Propositional Concept Maps: A Tool Engineered for Use to Enhance Content-

Area Teaching and Learning

Dr. Nancy RomanceFlorida Atlantic University

Dr. Michael VitaleEast Carolina University

Presented toScience Coaches

School District of Palm Beach CountySeptember 2009

Workshop Overview

1. What’s involved in meaningful learning in science ? (Establishing the

‘foundation’ for constructing and using propositional concept maps)

2. What are propositional concept maps, their characteristics and how do

they differ from other graphic organizers?

3. How are propositional concept maps constructed?

4. When and how are students introduced to propositional concept maps?

5. In what ways can propositional concept maps be used by students?

6. How can propositional concept maps be used by teachers for

curriculum planning and assessment?

Section 1

What’s involved in meaningful

learning in science?

Setting the ‘context’ for understanding the power and potential of concept mapping to support quality teaching

and meaningful student learning in science

What Constitutes Meaningful Learning in Science?

• Meaningful learning is a cognitive process in which learners build conceptual understanding in science which, in turn, can be accessed and applied as prior knowledge under conditions of automaticity to new learning tasks

• When meaningful learning occurs, learners are able to:– represent and explain the central ideas and organizing principles in

a domain

– construct rich explanations and predictions

– formulate significant questions

– apply knowledge in many situations and contexts

– organize new concepts within their existing conceptual framework

Requirements for Meaningful Learning in Science

– A curricular structure that organizes science content in a conceptually coherent and meaningfully sequenced fashion

– A curricular structure that provides opportunities for students to be able to:

• organize their knowledge around core concepts (big ideas) and concept relationships

• explicitly relate what is to be learned (new knowledge) to what has already been learned (accessing prior curricular knowledge)

• learn more about what is being learned (depth of knowledge)• engage in cumulative review of what has been learned• automatically apply their knowledge to similar or new contexts

Consensus Research Findings About Meaningful Learning..

Recent Research Related to Learning with Understanding…(Bransford, et al, 2000)

3 Major Findings…

• Prior Knowledge is a major determinant of future learning

•Understanding involves organizing/

re-organizing knowledge around core concepts

• Learning involves knowing when to use prior knowledge and skills for future learning (metacognition)

Meaningful Learning – Finding # 1: Prior Knowledge….

Recommendations for Teachers….

• Teachers must draw out students prior knowledge creating classroom

tasks and conditions under which student thinking is revealed (and

often archived for later reference)

• Teachers should use frequent formative assessment to determine

essential student learning and meaningful understanding as instruction

unfolds

• Teachers must build student prior knowledge, if necessary

Meaningful LearningFinding # 2: Big Ideas/Core Concepts

Recommendations for Teachers…..

In order for students to develop understanding in an area of study, they

must:

– (1) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge

– (2) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptually

coherent framework, and

(3) organize knowledge in ways that facilitates retrieval and

application (e.g., such as can be done with propositional concept

maps)

Meaningful LearningFinding #3: Thinking about what one knows…..

Recommendations for Teachers…

– must develop a metacognitive approach to instruction enabling

students to learn how to take control of their own learning by

always relating new knowledge to what they already know,

defining their own learning goals, and monitoring their own

progress in achieving them

IF Meaningful Learning Serves as the Basis for Understanding, THEN……..

Consider the following chain of ideas:

Teaching meaningful science content…a) provides a coherent context for building conceptual

understanding

b) serves as the conceptual basis for linking all instructional activities to the knowledge (core concepts) to be learned, THEN

c) results in cumulative development of understanding which is

the basis for reading comprehension – a powerful added bonus!!!!!

Consensus Research: Conclusions Relating to the Role of Knowledge in Reading Comprehension

Rand Research Findings

•Recommends more content-area reading

•Defines comprehension as… The simultaneous process of extracting and constructing meaning from print materials or other forms of communication

American Educator

Spring 2003

Entire issue devoted to comprehension

Available from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT.org)

Section 2

What are the characteristics of propositional concept maps and how

do they differ from other forms of graphic organizers?

Propositional Concept Maps..

