- Can be used as a learning tool and an evaluation tool, encouraging students to use meaningful-mode learning patterns 
- When learners work with concept maps, they become more proficient at meaningful learning and they can overcome misconceptions they held initially
- When a teacher develops their own concept maps, they gain a clearer understanding of the key concepts to be learned, and the concept map also provides guidance for the learning sequence. 
    - Working through the concepts on the map, from the more general, more 
        inclusive concepts at the top of the map to the more specific, concepts lower 
        in the map provides for a psychologically sound sequencing of instruction.
- It is also possible to use to see how a given state or local curriculum matches or deviates from an optimal leaning sequence, and/or includes or omits necessary concepts 
- It seems evident from diverse sources of research that our brain works to organize knowledge into hierarchical frameworks and that learning approaches that facilitate this process significantly enhance the learning capability of all learners 
- While concept maps can help facilitate meaningful learning, students also need to be taught about brain mechanisms and knowledge organization, and this instruction should accompany the use of concept maps. 

Concept Maps and Meaningful Learning

Meaningful learning requires three conditions: 
- The material to be learned must be conceptually clear and presented with language and examples relatable to the learner’s prior knowledge. 
- The learner must possess relevant prior knowledge. 
- The learner must choose to learn meaningfully.

Instructional strategies that emphasize relating new knowledge to the learner’s existing knowledge foster meaningful learning, as do evaluation strategies that encourage learners to use ideas they possess for solution of novel problems.

Syracuse University

- Believed that learning takes place by the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into existing concept and propositional frameworks held by the learner
- This knowledge structure as held by a learner is also referred to as the individual’s cognitive structure. 
- Distinguished between rote learning and meaningful learning

David Ausbel's Theory 

Our first concepts develop from birth to three years old, when they recognize regularities in the world around them and can identify language labels or symbols for these regularities 
- Discovery learning process: where the attributes of concepts are identified autonomously by the learner
- Reception learning process: where the attributes of concepts are described using language and transmitted to the learner (after age 3)

This acquisition is mediated in a very important way when concrete experiences or props are available; hence the importance of “hands-on” activity for science learning with young children, but is also true with learners of any age and in any subject matter domain.

Psychological Foundation of Concept Maps

Novak, Joseph & Cañas, Alberto. (2007). Theoretical origins of concept maps, how to construct them, and uses in education. Reflecting Education. 3. 

Theoretical origins of concept maps, how to construct them, and uses in education.

Meaningful Learning 

The process of memorizing new information 

Examples:
- Memorizing concept definitions or propositional statements or computational procedures.
- Typical objective tests 
- Short-answer tests 

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