Teachers can assess student awareness of concepts and key terms before beginning instruction by asking students to map out the relationships between ideas.
Example:
A teacher who is preparing to teach a unit on the U.S. Constitution to a group of high school students may ask those students to illustrate the relationships between the key ideas. This could be further adapted for the student’s needs by asking them to connect those concepts to current events, give students a word bank, or have students work in groups to complete the task. In the end, the teacher would have a very strong picture of what students know and need to know before moving forward.
Further Reading:
Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning – Concept Maps as Assessment Tools
Brainpop Educators – Assessment Tips and Rubric for Concept Maps
YouTube – Classroom Assessment Technique: Concept Maps
Created by Louis Olander
Reviewed by Kristen L. Hodnett
Tags: assessments, methods
Categorised in: (3) Comprehension, (4) Physical Action, (9) Self Regulation, ACTION AND EXPRESSION, REPRESENTATION