• What are they….– As a product, they are graphic organizers that present the

conceptual structure of the knowledge within a discipline (big ideas, core concepts and relationships) in an hierarchical fashion and utilize propositional statements to express the relationships

– As a strategy, propositional concept mapping is a dynamic, interactive process in which students or teachers can organize and represent their own conceptual understanding

– As a tool, propositional concept maps are engineered for ease of use when building coherent curricular structures, developing blueprints for instruction and assessment, and as a dynamic interactive tool to support student learning and expository writing

As a Product - Emphasis on “Big Ideas”:

• The National Research Council (NRC) in the NSES suggested that BIG Ideas:– Represent the central ideas and organizing principles in a

domain– Facilitate rich explanations and predictions– Motivate the formulation of significant questions– Are applicable in many situations and contexts– Provide the basis for organizing concepts

Propositional Concept Maps: As A Tool Perspectives from Cognitive Science

Illustrates how knowledge in any meaningful domain (e.g., biology, economics) has an inherent structure that….

• permits many other concepts to be related to it

• is a requirement for effectively using and applying knowledge broadly

• is the central issue associated with transfer of knowledge to other contexts and situations (Bruner, 1963)

Biological Classification

Please examine Concept Map on Biological Classification that has

been distributed

PCM: As A Tool ….Can Help Us Build Coherent Curriculum

PCM as a Tool have the characteristics that exemplified the evidence that Bill Schmidt identified as part of the TIMSS Study—that is the science curriculum in high performing countries was….

• “Focused” – Curriculum was organized around Big Ideas and core concepts

that support linking concepts for in-depth learning• “Coherent”

– Content was conceptually organized and meaningfully sequenced

• “Articulated”– Content was vertically and horizontally communicated across

grades and schools

• “Sufficient” – Curricular content had no critical gaps or overlaps in the concepts

being presented

Propositional Concept Maps –Major Curricular Myth Busters…..

Organized Curricular Sequences (..in the form of PCM)

• Build understanding of core concepts and concept relationships

• Require the use of questions to strategically link prior knowledge with new knowledge in order to deepen understanding

• Advocates practice, extension activities and cumulative review

• Advocates the importance of concept learning

“Covering” the Curriculum

• Emphasizes coverage of topics rather than deep, meaningful learning

• Uses reading and answering questions as a pathway to understanding; sample question of the day

• Uses lots of skill and drill

• Form vs substance (i.e., thinking skills instead of gaining knowledge)

PCM: A Tool for Constructing Conceptually-Organized Science Curriculum as a Foundation for In-Depth Learning

• Implementing a coherent science curriculum is the main way in which most students build what E. D. Hirsch calls “Intellectual Capital”– Can be compared to “the rich get richer”

– Enables one to participate in conversation (and get the punch line in a joke)

– Enables one to communicate effectively

– Enables one to comprehend complex texts

– Determines what new knowledge students pay attention to

– Determines how new knowledge is perceived

– Suggests what learners judge to be important

– Determines what they actually learn and remember

Propositional Concept Maps are not….

• Fishbone Diagrams (cause/effect)

• KWL Charts (compare/contrast)

• Flowcharts (time order/cycles)

• Frames (Boxes) (problem/solution)

• Concept Circle Maps (listing)

• Semantic Webs (chunking)

And here’s why: Because PCM represent knowledge hierarchically, use linking verbs to connect concepts, and provide a tool for learners to represent their understanding at a much deeper level

Section 3

How are propositional concept maps constructed?

PCM - Construction Features

• Concepts are represented as nouns in boxes

• Concepts are linked using verbs and verb phrases which are located on lines connecting boxes

• Concepts (nouns) and linking words (verb phrases) always represent propositional relationships in the form of complete sentences

• Lines end with arrows to denote direction of the concept relationship being represented

• Concepts that apply broadly to the entire map are connected to the top concept (super-ordinate concepts)

• Concepts that are equally important are organized along the same plane

Concept Mapping As a Graphic Organizer

usesrepresents highlights

hashasare connected to are used as

CONCEPT MAPPING(Simplified)

KNOWLEDGEBIG IDEAS(as nouns)

VERBS

ORGANIZATIONFORMSSUB-ORDINATE

IDEAS

IDEACONNECTORS

Concept Map of Concept Mapping

Focusing on Content Knowledge Concept Map Example: Heat Energy

can be transferred

through

is made up ofcomes from

heat the

occurs between

are formed by

will will

and and

must be

and

HEAT ENERGY

RADIATION CONVECTION CONDUCTION

SUN'S RAYS OBJECTS

HOTSUBSTANCES

DIFFERENTTEMPERATURES

TOUCHING

RISE SINKCONTRACTEXPAND

CONVECTIONCURRENTS

COLDSUBSTANCES

EARTH

Propositional Concept Map for Heat Energy

PCM –General Construction Guidelines…

General Suggestions ……• Construction guidelines exist for both teachers and students

