Concept Mapping

Organising declarative knowledge can assist students to recognise patterns in information and the environment. It can also aid to cope with large amounts of information or abstract concepts (Marzano & Pickering, 2006)by arranging the information in small easy to understand descriptors. Graphic organisers can be used to engage students in the process of problem solving by clearly identifying constraints and limitations however the organiser alone does not instantly impart the knowledge or understanding to our students. Providing an example or demonstration (teacher structured task) along with the necessary resources and information to generate ways of solving the problem (Marzano & Pickering, 2006) is one way of teaching students to effectively use graphic organisers to solve problems.

Problem solving is a vital skill in a world that requires unique solutions to the ever changing situations and technology applications. The Knowledge -Economy requires that the learner develops the ability to solve problems in varying formats. The use of this site (bubbl.us) maybe one way of beginning to brainstorm solutions to problems that we as digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001)may never have experienced.