said at the beginning) and to avoid getting lost, enclose it in a square, a rectangle, a circle whatever you prefer. As imple vista, seeing it already embodied and how the scheme looks can be easier for you.
- When you start to prepare a concept map, all those who already have experience agree on the same thing, you have to have a certain order when you start. In order not to spend three hours with the outline process, the important thing and/or the basis of everything is to start with the title (which we already mentioned), after it, start with the main concept and gradually add the lines with the words of link. In this way we are going to spin the key words (the concept) with the meaning. Everything already, schematized.
- As a general rule, if you look at some examples, you will notice that the important words and/or concepts are always at the top of the scheme and the less important ones fall and remain at the bottom.
- When you have to close the scheme, start by finishing it by taking a look at it and making sure that it is not only optimal and adequate in sight, but also that it is understood. It is useless for the concepts to be correct, if it is a very laborious concept map, with many links, many lines or crossed arrows, if it is not understood where each node goes, etc. Keep this in mind, when finalizing the scheme. It must be organized, summarized and beautiful (or clean) at a glance.
- If you start to get used to making summaries based on concept maps, we assure you that not only is it possible for you to study better, but you will certainly learn much faster to make summaries with what is truly substantial. It will cost you much less to retain important information and, therefore, it will be much easier for you to study and memorize.
- It has been shown that students and/or people who study based on concept maps increase the ability to analyze and reflect.
What do you need?
- A pencil and/or pen.
- Paper.
- A computer.
- Notes.
- Some marker or pencil that stands out.
Tips
A concept map is therefore (after all that we have already mentioned and told you, with tricks included), a very simple way of being able to integrate concepts, visualizing and associating them in a very simple, clear and concise way. Visual learning takes a lot of prominence. In these cases, you may have heard of the so-called meaningful learning. is it so? If you have never heard it, we will quickly tell you what it is about.
Significant learning is closely linked to the conceptual map because it is precisely learning by vision.
Do not go wrong with another method and concept, the mind map. They have nothing to do with it. While this one is more sober and linear, the concept map is much more visual and hierarchical.
To be able to make a concept map (outline, a hierarchical summary or whatever you want to call it) it can be done almost for anything and topic that each one wants and/or needs. For example, it can be from something that is needed to a personal note, going through university summaries, field work with investigations, writing, making poems, taking data, etc. Each one will use it as best suits him and best for him to take data and memorize it.