Abstract
A concept map is a set of ideas joined by labelled lines. Two concepts plus the phrase on the line between them make a small claim you can read aloud: plants need sunlight, sunlight drives photosynthesis.
Most of the work is in the labels. Drawing a line is easy, but writing down what the relationship is makes you commit to what you think. Gaps and contradictions show up fast. That makes it good for learning a subject, and for checking that a team means the same thing by the same words.
Method
- 01
Write a focus question
Start with the question the map should answer. It stops the map from sprawling.
- 02
List the key concepts
Write down the main ideas as nouns or short noun phrases. Fifteen to twenty is plenty.
- 03
Arrange them
Put the broadest concepts near the top and the more specific ones lower down. Rough placement is fine and will change.
- 04
Link and label
Draw a line between related concepts and write a verb phrase on it, so each pair reads as a sentence.
- 05
Look for cross-links
Find connections between distant parts of the map. They often show the parts you understand best.
- 06
Read it back
Read every link aloud as a sentence and rewrite the ones that are vague or wrong.
When to use it
- You're learning a new subject and want to see how the ideas fit together.
- A team uses the same words but seems to mean different things by them.
- You need to explain a system to someone who's new to it.
Common pitfalls
- Leaving lines unlabelled. A bare arrow tells the reader almost nothing.
- Writing full sentences as concepts. Keep the concepts short and put the relationship on the line.
- Building a strict hierarchy. The links between branches are usually the interesting part.
- Mapping everything. Use the focus question to decide what to leave out.
Origin and references
Attributed to Joseph D. Novak, Cornell University (1972).
- Novak, J. D., & Gowin, D. B. (1984). Learning How to Learn. Cambridge University Press.
- Novak, J. D., & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.