Learning Method: Concept Map

Concept Mapping as a Learning Strategy

1.      The Nature of Concept Mapping

Concept mapping is one strategy or model of learning that is often used to discuss specific material that is relational. This learning strategy is very helpful for students to understand a concept and the relationship of the concept with the part or sub topic that is in it. According to Novak (1984), "Concept maps are intended to represent meaningful relationships between concepts in the form of propositions". This proposition is two or more concepts associated with the line labeled (conjunction) that has a meaning. This is what forms the concept map. Concept map is derived from a concept that is the center or core of a material that has a close relationship with the other parts that can be derived from the core concept. Concept map is formed from a combination of materials that are interconnected. Concept map can facilitate students to understand more quickly about the relationships of each part or concept.

Meaningful learning is most likely to occur when information is presented in a potentially meaningful way and the learner is encouraged to anchor new ideas with the establishment of links between old and new material (All & Havens, 1997). From this statement can be defined that concept map is a learning strategy that has a very important function and assist students in science and knowledge transfer. Indirectly, the students will be encouraged to think more critically about the existing concept. With concept mapping, students can learn much easier to see the relationship between each idea that have been known, it is easier to connect new ideas with existing idea, and students can also organize these ideas in a logical and orderly.

2.      The Stage of Concept Mapping

When going to use the concept mapping, there are several steps that must be followed to facilitate the organization of concepts in a logical and orderly. The first is create a focus question. Determination focus question will help students to focus on the topic that will be discussed anyway. The second is assign theme or big idea about a concept that will be discussed. In concept mapping, automatically, the core idea or concept will be the main point to explain the concept and its relations with other concepts or other parts. After learning the core topic or core themes, the third step is to think critically. At this stage, students will be encouraged to think more deeply about the concept or parts that can be derived from the existing core topic. Students are expected to be able to provide feedback through critical thinking to develop core concept that has been known before. The next step is to make each of the concepts easier to understand. To further facilitate understanding of the concept and its parts, it is very important that this includes linking word that underlies the relationship between existing concepts. The next step is a review. This step is very important for the students to better understand the concepts studied in relation to the concept and other parts. In this stage, students will repeat how to connect or organizing concepts that exist so that students understand well the concepts and the relationships between those concepts. The last stage is assessment or evaluation. In this stage, students will be trained to try connecting or associating a core concept with other concepts or other parts that relate to the core concepts. Through the assessment, teachers can draw the conclusion whether the students really understand the concepts taught or not.

3.      Strengths & Weaknesses

Each learning strategies have advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as concept mapping. Concept mapping on the one hand can be very beneficial for students to learn. However, on different sides, concept mapping also has some weaknesses in students' learning. According to Torre &Daley (2007) “The concept maps allowed for creativity by developing a system of thinking that included pattern recognition, the ability to think broadly on topics, and finally, allowed for knowledge integration allowed for knowledge integration.” Based on these statements, advantages concept mapping are as follows, first, concept mapping can help teachers to organize a set of learning materials thoroughly. This greatly helps the teacher to be able to connect each lesson taught quickly because actually a lot of learning material presented randomly. Second, the concept mapping helps students to learn quickly because the concept mapping brings verbal effect for students. This verbal effect helps students to easily see, read, and understand the meaning given. Third, concept mapping helps improve the activity and creativity of the students' thinking. With an active mind, automatically the students will be encouraged to think more deeply and critically, causing a self-reliant attitude in learning for students. Fourth, concept mapping also helps students to develop a way of thinking to be more structured and well integrated. Concept mapping is formed by a sequence or a structured system that helps students to form a pattern of thought, so that students are trained to think more structured. Fifth, concept mapping helps students to improve the understanding and more powerful memory. Therefore, concept mapping is also very helpful if used before the test to master the whole matter and understand the relationship of each concept. The last and most important, concept mapping help students "learn how to learn". With concept mapping, students can learn how to construct an effective learning for themselves to understand a concept and its relationship to other concepts or other parts.

Weaknesses of the concept mapping, first, concept mapping require very much time in their applications in the study. Teachers have time restrictions in teaching. This limit is actually the weakness of the concept mapping which requires a long time to make a regular structure and well integrated. Second, students sometimes have difficulty in defining the concepts contained in the material being studied. Many concepts are not understood by the students thoroughly. This will hinder the students in forming the composition of these concepts. Third, students will also often have difficulty determining the words to connect one concept to another. This is caused by the words are arranged in a concept map are the core words only and did not include a definition or explanation of the concept. This led student to often find it difficult to determine the right words to connect the concepts. Fourth, concept mapping requires a very strong memory for understanding any explanation at existing concepts. Therefore, students who have poor memory will greatly burden to integrate the whole concept structurally and well. The latter, concept mapping requires a critical thinking which results students must take a lot of practice to be able to understand the concepts being studied.

4.      Characteristic of Concept Mapping

Concept map has a uniqueness that makes it different from other learning strategies. As its name implies, concept map created by the map or chart that is well structured. This structure is commonly referred to as a hierarchy. The composition of the concept map structure usually begins with a general concept or the most important located at the uppermost and then followed by some specific concepts or sub-section at the bottom as a result of the elaboration of the main concepts or general concept. Formation of concept map is usually accompanied by arrows refer to the next concept which is accompanied also by linking word written near the arrows.

