The Communication Factor

Concept Mapping: A Science-based Tool for Planning to Write
Janie Hammons

Scientists and engineers use mapping tools (e.g., flow charts, Gantt charts) to visualize ways to control, understand, and balance various aspects of projects. These mapping tools prompt visual thinking, which is valuable for engineers and scientists as they plan, revise, and write.

A particularly useful mapping tool is the concept map, which can depict ideas and relationships in several different ways as displayed in the thumbnail sketches below: spider, hierarchy, flow chart, systems. Concept maps were developed in the 1960s by Joseph Novak of Cornell, reflecting his interest in the ways in which science students learn and make knowledge meaningful. The left-hand column on the next page identifies the basic steps for constructing concept maps.

In the Cain Project’s “Writing the Research Proposal” workshop, graduate students, during an initial session, prepare concept maps depicting their individual research proposals. As students identify components of their proposals, they identify the proposal’s general shape. Organization occurs as students create a hierarchy by which to order components. Revision begins as students look for connections and relationships. Determining those relationships requires the highest level of critical thinking. As Jon Margerum-Leys (Univ. of Michigan) says, concept mapping is a “sneaky way” to get students to revise at the concept level instead of at the word or sentence level. As students move to other proposal topics, they return to their maps to jot ideas or to refine connections between concepts.

Mapping encourages convergent thinking and a number of additional benefits that are shown in the box in the left-hand hand column on the next page. Perhaps the greatest return on the time invested is the retention and insight that come from manipulating the information. Because students must first articulate their central idea, all other information stems from this core; thus, students examine the ways in which ideas fit together and look for new ideas that should be included. One PhD student commented, “The good thing [about mapping] is that it gives me a chance to step away from my proposal. Then, I can see the big picture in my problem.”

Source: Kinds of Concept Maps.
Retrieved April 26, 2005, from http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100/Mind/c-m2.html

If you want to try an easy electronic version of mapping, download a trial version of Inspiration®, a software program that enables users to quickly and easily create concept maps. Originally designed for K-12 use, Inspiration® has been embraced by many engineers and scientists as a first-rate planning tool: www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/index.cfm.

Janie Hammons
is a writing coach
for the Cain Project.

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