Concept Map: Definition, Step-by-Step Guide and Examples

Visual learning tools like concept maps enhance understanding and organization in education, business, and personal development. Concept maps are versatile and effective, allowing users to visualize relationships between ideas. This article explores the benefits, key elements, differences from other graphic organizers, and practical steps to create effective concept maps using powerful features of **Xmind**.

What Is a Concept Map?

A concept map is a powerful visual tool used to illustrate relationships and connections between various concepts and ideas. Organized in a hierarchical structure, it starts with the most general concept at the top, branching out to more specific sub-concepts below. Each idea is typically represented within a box or circle, connected by lines or arrows that clearly demonstrate their interrelationships. These connections are often labeled with linking words or phrases to explain how the concepts relate to each other, making it easier to understand complex information at a glance. Concept maps are widely used in education, brainstorming, and project planning to visually organize thoughts and enhance learning.

There are various ways to classify concept maps. Quantitative vs qualitative, free form or fixed structure, collaborative vs individual, demonstrative or analytic, etc.

But when people say concept maps, they usually refer to the qualitative, free-style, and analytic type - the Novakian style.

Benefits of Using Concept Maps

Concept maps offer numerous benefits across different fields:

Enhance Understanding

By visually organizing information, concept maps help in grasping complex topics. They allow users to see the relationships and hierarchies between different concepts at a glance. This visual representation can make abstract or complicated information more concrete and accessible, helping overall comprehension of the subject matter.

Help Memory Retention

The visual nature of concept maps makes it easier to remember information. When concepts are visually linked in a structured format, they become more memorable. This is because visuals help engage multiple senses and cognitive processes, reinforcing learning.

Promote Critical Thinking

Creating a concept map requires analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information. As users determine how concepts are related and organize them into a coherent structure, they engage in critical thinking. This process encourages deeper understanding and helps in identifying gaps in knowledge.

Mind Maps vs. Concept Maps

While both mind maps and concept maps are used for organizing information visually, they serve different purposes and have distinct structures:

• Mind Maps: Centered around a single central idea with branches radiating outwards. They are typically used for brainstorming and idea generation.

• Concept Maps: Hierarchical and show relationships between multiple concepts, making them more suited for understanding and explaining complex topics.

👉 Detailed comparison.

Flowcharts vs. Concept Maps

Flowcharts and concept maps are both visual tools, but they are used in different contexts:

• Flowcharts: Used to represent processes or workflows, showing a sequence of steps or actions.

• Concept Maps: Focus on the relationships between different concepts rather than the steps of a process.

An image that compares: mind map vs. concept map vs. flowchart.

How to Make a Concept Map?

Step 0: Key Elements of a Classic Concept Map

Before creating a concept map, it’s important to understand its main elements:

• Concepts: Main ideas represented as nodes.

• Links and Cross Links: A link in a concept map is a line or arrow connecting two concepts, showing their relationship. Often accompanied by linking words like “causes” or “is part of,” links make the map meaningful by clarifying how concepts interact and relate.

• Linking Words: Phrases on the links explaining relationships.

• Propositions: Statements formed by combining concepts with linking words.

• Hierarchical Structure: Organizes concepts from general to specific.

• Focus Question: The central question guiding the map.

Step 1: Preparation - Focus Question and Research

Pick one topic that you are interested in and ask a critical question about it. This is your central topic and focus question, which typically starts with “How”, “Why”, and “What”.

Remember, the concept map is a free form (aka complicated). So better to be humble in choosing a question.

Do LOTS of research if you are new to the topic so that you prepare yourself with a decent number of ideas. If it is a casual study, scanning through the top 5~8 results of a Google search will do.

Tips

• Manage a macro concept map by linking its nodes with micro diagrams. That way you can avoid crowding the canvas by too many details.

• Start with a narrow and interesting question, like how to fall asleep within 5 minutes or why am I so tired?

Step 2: Brainstorming - Concept Generation

List out all the related points you can come up with.

Notice that at the brainstorming phase, you should skip judging on redundancy, relationships, or importance of the listed items. The objective is on the number of concepts.

By the end of this phase, you may generate around 20~50 nodes. This number fits the most common sizes of paper/monitor screens.

You can document your ideas in spreadsheets, for that makes your large-scale concept scoring and ranking as smooth as a breeze.

Tips

Concept mapping is NOT note-taking in boxes. You should keep the concepts concise and clear for better readability.

In this step, **Xmind** would be the perfect tool for brainstorming and organizing your ideas. 👇

Step 3: Structuring - Concept Organizing

This step involves two actions: grouping and scoring. As these actions go back and forth each other, I list them as one united step.

Concept grouping requires putting related or similar nodes into piles. You can achieve that by putting all ideas on one Post-It note and organizing them on paper.

Scoring requires weighing each of the concepts on some scale. The nodes are rated upon a 1-5 range for their relative importance, with 1 meaning the least important and 5 the most.

While scoring, you can reorganize groups or put back omitted words.

Tips

• Try to build up the visual hierarchy. Hierarchical order gives clarity to the map. Align nodes according to importance in (preferably) top-down order. Center-out order is acceptable. Visually separate important nodes by color or font size differences.

• Document your marking rubrics for the concepts. When you become more experienced in the subject, you can re-examine the selection of ideas.

Step 4: Linking - Linking Words and Cross Links

Find out links between ideas and connect them with Linking Words.

Proper linking words help you consolidate the relationship between nodes. Sometimes you may find it challenging to find appropriate linking phrases. This difficulty is helpful, as it signifies your confusion on the link.

Examples of linking words include: “shows”, “defined as”, “covers”, “as demonstrated by”, “makes”, “can be”, “for example”, “leads to”, “determined by”, “important because”.

After you generate primary links, create Cross Links that illustrate relationships between same-level nodes of different branches.

Tips

You have to be selective on link choices. Notice that two things are always connected, but only essential links are helpful to trigger insights and move the needle.

In **Xmind** application, you can double-click the Relationship line to start editing the linking words. 👇