Concept mapping

 INTRODUCTION

When new knowledge is integrated with and connected to existing knowledge that new knowledge is easier to understand and to remember. A professor‟s job is to build scaffolding from existing knowledge on which to hang incoming new knowledge. Using a concept map is one way to build that scaffolding. A concept map is a visual organization and representation of knowledge. It shows concepts and ideas and the relationships among them. One can create a concept map by writing key words (sometimes enclosed in shapes such as circles, boxes, triangles, etc.) and then drawing arrows between the ideas that are related.

Concept mapping (CM) is a teaching and learning strategy that establishes a bridge between how people learn knowledge and sensible learning. Students need to have sufficient foundation and a critical thinking about CM and the relations between different concepts. Concept mapping promises to be useful in enhancing meaningful learning and students‟ conceptual understanding. Concept mapping helps meaningful learning in several ways. It is an activity that provides the student with an opportunity to organize, summarize, analyze and evaluate many different ideas. Thus, it promotes the development of critical thinking skills, which can then be used for other meaningful learningactivities.

This assignment contains a concept map for Plus One and Plus Two students, based on the units, Glimpses of Greatness and Flights of Freedomrespectively.

Preparation

The process of concept mapping involves three major steps:

Step 1: List key concepts/terms related to thetopic

Step 2: Build up concepts to elaborate keyconcepts

Step 3: Identify links betweenconcepts

The units taken for concept mapping were Glimpses of Greatness and Flights of Freedom. The former unit contains 4 chapters, which includes a speech, a poem, a story and a biography. The latter unit contains 4 chapters, which includes a speech, a poem, a story and an anecdote. At the outset, key concepts and themes related to the topics, confidence, uniqueness women empowerment and freedom were enumerated. Each chapter contained sub themes too, like manhood, leadership, emancipation of women, freedom, education, equity etc. These concepts were listed down. Links were identified between these concepts and appropriate activities that could be given, while dealing with each chapter was given. Keeping all these in mind, an outline was created and based on the outline, the concept map wasdrafted.

Benefits

• There are several benefits of using concept maps. A concept map:

• Helps visual learners grasp the material (however all learners benefit from theactivity)

• Helps students see relationships between ideas, concepts, orauthors

• Utilizes the full range of the left and right hemispheres of thebrain

• Helps memoryrecall

• Helps to clarify and structureideas

• Aids in developing higher-level thinking skills (create, analyze,evaluate)

• Helps students synthesize and integrate information, ideas andconcepts

• Encourages students to think creatively about thesubject

• Lets students do self-evaluation of beliefs, values, socialization,etc.

• Helps students evaluate assumptions.

Outline

I. Topic: Glimpses ofGreatness

Key Concepts, Sub themesandActivities :

1.His First Flight(Story)

a) Avoidfear

b) BuildConfidence

i) Read and respond

ii) Tree diagram

iii) Review

2. I Will Fly(Speech)

a) Be unique

b) Be successful

i) Email

ii) Think and respond

iii) Speech

3.Quest for a Theory of Everything(Biography)

a) Fighting adversities

b) Success inlife

i)Timeline

ii) Groupdiscussion

iii) Profile

iv) Interview

4. If(Poem)

a) Manhood

b) Leadership

i) Read andReflection

ii) Appreciation

iii) Clause

II Topic : Flights ofFreedom

Key Concepts, Sub themesandActivities :

2. The Three L‟s of Women Empowerment (Speech)

a) WomenEmpowerment

b) WomenEducation

i) Acquaint with famousspeeches

ii) Rhetoricaldevices

2. Any Women(Poem)

c) Freedom

d) Bond between mother andchild

i) Analysis of the theme of thepoem

ii) Comprehension of similarpoem

3) Matchbox(story)

c) Emancipation ofWomen

d) Equity

i) Book blurbcreation

ii) Charactersketch

4. Horegallu(Anecdote)

c) Revitalization ofPast

d) Empathy

i) Review Preparation

ii) ReportDrafting

Explanation

The unit „Glimpses of Greatness‟ highlights the personality traits of some great people. It throws light on the qualities that are to be developed so as to become successful in life. This unit includes an anecdote from the life of Abraham Lincoln -- „Abe‟s FirstSpeech,‟astorybyLiamO‟Flaherty--„His First Flight,‟aspeechbyDrA. P.J.Abdul Kalam--„IwillFly,‟aprofileofStephenHawking--„QuestforaTheoryofEverything‟and a poem by Rudyard Kipling --„If‟

The unit, Flights of Freedom, highlights the need for the empowerment of women. This unit tells us how education, determination and courage help women break the shackles of socio- cultural taboos. The unit comprises a speech “The 3Ls of Empowerment” by Christine Lagarde, the first woman Finance Minister of France, a poem “Any Woman” by Katharine Tynan, a story “Matchbox” by Ashapurna Debi, and an anecdote “Horegallu” by Sudha Murty.

Sub themes related to each chapter is linked in the concept map; including leadership, confidence, manhood, emancipation, education, and empowerment of women, significance of equity and freedom, bond between mother and children, revitalization of past and empathy.

The names of the authors and appropriate pictures were added for more clarity. The genres of chapters were linked. Suitable activities, related to the chapters were connected, to make things easier. Varieties of activities are provided to enhance vocabulary, speaking skills as well as writing skills.

CONCLUSION

The concept map, based on the units, Glimpses of Greatness and Flights of Freedom, contains detailed information on the key concepts, sub themes and activities. The map is prepared in Visme, which is an online design software. The concept map can help students as well as teachers grasp the material along with the links and connections. It can help visual learners to understand the concept easily. It can help students see the “big-picture” and visualize relationships. It will help those process and store large amounts of information.

REFERENCE

Bryan Bradley. “Concept Mapping.” Concept Mapping | CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING,ctl.byu.edu/tip/concept-mapping.

Farah Najam et al. “Concept Maps: Classroom Strategy.” Reading Rockets, 3Jan.

2020, www.readingrockets.org/strategies/concept_maps.