INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMER SCHOOL

Concept Map

Kojuri J M.D.

Cardiologist.Interventionist

Associate professor of SUMS

Meaning

Concept map is a diagram used to organize your knowledge for meaningful learning

Learning is a complex cognitive process that occur in all ages

How to improve it?

Type of learning

Rote learning: verbatim memorizing, concept not addressed, can not be linked to previous knowledge, little transferred to long term memory. Fail to help in future learning and lead to misconception

Meaningful learning: concepts well appreciated, link to prior knowledge, potentiate self directed learning, more efficient and more lasting, go to long term memory

Memory structure

Medical student learning

Traditional curriculum for basic science (lecture based): rote learning

PBL for basic science learning: meaningful learning

Clinical curriculum: in both school large degree of meaningful learning

Concept map

Identifying important concepts

Interconnecting concepts by using verbs that describes the hierarchical relations of concepts

Make a picture of important concepts by important links

Concept map

Improve learning of traditional, PBL, and clinical sciences and help long term memorizing these concepts.

Improve future problem solving by these concepts

Interaction of visual and spatial concepts

Thinking in multiple direction Vs. linear direction

Promote critical thinking

links

Instruction

Identify the concepts: concept is a word that form some pictures or events in your mind.Establish the order of concept: rank the concepts from general to specific, build a hierarchical framework of your conceptsDetermine the relations between the concepts: linking the concepts by line and defining the relationsLook for cross links between the concepts: same as prior stage but think of horizontal links.Examine the map: make sure that map is hierarchical with meaningful relations

Concept map how?

Mind map Vs Concept map

The mind map can be contrasted with the similar idea of concept mapping. The former is based on radial hierarchies and tree structures, whereas concept maps are based on connections between concepts. Concept maps also encourage one to label the connections one makes between nodes, as this has been found to enhance meaningful learning while enabling the potential as a true cognitive, intuitive, spatial and metaphorical mapping. There has been extensive empirical research conducted on concept mapping. In contrast, mind maps are based on separated focused topics and there has been no research stream on mind mapping

Concept map conclusion

Concept map is potentially breakthrough in all kinds of learning i.e. traditional basic science and PBL basic science and clinical curricula, residency, lifelong self learning.

Link the available knowledge with prior one, give meaning to concepts, lead to retention of information and provide sticky points for future understandings

Concept maps as a teaching aid

Organize a lecture by making a concept mapCaution of memorizing the mapHaving students concept map a lecture you giveAs a feedback and as a exerciseMay be a tool to integrate new knowledge with memorized knowledge