By making schemas, you can present information in an organized manner. From the overview, you understand the information and the connections better, which helps you remember it better. A concept map is a schematic method that helps in creating an overview of the connections. The concept map is often confused with a mind map. The difference between these two methods is that a mind map uses free associations, while a concept map places a strong emphasis on the relationships between successive connections. With a concept map, you can also make mistakes in relational connections, which forces students to think extra carefully about the material. A concept map also gives students the opportunity to understand the information in detail better, without losing sight of the bigger picture. Furthermore, a concept map helps students build on information they already have. It is easier to remember new information when it is linked to already stored information. Explain to students that it is useful to create a concept map to understand the relationships between concepts. Creating a concept map can certainly be complicated at first. To practice creating a concept map, it is helpful for you as a teacher to indicate which concepts or topics should be included. You can also practice with a partially filled-in concept map. All blocks can be connected to each other. For example, you can connect all the important concepts from a chapter to each other; what is related to what? In the schema, you can also use colors and icons to make everything even clearer. You can also use other types of schemas (see images), if you want to draw differences between things, draw the different steps of something, or draw a cycle.
Geurts, R., & Wevers, I. (2020, 7 januari). Laat studenten een conceptmap maken. Geraadpleegd van: https://www.vernieuwenderwijs.nl/laat-studenten-een-concept-map-maken/
Batdi, V. 2014. “The Effect Of Using The Concept-Mapping Technique And Traditional Methods On The Achievement, Retention And Attitudes of students: A Meta-Analytic Study”, Dumlupinar University Journal of Social Sciences, no.42, pp. 93-102
Chiou, C. 2008. “The Effect Of Concept Mapping On students’ Learning Achievements And Interests”, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, vol. 45, no.4, pp. 375–387
Correia, P. R. M. (2012). The use of concept maps for knowledge management: from classrooms to research labs. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 402(6), 1979-1986.
