- allows meaningful learning to occur
- allows the presentation of new material to build on existing knowledge
- makes new information more usable 
- increases the brain's ability to understand, retrieve, and process information 
   - complementation: complements what the brain can already do
- allows students to build new and meaningful knowledge links by  active engagement 

Syracuse University

This study clarifies the differences between the terms concept mapping, mind mapping, and argument mapping. 

Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument mapping: what are the differences and do they matter?

Davies, M. (2011). Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument mapping: what are the differences and do they matter?. Higher education, 62(3), 279-301.

- Concept mapping, mind mapping, and argument mapping are often used interchangeably 
- There are distinguishable differences between these three mapping tools, as well as advantages and disadvantages of each 

Differentiating between Concept, Mind, and Argument Mapping

- Many software packages have been developed in the past 5-10 years that allow users to easily create visual displays of information, concepts, and relations between ideas 
- Knowledge visualization, however, is not a new idea 
     - Flow charts were developed in 1972
     - Pie charts and other visual formats go back even earlier 
     - "...Formal ways of 'mapping' complex information... began at least 30 years 
         ago, and arguably even earlier" 

The Origin of Knowledge Visualization

- Students are more likely to understand, remember, and analyze the relationships between concepts if they can represent or manipulate them 
- Creating these visualizations promotes deep rather than surface approaches to learning 
- Maps are easier to follow for most people than verbal or written descriptions 
- The process of creating maps requires more active engagement and leads to greater learning 

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