TI-AIE: Mind mapping and concept mapping: acids, bases and salts

What this unit is about

This unit is about how you can develop skills to help students to process information effectively and present it in the form of mind maps and concepts maps.

A mind map organises information and presents it in a visual way so it is easier to remember. A mind map is created around a central word or phrase and associated ideas, words and concepts are added in hierarchical branches. The creation of mind maps supports the development of memory, visual thinking and problem solving skills. Creating a mind map involves structuring knowledge about a topic, in a way that can help to consolidate understanding.

Mind maps are personal and there are no right answers. It is helpful for students to look at each other’s mind maps, so this unit will also help you to organise ‘peer review’ in your classroom.

A concept map is similar, but places more emphasis on making connections between key words and concepts. A concept map still uses a visual diagrammatic representation of knowledge and aims to show the conceptual relationships between the entries. It does this with lines, arrows and linking text. The key words and the linking words should make a meaningful sentence. Concept maps are particularly helpful for eliciting students’ understanding.

This unit will introduce mind maps and concept maps in the context of acids, bases and salts. This topic requires students to remember quite a lot of factual information and to use technical terms correctly. Mind mapping and concept mapping will help your students to make sense of the information that they need to learn and can be used in many topics in science.

What you can learn in this unit