Learning Strategies, Study Skills, & Paired Courses - College ...

Concept Mapping and Reading Math Texts (cont’d.) 32.
DIRECTIONS FOR MAPPING ACTIVITY
1. Share each individual map within your group. (5 min.)
2. Create one group map which: integrates ideas from group members, uses all terms,
shows main ideas and subordinate ideas, and shows sequence. (5-10 min.)
3. Be prepared to share your group map with the class.
4. Turn in your group map and each member’s individual map.
Rubric for group points:
_____/1 follows group process
_____/1 integrates ideas from members
_____/1 uses all terms
V. Example of a group map:
_____/1 shows main ideas & subordinate ideas
_____/1 shows sequence
_____/5 TOTAL
WHY IT WORKS: Creating a semantic concept map helps students visualize the relationships
among course vocabulary. This simple process facilitates both brain hemispheres and uses visual
and tactile learning preferences. Also, when students collaborate to create a map, auditory
processing modalities are stimulated.
Creation of a map helps students move beyond literal, word-for-word recall of course vocabulary
and toward summarizing concepts in their own words. The map clarifies hierarchical and
sequential relationships among concepts, aiding interpretive and applied levels of comprehension.
A concept map organizes information similar to a neural network; ideas are interconnected and
stored based on prior knowledge. Thus, learners articulate and verbalize their metacognition,
providing the instructor with an instant assessment tool. The map indicates how well students
understand relationships among terms and how well they apply concepts to solve math problems.
Contributors
Rudy Gunawan, Math Instructor, and Jean LaBauve, English Instructor, Spokane Falls
Community College, WA (JeanL@spokanefalls.edu)