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The Fantastic Journey of Concept Maps: How did they transform from a learning tool in the 1970s to a treasure trove of knowledge today?
A concept map, or concept diagram, is a graphical tool that shows proposed relationships between concepts. Although it was first developed in the 1970s by Joseph D. Novak, a professor of education at Cornell University, and his research team, the technique is still widely used in education, engineering, and technical writing. and other areas to organize and structure knowledge.
Concept maps typically represent concepts as boxes or circles connected by labeled arrows; these relationships can be expressed using connective phrases such as "results in," "requires," "such as," or "enables."
In this article, we will take a deep dive into the history of concept mapping, its context, and its profound impact on learning and knowledge management.
History of Concept Art
Concept maps were developed as a result of the constructivist learning movement. Constructivists believe that learners will actively construct their own knowledge system in the process of absorbing new knowledge. Novak builds on David Ausubel's cognitive theory, which emphasizes the importance of prior knowledge in learning new concepts. He once stated: "The most important single factor affecting learning is what the learner already knows. Knowing this and teaching accordingly is essential."
In his book "Learning How to Learn", Novak clearly pointed out that "meaningful learning involves the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into existing cognitive structures."
Novak also teaches students as young as six how to create concept maps, which allow them to respond to questions such as "What is water?" or "How are the seasons created?" These activities not only help students become proactive learners, and also laid the foundation for subsequent educational exploration.
The many uses of concept maps
As time goes by, the application scope of concept maps is expanding. From brainstorming tools to stimulate creativity to formal use in education and business, concept maps can effectively communicate complex ideas.
Uses of concept maps include: note-taking and summarizing key concepts, creating new knowledge, institutional knowledge retention, collaborative knowledge modeling, etc.
In addition, in educational settings, concept maps can be used as what Ausubel calls "preparatory organizers," providing a preliminary conceptual framework for subsequent learning. In a rapidly changing business environment, it is an important tool for sharing vision and common understanding within the team.
Comparison of concept maps with other visualization tools
Concept maps are distinct from other similar visualization tools, such as topic maps and mind maps. Topic maps were developed by information management professionals and are primarily used for semantic interoperability of data, while concept maps are generally valued by educators.
Unlike mind maps, concept maps are not limited to tree structures, and can organize multiple centers and clusters in a freer way.
This flexibility enables concept maps to better reflect the complex relationships between different concepts and promote learners' thinking.
Current Challenges and Prospects
Although concept maps have been widely used in many fields, they still face some challenges. With the advancement of digital technology, so-called "knowledge graphs" have become a trend. Compared with traditional concept maps, these new tools can not only store data, but also perform intelligent analysis and processing. How future conceptual maps will be integrated with these emerging technologies has become an important question that warrants consideration.In the digital future, concept maps will no longer be simple visualization tools, but will become an important vehicle for promoting knowledge sharing and community collaboration. How will their future roles in education, business and technology evolve to meet changing needs?
The knowledge connections in the concept map will continue to change with the evolution of the times. Can we properly use these changes to improve our learning and knowledge accumulation? This is a question that every learner should think about?
