Concept Mapping Summary

Concept mapping is a great way to link things in many classrooms and subjects. Concept mapping can help students see how what they are learning can be closely linked to what they already know. This can also be a great tool for visual concrete learners who need to see things written or laid out for them. Concept mapping can also help organize information trying to be learned or taught. The organization of information is very easy to read and difficult to follow with concept mapping. Being able to integrate new information verbally and visually makes it easier for students to learn. I personally feel that concept mapping can be best utilized in history, English, and science. In physical education, it is hard to use webs and concept maps during class because of the lack of classroom resources, such as a white board. In the Health and Fitness world, the main place concept mapping and webs would be used is in the Health classes.

You could probably use concept mapping in physical education to link the history and technique of a certain sport. Being able to link where a sport was originated from and how the technical skills came about can help students get an idea of the sport they are about to learn. Concept maps can also serve as a good tool to integrate other subjects, such as history into the physical education field. Concept mapping and webs can be a good introduction to an activity or sport, but can also take time away from actually teaching the skills, techniques, and movements of a sport.

In a physical education class beginning a basketball unit, using concept mapping can be a good way to introduce the sport. You could brainstorm or make a list of what students already know about the sport. I can almost bet you would get a comments or ideas about Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Having those names brought up in a concept map or web can help introduce and trace back into the basketball past. You could link those names to early players and styles of the game and analyze how the game has changed and progressed. You could also create a link between the equipment used now and in the past. In the past, Dr. James Naismith invented the game to help football players with foot work and agility. The equipment used back then was a peach basket and a soccer-like ball. Compared to now, the equipment has changed due to technology. The basket has a fiber-glass backboard and breakaway rims. Being able to see the connection and origin of the sport can give students a better understanding of the sports culture, techniques, and key contributors.

Concept mapping can be more effectively used in a health class than in a PE class. In a health class concept mapping can used to explore the problem of obesity. You could make a concept map with a first column that is for what the students already know about obesity. And then provide a second column for questions that need to be answered that can help learn about obesity. Then, you could have bubbles or clouds that link the information students already know to new information, such demographics, statistics, and risk factors.

Using concept or idea mapping to explore family and social health can also be affective in a health classroom. You could again start by brainstorming what the students already know. Then have students brainstorm questions that might help them answer what they came up with in the brainstorming section of the map. You could then make one big stress cloud and show how everything they came up and new content presented is in some way related to family, friends, and communication aspects of health. You could then have students use what they’ve learned in the concept mapping part of class and have them act out skits or role play ways to reduce stress and improve communication skills.