Clarifying with Concept Maps - A Tool for Student Assessment, Group Planning & Web Framework Development

1. Clarifying with Concept Maps - A Tool for Student Assessment, Group Planning & Web Framework Development Annette deCharon University of Maine COSEE - Ocean Systems

2. A Brief History of Concept Mapping From Wikipedia Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. Concepts are connected with labeled arrows. The relationship between concepts is articulated in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to". The technique of concept mapping was developed by Joseph D. Novack and his research team at Cornell University in the 1970s as a means of representing the emerging science knowledge of students. It has subsequently been used as a tool to increase meaningful learning in the sciences and other subjects as well as to represent the expert knowledge of individuals and teams in education, government and business. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_map

3. A Brief History of Concept Mapping Concept maps have their origin in the learning movement called constructivism. In particular, constructivists hold that learners actively construct knowledge. Novak's work is based on the cognitive theories of David Ausubel (assimilation theory), who stressed the importance of prior knowledge in being able to learn new concepts. "The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach accordingly." • Key References: • Ausubel, D., Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, (New York), 1968. • Novak, J.D. & Gowin, D.B., Learning How to Learn, Cambridge University Press, (Cambridge), 1984.

4. Uses for & Types of Concept Maps Four major categories of concept maps "Spider": Organized by placing the central theme or unifying factor in the center of the map. Outwardly radiating sub-themes surround the center of the map. "Flowchart": Organizes information in a linear format. "Hierarchical": Presents information in a descending order of importance. The most important information is placed on the top. Distinguishing factors determine the placement of the information. "Systems": Organizes information in a format which is similar to a flowchart with the addition of 'INPUTS' and 'OUTPUTS'. http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100/Mind/c-m2.html

5. Uses for & Types of Concept Maps • Assessing Student Understanding • Many, if not most, educators have been exposed to concept maps in this context only • During educator workshops, it must be made clear when the technique is being used for purposes other than student assessment • Planning Tool for Group Work • Quantitative & Structured • Example: “Research Methods Knowledge Base” (W. Trochim, 2006) • Free-hand • Example: COSEE Governance Working Group • Web Framework Development • Concept mapping is an effective technique for visually representing the structure of information & resources on the web • Moreover, the technique can be used to plan web content retrieval (e.g., to achieve a collaborative web presence)

6. Concept Mapping: Assessing Student Understanding • Student-Prepared Concept Maps • Can be used to: • Gain insight into the way students view a scientific topic; • Examine the valid understandings and misconceptions students hold; and • Assess the structural complexity of the relationships students depict. • Faculty-Prepared Concept Maps Can be used to organize their ideas in preparation for instruction, as a graphic organizer during class, and as a way to encourage students to reflect on their own knowledge and to work together and share their understandings in collaborative group settings. http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/conmap7.php

7. Concept Mapping: Assessing Student Understanding Suggestions for Classroom Use Course Design - Global concept maps developed by instructors can clarify the essential concepts and their linkages. They also make explicit the connected knowledge of a field, which is implicit among experts in the discipline. Effective instruction can then be designed that contains the structure of the concept maps. Instructional Tool - Present "expert" maps to highlight key concepts and connections. These should be detailed and flow from global maps executed for course design. Concept maps can also serve as "advanced organizers" for preview & review of material. Instructors can continuously refer to a concept map to show how to "grow" the connections, and to keep the instruction focused. http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/conmap7.php

8. Concept Mapping: Assessing Student Understanding Suggestions for Classroom Use (continued) Learning Tool - Ask students to construct their own concept maps covering a section of the course material from class or the textbook. The instructor may need time to work with groups and individuals who are unfamiliar with the technique. (Step-by-step instructors online at URL below) Collaborative Concept Mapping - Frustration levels can be high when concept mapping is first introduced, especially in large classes of relative novices. To counter some of this anxiety and to encourage students to reflect on their own thinking, ask groups of 3 or 4 students to work together on a concept map. This exercise is often a very rewarding and rich learning experience as peers argue, debate, and cajole each other. The result is a genuine effort to negotiate the meaning of scientific concepts, attempting (as scientists do) to reach consensus, or to stake out different points of view. The power of the process resides in the interpersonal sharing of ideas, which are made explicit to the instructor. http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/conmap7.php