• PCM’s are best constructed by individuals working in small groups

• PCM’s can be constructed using postit notes and large sheets of paper or on the computer using software such as Inspiration (or Cmap Tools)

• PCM can be linked together as a family of maps rather than crowding too much information on one map

• PCM’s can and should be modified as knowledge becomes more refined

• PCM’s should reflect a reasonable representation of how one thinks the knowledge being learned should be organized

Step-by-Step: Teacher Guidelines for Constructing PCM’s

• Select a topic area, unit or mini-unit for study (or big idea and benchmarks)

• Identify major concepts and sub concepts and place on individual postit notes

– Different sources can be used (e.g., benchmarks, textbooks, teacher knowledge)

– Line concepts up so that you can easily see all of them (parking lot)

• Concepts are represented in the form of nouns and noun phrases (e.g., states of matter) and placed in boxes or on individual postit notes

• Keep the number of concept words on each postit note to a minimum (e.g., one or two)

Teacher Guidelines for Construction of Propositional Concept Maps

• Caution!– Don’t try to organize concepts while simultaneously

brainstorming all the ideas you consider important

– Don’t worry if you have too many concepts as you can always delete some later

• Ask: What is the general organizing concept or most subsuming concept that can serve to organize the topic? Place it on top of map

• Next: Select the next layer of major concepts that organize (or categorize) the topic into broad subtopics,

Step-by-Step Guidelines for Construction PCM’s

• Begin to arrange/organize concepts on paper or technology tool (anywhere you decide to construct the map)

• Rehearse – that is, think about what linking verbs represent the relationship you are trying to represent and can assist you in creating a complete proposition or thought (complete sentence)

• Important Note: Initially all links (e.g. verbs) should be written in pencil to allow for any changes in position or wording

• Maintain focus on relatedness among concepts as the key for organizing the concepts

• A single map cannot represent everything you know about a topic (use sub-maps for elaborations)

Step-by-Step Guidelines for Construction of PCM’s

• Don’t hesitate to add or delete concepts, as needed

• Arrows positioned at end of links are helpful in showing flow of concept relationships

• Specific examples and small details are usually placed at the bottom of maps

• Continue: Use the same process for each concept on a map, arranging and linking as appropriate.

• Read map aloud to yourself. Ask: Does it make sense? Edit and rearrange as necessary...

NSF/IERI Science IDEASProject #0228353

NSF/IERI Science IDEASProject #0228353

NSF/IERI Science IDEASProject #0228353

NSF/IERI Science IDEASProject #0228353

NSF/IERI Science IDEASProject #0228353

examplesinclude

examplesinclude

examplesinclude

involve movement in

can be modeled by

is caused by

results in a movement cycle of reflects combined

effects of

includes phenomena

such as

explains

and

and

and

is explained by

represent

Convection

Conv ection Cells

Propositional Concept Map on Convection

Air Earth Water

Many Earth Science

Phenomena

WindsFronts

HurricanesTornadoesSea Breeze

. . .

EarthquakesVolcanoesContinental

Drift. . .

DeepOcean

Currents

SurfaceCurrents

. . .

Cycle of Movement in Substances

Heat Source Making Part of

SubstanceLess Dense

(1) Less dense part of substance rising . . . (2) Being replaced by cooler (more dense) other parts . . (3) Original heated substance cooling, becoming more dense, falling . . .(4) Eventually being re-heated, etc . . .

Pressure

Force

Density

Heat

Concept Maps that Emphasize Big Ideas: Mathematics

involvesoperations

for

by

can be donecan be done

consists of

involves

involves

involves

involves

with orwithout

example is

example is

example is

example is

either

Basic Computation

Division

Multiplication

Subtraction

Addition

CombiningObjects

Counting

BackwardForward

Counting Backward

CountingForward

byGroups

CountingForward

CountingBackward

byGroups

GroupingObjects

Problem: 5 + 3: (Count 5 objects

in set 1 and continue count with objects in

set 2, i.e., count all 8 objects)

Problem: 5 - 3: (Count 5 objects in set 1 and then count backwards

by 1 for each object in set 2) Problem: 5 X 3:

(Create 5 groups of 3

objects and then count them)

Problem: 15 / 3: (Group the 15 objects into groups of 3, then count

backwards from 15 by 3's)

Counting Sequentially

by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's,etc.

