Engaging Students with Concept Mapping

Concept mapping is an excellent way to get students who are visual learners involved in the classroom. As a visual learner a concept map allows for the student to visually represent information in an orderly fashion. This allows for the student to fully layout their ideas. Another thing that concept maps allow is organization and brainstorming. For example, a concept map can be an initial step to writing a paper kind of like an outline. A concept map allows for the student to layout the main topic as well as the sub-topics. After the topics are all laid out in an organized manner with the concept map it is easier for the student to write the paper.
Concept mapping can also be a way to test how well students understand the topic presented. To do this a student should be presented with a topic, then they are to link subcategories by themselves correctly. Then if the student adds subcategories to the other ones and demonstrates how they are connected if that was done correctly this is definitely a good way to test a student’s knowledge. Another way to test a student’s knowledge is to have a full concept map lay out. I would probably leave some of the links blank and have the students fill them in with the correct answer