9. Concept Mapping: Assessing Student Understanding Suggestions for Classroom Use (continued) Fill-in Concept Mapping – Pre-construct a concept map and then remove all of the concept labels while keeping the links. Ask the class to replace the labels in a way that makes structural sense. Best done with small groups. Select & Fill-in Concept Mapping -Create a concept map and then remove about one-third of concept labels. Place the deleted concepts in a numbered list on the map and have students choose among them. An assumption is that as students' thinking approximates that of the instructor, the closer their connected knowledge is "expert-like." http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/conmap7.php

10. Concept Mapping: Planning Tool for Group Work • Quantitative & Structured • "Research Methods Knowledge Base” - Involves these steps: • Preparation (including participant selection & development of focus for conceptualization) • Generation of statements • Structuring of statements • Representation of Statements as a concept map (using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis) • Interpretation of maps • Utilization of Maps Author states that “Concept mapping helps people to think more effectively as a group without losing their individuality. It helps groups to manage the complexity of their ideas without trivializing them or losing detail.” http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/conmap.php http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/research/epp1/epp1.htm

11. Concept Mapping: Planning Tool for Group Work • Free-Hand • Governance Working Group (GWG) • Initiated in late January 2007, the GWG employed concept mapping to better understand the COSEE governance structure • Iterated the draft map over several telecons • Presented the map at the April 2007 Council meeting • Generated a lot of discussion! • Helped identify misconceptions & gaps in knowledge • Showed the need to clarify & simplify COSEE governance structure

12. Concept Mapping: Planning Tool for Group Work • Free-Hand (continued) • Governance Working Group (GWG) - • After the April 2007 meeting, the GWG continued to use concept mapping to "sketch out" a better model for COSEE governance structure • The resulting map was presented at the May 2007 Council meeting • The GWG was charged with modifying the "Deliberative Assembly" model to fit COSEE's needs (e.g., drafting by-laws, defining roles & responsibilities, etc.)

13. Concept Mapping: Planning Tool for Group Work • Free-Hand (continued) • Governance Working Group (GWG) • Continues to use concept mapping to illustrate recommendations on COSEE governance structure • This technique: • Helps keep remote participants "on the same page" • Provides a focal point for discussing terminology • e.g., helps clarify if there are multiple interpretations of the same word or term • When integrated into step-by-step presentation format, shows non-GWG members both outcomes & processes used to reach consensus

14. Concept Mapping: Web Framework Development • Visual representation: Structure of web-based information • Web-based "Site Maps" are forms of concept maps • At first, websites followed a generally hierarchical structure • Nowadays -- partly thanks to the popularity of search engines -- website structure is much more complicated Structural flexibility makes concept mapping highly suitable for multimedia environments since the linking employed in concept maps is an excellent match to the Internet’s nonlinear paradigm. Thus concept maps are useful tools for developing web interfaces and object indexing and retrieval. (Gaines and Shaw, 1995). Studies suggest "that organizing information via a concept map-based interface leads to more accurate search performance than the typically used web page-based browser." (Canas et al, 2003) From "Concept maps as hypermedia components" (http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~gaines/reports/HM/ConceptMaps/index.html) From "A Summary of Literature Pertaining to the Use of Concept Mapping Techniques and Technologies for Education and Performance Support" (http://www.ihmc.us/users/user.php?UserID=acanas)

15. Concept Mapping: Web Framework Development • Visual representation: Structure of information retrieval • Mirroring the processes used by the GWG to create the "Governance Concept Maps," this technique may be used to plan web content retrieval • Goal is to map out how we may achieve a "Collaborative COSEE web presence" • Initial steps: • Agree that web collaboration is high priority • Assess current web assets (Centers, COSEE.net) • Find commonalities & differences • Next steps: • Reach consensus on: • How Centers can work together interactively to make existing / future COSEE information more accessible, engaging, & up-to-date • Embrace technical & communication solutions that showcase COSEE's "leading edge" status

16. Let's Get Started! • Assessing COSEE Web Resources • Commonalities • What are the “common themes” on most, if not all, Centers’ websites? • Are cross-Center activities well-represented on our websites? • Differences • Which resources are unique to individual Centers? • COSEE Collaborative Web Framework Development • Obstacles • Concern about losing each Center’s individuality • Not all Centers have resources to implement new COSEE template • Lack of incentive and/or training to use existing COSEE web tools • Future opportunities • Technical & Communication