CountingSequentially

by 1's

Concept Map of Mathematics Computation

Concept Maps that Emphasize Big Ideas: U.S. History

consists of

can be understood through similar

are organized

using

involves interactionsbetween

includesfactors of

includesfactors of

composed of

reflect

include result in

generate

in the form of

resultin

provide linkagebetween

categorize historicalevents into

are identified through

allow interpretation of

occurin

provideevents

forinterpretation

of

basisfor

interpreting

reflect reflects

effect (as feedback)

occur in

US History

SeparateEvents

Cause-EffectAnalysis

Concept Map of US History

MajorPeriods on a

Timeline

Environment

ReoccurringDynamics

CultureEvent

Frameworks

Geographyor

Climateor

NaturalResources

ProblemsDifferent

LivingStyles

and Perspectives

SocietalActions

ActionEffects

Accommodatingor

Dominatingor

Movingor

Inventingor

Tolerating

Problem Elimination

orProblem

Continuationor/and

Creation of NewProblem(s)

HistoricalEvents

Past, Present,and Future

Events

Pre-Colonial

Cultures and Exploration

Colonial Development

and theRevolutionary

War

Post-RevolutionaryExpansion and

Economic Development

CivilWar and

Post Civil War

Economic Development

and World War 1

World War 2

Post World War 2 to Modern Times

Present-- in terms of Past

Future-- in terms of Presentand Past

DifferentTimes and

Places

USor

Other Countries

Economics(BasicHuman Needs)

orPeoplesRights

Section 4

When and how are students introduced to propositional concept mapping?

PCM Introduction to Students…

• Several approaches can be useful: (Whole Class)– Unit/Lesson Starter: Map exists, can be displayed in

classroom and students receive orientation to map structure as well as reference it throughout instruction (big idea overview approach)

– Unit/Lesson Summary: Teacher has copy of map; teacher guides the identification of all key concepts (vocabulary) being learned; teacher models out-loud how he/she would organize the concepts and explains the basis for the organizational structure

– Textbook Page Summaries (and for Comprehension): Teacher guides student use of the knowledge-based reading comprehension intervention (KBI) with course textbook or reading packets, identifies key vocabulary terms, and guides whole class construction of the propositional concept map using key concepts and relationships discussed

Section 5

How can propositional concept maps

be used by students?

PCM – 3 Uses for Teachers and Learners

and

and

and

both use

emphasize

focuses on

is basisfor

is basisfor

include

are used for are used for

result in result in

is basis for

include

and

consists of

emphasizesemphasizes

Knowledge-BasedInstructional

Routines

Knowledge-Based ComprehensionModel (KBC)

Knowledge-Based Teaching (KBT)

Knowledge-Based Learning (KBL)

Concept Mappingas a Tool

Roles ofTeachers

in Instruction

Roles ofStudents

as Learners

Learningwith

Comprehension

Content Knowledge

to be Learned

Curriculum Analysis /

Organization /Planning

Generation of Activities for

Teaching and Assessment

Reading Comprehension:Content Analysis

WrittenComposition /

Communication

IndependentStudentStudy

InstructionalPresentation

Enhancement

Overview of Knowledge-Based Comprehension (KBC) Model

PCM: Strategic Uses for Students

Concept Mapping by students emphasizes the role of conceptual knowledge in:

• Content-area reading comprehension (e.g., solar system example)

• Blueprint for written composition / communication

• Tool for independent study or for preparation for tests

• Visual representation and review of concept relationships

PCM: As An Instructional Tool

• Student construction of PCM requires…

– Numerous episodes of modeling PCM construction by teacher

– Numerous opportunities for guided practice - small groups of students begin to construct PCM

– Opportunities for whole class sharing and revising of PCM

– Further modeling, guided practice and independent practice

PCM: As An Instructional Tool

• Benefits to students– Encourages students to discuss concepts and concept relationships

(develops vocabulary)

– Provides a means for them to represent how they think and what they understand about concepts being learned

– Builds and reinforces strategic learning strategies and skills (e.g., cause/effect relationships; similarities/differences; core ideas and scientific principles; logical development of ideas)

– Develops collaborative learning environment for students

– Supports reading comprehension

Section 6

How can propositional concept maps

be used by teachers for curriculum

planning and assessment?

