Concept Maps

The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How To Construct Them, Joseph D. Novak
http://web.archive.org/web/20041129092327/http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/printer.html

This article has more information than you will ever need to know on the topic of concept maps. He even shows a concept map about concept maps!

Novak defines concept maps as follows: "concept maps are tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts or propositions, indicated by a connecting line between two concepts. Words on the line specify the relationship between the two concepts."

Concept maps are a great way to organize your thoughts, especially since it helps to show the relationship between concepts. Concept maps are also a great way to learn about a topic because it lends itself to understanding and building meaningful relationships between information as opposed to rote memorization.

Novak states that "One of the powerful uses of concept maps is not only as a learning tool but also as an evaluation tool, thus encouraging students to use meaningful-mode learning patterns." As a teacher concept maps would be a fast and efficient way of determining what your students know and if they are on the right track with their ideas.