In a concept map, each concept flows from top to bottom. The arrows are used to denote the relationship between one thing and another. What makes the concept mapping is very viable for use in learning is the inter-connection between each of the concepts that formed and well structured. It is characteristic or strength of a concept map that greatly assist students to know and understand the structure of a concept and its relationship to other concepts or parts well. It is also a differentiator with other learning strategies as concept map is a coherent integration between each of the existing concept, so students do not have to find it difficult to connect learning or materials that may be taught at random.

5.      Assessment for Concept Mapping

There are many ways to evaluate the ability of students to the concept mapping strategy. The most practical as assessment for learning strategies are "matching task". In this assessment, students will be trained to be able to connect the concepts that are bound to one another. Another way is to create a "small-group project assessment" regarding the development of a concept map. In this assessment, the student and his group would try to develop specific concepts of a general concept that is given to them. Through this assessment, teachers can assess students' ability to master the material through the concept mapping strategy, so that teachers can know in which areas the students still need clarification about the learning materials.

"Explanatory essay" is assessment that is suitable in assessing student learning. Through this assessment, students are expected to make an essay based on their concept maps they learned. This will show how far the students master the material presented in a concept map. Last assessment that may be used is "select and fill in concept mapping". In this assessment, students will be given a worksheet that contains a concept map where most boxes on the concept map are empty. Students should try to fill the empty boxes to choose the right answer from a collection of answers that were on the other side with the concept map. Through this assessment, students can also be evaluated on the level of understanding on the formation of concept.

6.      The Theory Underlying the Concept Mapping

6.1. Psychological Foundations of Concept Maps

Ausubel’s cognitive psychology said that learning takes place by the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into existing concept and propositional frameworks held by the learner. The first concept is acquired by children during the ages of birth to three years, when they recognize regularities in the world around them and begin to identify language labels or symbols for these regularities (Macnamara, 1982). After age 3, new concept and propositional learning is mediated heavily by language, and takes place primarily by a reception learning process where new meanings are obtained by asking questions and getting clarification of relationships between old concepts and propositions and new concepts and propositions. Based on that reason, “hands-on” activity for science learning with young children is important. The distinction between the discovery learning process, where the attributes of concepts are identified autonomously by the learner, and the reception learning process, where attributes of concepts are described using language and transmitted to the learner, Ausubel made the very important distinction between rote learning and meaningful learning. Meaningful learning requires three conditions:

a.       The material to be learned must be conceptually clear and presented with language and examples relatable to the learner’s prior knowledge and concept maps can be helpful to meet this condition.

b.      The learner must possess relevant prior knowledge (this condition can be met after age 3)

c.       The learner must choose to learn meaningfully. Students should be motivated to choose to learn by attempting to incorporate new meanings into their prior knowledge, rather than simply memorizing concept definitions or propositional statements or computational procedures.

6.2. Epistemological Foundation

Novak argued that knowledge construction is nothing other than a relatively high level of meaningful learning (1977). Concepts and propositions are the building blocks for knowledge in any domain. There are many concepts that can be combines to form infinite propositions. Students will never run out of opportunities to create new knowledge. Based on this psychological and epistemological foundation, concept maps were made. The main purpose is for helping student relates and build new concept from their prior knowledge.

7.      The Biblical Perspective in Concept Mapping

From the beginning, God created everything good, even God created man in His image very well. Nothing is unstructured in the creation that God has done. Everything in this world is coming from Him. Nothing failed of creation of God. All have linkages that connect between creations to other creations. Similarly, concept mapping is a way to know a very regular structure. Through a concept map, we are taught to learn to form the regularities and establishing the relationship between one concept with another. This is certainly very useful for us because when we understand a structure or order, automatically we also know how to maintain order and structure of God's design in order to remain good and solid future.

Human also a creation that is unique compared to other creatures. Humans are given ratio or a mind to be able to process everything that God has given to us. God gave us mind so that we can use it for the glory of God. God gave mind as memory that is not infinite, so that we can maximize its function. In the concept mapping, students are required to be able to think critically and to associate concept that he got into a schematic or map for easy understanding. Concept map would help us to maximize the function of the mind that the Lord gave to us. With a concept map, people will be encouraged to try to think critically and deeper. It means, the uniqueness that God given only to humans it will not be silent, but will always try to get the best thing if the concept mapping strategy is applied.

8.      Purposes of Concept Mapping

            Many things is purpose that can be obtained through the concept mapping strategy. Learning about the concept mapping has a purpose that will be very helpful in the world of work, in addition to the world of education. Concept mapping will be very helpful when working in the organization and also in the business world. Especially when a presentation, concept mapping will allow us to present the material in a structured and coherent compared to using note cards or sheets of paper. According to Zeilik (1999), “concept mapping helps students to improve long-term memory skills so that knowledge is more accessible. Concept mapping is also aiming to establish higher-level thinking skills of students. Concept mapping also aims to train students to be able to be trained to find or develop a new idea of a concept. The latter, concept mapping is also aims to help students integrate information and ideas or concepts. Overall, concept mapping aims to prepare students for entry into real life in the work that will be more challenging and require critical thinking that is stronger to be able to compete.

           

References

All, A., & Havens, R. (1997). Cognitive/concept mapping: A teaching strategy in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Ausubel, D. P. (1968). Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Lang, H. R. & Evans, D. N. (2005). Models, Strategies, and Methods for Effective Teaching, Boston, MA: Pearson.

Macnamara, J. (1982). Names for Things: A Study of Human Learning. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press.

Novak, J. D. (1977). A Theory of Education. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Novak, J.D., (1984), Learning How to Learn, Science Education, Cambridge: University Press.

Daley, B.J., & Torre, M. (2007), Qualitative Evaluation of Medical Student Learning with Concept Maps. Med Teach.