Reflections on Concept Mapping

     Concept maps can be helpful in many ways and have many valuable features. A concept map is a great way to organize information and ideas on a certain topic and is a great visual to help people learn, especially those who are visual learners. Introducing concept mapping at a young age can be very helpful for students in the future. As they get into harder classes, concept mapping can be very useful to help them learn and the early introduction they had to it makes it easier for them to use. Besides organization, concept maps help to show patterns and connections instead of memorization of certain topics. They show the key concepts that need to be focused on for a certain topic and can even be used as an assessment for teachers to see how much their students know on a certain topic.
     Students should be introduced to concept mapping around second or third grade. They know how to read at this grade level and a concept map gives a good visual to understand certain topics.  Students should be introduced to concept mapping first by the teacher explaining to them what a concept map is and how it is used. Examples are a great way to help introduce them and can help give students a good idea of how it can be helpful in learning.  After students understand what a concept map is, they should learn how to create one themselves. Working in groups is a great way for students to help each other out in creating a concept map.