Concept or Mind Map - Online Engagement and Teaching Hub

What is it?

A concept/mind map is a teaching and learning technique used to help students perform at higher cognitive levels and to help teachers to explain complex topics. It can be considered as a type of graphic organiser that helps students to think, explore, organise and visually represent the knowledge by using graphics, symbols or text.

A concept map usually starts with a main idea at the top of a tree followed by various other related concepts using nodes to represent the relationships between the topics or concepts.

Why use it?

To generate and communicate ideas and information in a logical way.
To synthesise information and understanding of concepts by drawing links between what students already know and new concepts – see this article for more on this.
To identify gaps in knowledge and student misconceptions.
To promote critical thinking skills.

How do I do it?

	Synchronous face-to-face	Synchronous online	Asynchronous	Tools
Student preparation	Students prepare for mind map session by reading/watching learning material	Students prepare for mind map session by reading/watching learning material	Students prepare for mind map activity by reading/watching learning material	LMS
Your preparation	Prepare your focus for the session – through an idea/concept/question. Let students know that the activity will take place	Prepare your focus for the session – through an idea/concept/question. Let students know that the activity will take place.	Prepare a set of prompting questions for the activity
During activity	Depending on the size of the class this could be a class-based activity or the class can be divided into groups. Students can come up to the white board or work in groups using paper or post it notes or digital tools (e.g. Poplet or shared documents). Provide students with an opportunity to reflect.	Depending on the size of the class this could be a class-based activity or the class can be divided into breakout groups in Zoom. Students use a digital tool (e.g. shared document, Padlet or Poplet) to share ideas. Students return to the main room and share their mind maps. Provide students with an opportunity to reflect.	Depending on how the activity is run, students can develop mind maps individually and then share with the group or mind maps can be group-based and shared. Students use a digital tool (e.g. shared document, Padlet or Poplet) to share ideas. Students review all mind maps and post at least one piece of feedback per mind map. Provide students with an opportunity to reflect.
Artefact	Collection of mind maps	Collection of mind maps	Collection of mind maps

Considerations

Can be used to organise research-based information in a concise format followed by producing various artefacts. This can help to mitigate against plagiarism.
Ask students to produce concept maps instead of a formal essay for evaluation – this is especially useful for formative assessments.
You can use online tools for creating concept/ mind maps such as Lucidchart , Popplet , Padlet or a Miro board.

Resources

Dettbarn, C., Kilian, J., Hallsteinsdóttir, E. (2023). ‘Europe’ in Our Minds: Identifying Knowledge Models Using Concept Maps. In: Gorbahn, K., Hallsteinsdóttir, E., Engberg, J. (eds) Exploring Interconnectedness. Palgrave Studies in Educational Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13960-4_9

Evans, T., Jeong, I. Concept maps as assessment for learning in university mathematics. Educ Stud Math 113 , 475–498 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-023-10209-0

Murtonen, M. (2015). University students’ understanding of the concepts empirical, theoretical, qualitative and quantitative research. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(7), 684–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1072152

Nesbit, J. C., & Adesope, O. O. (2006). Learning with concept and knowledge maps: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 76(3), 413-448. https://search.proquest.com/docview/214114947?accountid=36155