Creative Ideas to Assist Creative Ideas to Assist Student Learning Student Learning

Ewa Gorski, Steve Kabrhel, and Ellen Lathrop-Davis

Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville

Third Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

Concept MappingConcept Mapping

• Studies show making associations between bits of information aids learning

• Concept mapping helps students make these associations

• Applicable to all subjects

Concept MappingConcept Mapping

• Instructor-led concept maps

– Instructor provides information to be mapped

– Models mapping for students

• Goal: students learn to prepare their own maps in a “safe” environment

• Online students create maps using mapping software

Mapping in the ClassroomMapping in the Classroom

• Whole-class kinesthetic mapping

– Involves all your students together

• Small group kinesthetic mapping

– Encourages small-group interaction

• Electronic concept mapping

– Concept mapping software for online and on-campus classes

Getting Started – Getting Started – Instructor-led MappingInstructor-led Mapping

• Whole-class Concept Mapping in Lecture

– Example: animal cell

• Small-group Concept Mapping

– Example: human blood circulatory systems

– Example: histology cards (visual mapping)

5

Whole-class Concept MappingWhole-class Concept Mapping

Goal: Goal: to encourage participation by all students in class

•Instructor provides cards with terms

•Animal cell

•Review of cell organelles & their functions

6

Small Group MappingSmall Group Mapping

Goal: Goal: to encourage group discussion

• Human blood circulatory systems

• Review structural components and their relationships

Small Group MappingSmall Group Mapping

Goal: Goal: to encourage group interaction

• Instructor provides cards with terms

• Nerve impulse

Small Group MappingSmall Group Mapping

Goal: Goal: to encourage group interaction and visual recognition

•Instructor provides micrographs

•Organize micrographs into large groups then refine

Leading Students to Generate Leading Students to Generate Concept MapsConcept Maps

Levels:Levels:

• Instructor provides terms, students work together

• Students provide terms, work together

• Students generate individual maps

Online Concept MapsOnline Concept Maps

Goal: Goal: to encourage students to generate their own concept maps

•Concept mapping software

– CMaps

– Inspiration

– Microsoft PowerPoint

Use of Concept Maps OnlineUse of Concept Maps Online

• Use of concept maps in online classes or as an online resource

– Action Potential Example

– Macronutrient Absorption Example

Action Potential:Action Potential: The Question The Question

Action Potential:Action Potential:The AnswerThe Answer

Action Potential OutlineAction Potential Outline

• Chemically Gated Channels are found at– Dendrites and Cell body

• which let in• Sodium• which• depolarizes the cell body and dendrites

•and if•inside the cell reaches threshold

•Voltage Gated Channels are •found at•Axon and Axon Hillock•which lets in sodium •which depolarizes the axon you get •Action POTENTIAL

•but if•inside of the cell doesn't reach threshold

•you get•NO Action Potential

Macronutrient Digestion:Macronutrient Digestion:The QuestionThe Question

Macronutrient Digestion:Macronutrient Digestion:The AnswerThe Answer

Macronutrient Digestion OutlineMacronutrient Digestion Outline

Macronutrient Digestion OutlineMacronutrient Digestion Outline

And in Conclusion…And in Conclusion…

• Concept mapping is especially useful for complex processes…

– But can be used to organize any information

• Instructor leads the students…

– With the goal that students will generate their own concept maps