Concept Maps-Learning visually

Figure 1: My immediate concept mapping when writing a paper

Concept Mapping might be a tool that a lot of people use but not taking full advantage of it. In my case, I started using it intuitively. Today, with a little more experience, I’ve found them very useful when working, overall with unstructured data or concepts. Its visual analytical power provides the platform to engage data for projects of diverse nature.

Some of the uses could be: when engaging in some exploration where you might need to structure concepts; to organize themes, which is usually done in the Social Sciences; or when you are just making a “deconstruction” of something you’re reading (for example when reading a difficult article in another language). Figure 2: My concept mapping when deconstructing the meaning of processes or theories

Gowin and Novak, in their book   “Learning How to Learn”- use concept maps for learning environments. They indicate that concept maps can be a way to create “shared meaning within students and teachers”. In their book, they re convinced that they are a way “to seek simplicity to preserve complexity”.

Concept maps are  based in “making” (natural for the Design discipline). They convey a in depth process (like a second step in the thinking process) for “understanding how we learn” (Gowin and Novak). They also provide a basis for discussion or disagreement. It is such a powerful tool that it can be used  in areas: education, public policies or business.

Hugh Dubberly has done a lot of writing on designers visualizing complexity. In the case of concept maps, he indicates main steps for creating them [Hugh Dubberly 2010]:

1. List terms
2.Edit the list
3. Define the remaining terms
4. Create a matrix showing the relations of terms
5. Rank the terms
6. Decide on main branches or write framing sentences
7. Fill in the rest of the structure
8. Revise
9. Apply typography to reinforce structure
10. Revise