Concept map, what it is for and when to use it [Simple]

There are several articles that we have offered you about Conceptual map, what it is for and when to use it. However, here we are going to explain to you how easy it is to use concept maps when creating a diagram that is easy for you to express and understand, so LET'S GET STARTED!

Many times it becomes so complex or boring to explain and / or assimilate knowledge. That is why we would like to find a faster and easier way to organize what we already know to acquire new information in a very visual and easily memorizable way.

Well, what you are looking for exists, it's called a "concept map". These were developed in the 70s by the American educator Joseph novak. He stated that concept maps are a learning technique or method that helps the understanding of the knowledge that the student or individual wants to learn starting from what they already have, representing visually in a graphical and hierarchical way. As an example, you can see these two articles:

-Example of a water concept map

-Example of a concept map of the nervous system

On the other hand, the psychologist Jean Piaget and other experts thought that children could not assimilate abstract concepts before the age of 11. For this reason, Novak began an investigation where he would observe changes in the way in which children learned new knowledge; thus creating the concept maps.

These were very simple, they represented the main idea with only one or two words; and they related it to another idea by linking lines to create an eloquent statement.

You ask yourself, what is it for?

Well the answer is very simple. Concept maps are the most viable tool to learn and assimilate concepts and / or knowledge. The meticulous study and the visual representation of the relationship of the ideas establish links that allow us to have greater retention of knowledge.

Our brain processes visual elements faster than textual elements, which means that using a graph you could represent, acquire and improve your learning faster than reading a 20-page text. 

Learn: How to make a concept map in Word

As the concept map is being made, the concepts are memorized which will allow you to have a better command of the subject.

Once you discover its benefits you will not want to leave them, you will clearly understand the concept map what it is for, but you must know when to use them. It is best to use them whenever you want:

• Improve learning.
• Have greater retention of knowledge.
• Summarize for the best understanding of the topic.
• Discover new concepts and their connections.
• Develop your creativity.
• Improve teamwork.
• Assess your understanding of a topic.

Here we also offer you a free article with the best programs to create concept and mind maps. We promise that they will be very useful to you: