Building Conceptual Maps: An Integrated Teaching Approach

The idea of 'conceptual map' was introduced by Novak and Gowin in 1989, and its role as one of the strategies that allow the organization of knowledge has been widely accepted, in particular, in the field of teaching (Buzan, 2000). The core idea was that a graphical representation of knowledge makes the meanings that are inherent in the learning materials emerge (Novak, Gowin, 1989, p.19) and forces reflection on the nature of knowledge as well as on derivative relations. Similarly to a topographical map that facilitates orienteering in a land, a conceptual map is a tool that helps construct knowledge through the individualization of key concepts and of the relations that are used to develop concepts into reasoning. Therefore, a conceptual map can be described as a graphical representation where concepts (synthetically expressed as individual words) are represented as geometrical forms (nodes) connected by lines (arrows) that show relations between nodes through linking words. This general description encompasses maps of different types and structures, each type depending on the aim for which the map is created. Using maps we can encourage the schematisation of information and the thought about the meanings that are hidden in a network of sentences, thus making key concepts more prominent and relevant (Jonassen, 1989, 2003).