PCM – 3 Uses for Teachers and Learners

and

and

and

both use

emphasize

focuses on

is basisfor

is basisfor

include

are used for are used for

result in result in

is basis for

include

and

consists of

emphasizesemphasizes

Knowledge-BasedInstructional

Routines

Knowledge-Based ComprehensionModel (KBC)

Knowledge-Based Teaching (KBT)

Knowledge-Based Learning (KBL)

Concept Mappingas a Tool

Roles ofTeachers

in Instruction

Roles ofStudents

as Learners

Learningwith

Comprehension

Content Knowledge

to be Learned

Curriculum Analysis /

Organization /Planning

Generation of Activities for

Teaching and Assessment

Reading Comprehension:Content Analysis

WrittenComposition /

Communication

IndependentStudentStudy

InstructionalPresentation

Enhancement

Overview of Knowledge-Based Comprehension (KBC) Model

Teachers spent many weeks researching science concepts to construct concept maps representing each of the units of study for their course

Teachers realized the potential of using multiple sources to construct PCM

PCM: Curriculum Blueprints

Principals worked with grade-level chairpersons or K-5 curriculum articulation teams to construct PCM for each unit of study for each grade level

PCM for Teachers …As A Curriculum Tool

• Curriculum Concept Maps help to-– Organize the school and/or grade level curriculum (vertical and

horizontal coherence and articulation)

– Highlight ‘big’ ideas (Fl Next Generation Benchmarks) in the curriculum as organizing concepts for learners

– Prioritize concepts to be taught (less is more)

– Identify ‘gaps’ in the curriculum

– Identify concepts which can be used to connect other disciplines

– Establish consistency among the curriculum units being taught at a grade level or for a course

– Evaluate text-based and other instructional resources

Science IDEAS Architecture: Integrating the 6 Elements for Meaningful Understanding of Science

involves

involves

involves

can occur at

depends upon

examples include

are

WaterEvaporation

Phase of Matter Change Process

Liquid Changingto a Gas

Water as theLiquid

Water Vaporas the Gas

Faster orSlower Rate

Combined Effects of 3 Different

Factors

More Heat- Speeds

Evaporation

More Surface Area- SpeedsEvaporation

More Air Flow- Speeds

Evaporation

Morning Dew Disappearing,

. . . . . Damp Cloth

Drying,. . . . .

Heated Water Disappearing From a Pot,

. . . . . Wet Sidewalk

Drying

CURRICULUM CONCEPT MAP FORFACTORS THAT EFFECT WATER EVAPORATION

Activity 1- Prior Knowledge

Activity 2- Real Examples

Activity 4- Hands-on Act.

Activity 5- Hands-On Act.

Activity 3- Demonstration

Activity 6- Journaling

Activity 7- Reading

Activity 8- Concept Map

Activity 9- Writing

Activity 10- Application

Activity 12- Reflection

Activity 11 Prob. Solv.

Activity 13- Add. Reading

PCM: An Instructional Tool for Guiding the Student Content-Area Reading Comprehension

• Teachers model and guide student construction of PCM as they read for understanding and meaning. For example, – Demonstrate to students how to construct maps as a

representation of how they comprehend the text-based materials being read; then let them work in small groups

– Help students represent their understanding of key vocabulary by graphically representing relationships among concepts using print materials

PCM: An Instructional Tool for Guiding the Student Writing Process

• Curriculum Concept Maps…– Serve as a blueprint to guide and support

student expository writing– Develop student construction of passages rich

in detail/support and elaboration of key ideas– Organize student thoughts for multiple literary

genres (narrative, expository and persuasive)

Propositional Concept Maps: An Assessment Tool

• Curriculum Concept Maps help to-– Provide a clear view of the important concepts to be taught and

tested– Provides a list of key vocabulary

• Using Curriculum Concept Maps as the Assessment– Delete connecting verbs and have students fill in– Delete concepts (nouns) and have student fill in– Have students create their own maps working first in small study

groups– Have student create individual maps– Have students create a map to serve as a measure of their reading

comprehension and understanding

Conclusion

• Concept maps have the potential to improve the quality of instruction in any content domain for which conceptual coherence is a requirement for in-depth, meaningful understanding

• Clearly, concepts maps have great potential for enhancing both instructional practices and student learning