Concept mapping, a technique based on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning, involves the organization of concepts into an hierarchical arrangement. Suggestions for incorporating this learning strategy into the biology classroom are presented and discussed. Steps in concept mapping include: (1) identifying important concepts in the study…

This paper reports a study on how prospective elementary school teachers make sense of teaching social studies through conceptual mapping, and therefore provide an opportunity for teacher educators to assess the value of conceptual mapping as a pedagogical tool. Pre- and post-course concept mapping was incorporated into three sections of an…

Perspectives on concept mapping and its benefits to students in the learning of scientific concepts are presented in this paper. A concept map is defined as a two-dimensional heirarchical representation of concepts which indicates the relationship between the selected concepts. Aspects of concept mapping addressed in this review include: (1) its…

One of the most important tasks that teachers undertake is to teach concepts. Without a good understanding of concepts, students have difficulty even understanding the basics. Several approaches to teaching thinking have been analyzed and research concludes that it is more effective to teach thinking in the context of a subject rather than as a…

This paper describes a joint research project between science educators and computer science software engineers. A computer software system based on cognitive learning theory was designed that was intended to be relevant to teaching, learning, curriculum development, and research in science education. The generic prototype software system was…