College Planning: Concept Cartography - Mapping the Links of Phenomena & Thought
A vital component of any home school program is the absorption and practice of learning techniques and strategies. Whether in a home school environment or an institutional setting, strategies for learning are vital for the process of retaining and contextualizing new and/or complex information. There are many tools and approaches and each has its own method and strengths. One method, particularly effective for the self-study nature of home school, is the associative linking activity known as concept mapping. As the subject material presented in the home school regimen becomes more intricate, the sheer volume and depth of information consumed increases. There is not only much more for the home schooled student to remember, but the home schooled student also has more to piece together. Subjects within the broad sphere of “liberal arts” are notorious for many phenomenon and competing perspectives surrounding a particular concept. (That is not to say concept mapping has no place in natural science home school courses!) Without a classroom of students to point out the various links between concepts, concept mapping becomes an invaluable method for achieving the same result within the context of self-study –one of the defining features of home school.
Essentially, concept mapping is a form of structured brainstorming, and like brainstorming, concept mapping is a non-linear process. It works more or less as follows: the main concept is placed on the center of a page by the home schooler. This is generally a word or phrase evocative to the student of the particular event, person, theory, or idea being studied (the “Industrial Revolution,” for example). The student is to write as many associations down on the page without pausing to organize or rationalize, only to connect these other related concepts to the central concept or to each other with spokes. What will emerge are various branches of related concepts, which may then be further analyzed individually or with the guidance of the home school mentor.
The function of this strategy for the home school program should be obvious, in that not only does it train the student to make connections they otherwise may have overlooked or taken for granted, but also to help them identify new ones. A concept map for the Industrial Revolution might include the steam engine, railroad, unionization, British textiles, mass-production, urbanization, and so on and so forth.
The great advantage of home school is that the student and teacher can try-on different strategies and approaches to see which works the best. Concept mapping may be useful for some students in anything from writing research papers, preparing for exams, or creative writing exercises. As with many learning strategies, the usefulness of concept mapping will vary according to the student. However, regardless of how useful, it is a strategy anybody can carry with them from the home school program up and through university and beyond.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.