Concept map
Concept Mapping is a technique to visualize the relations between concepts. Concepts, like "dog" or "animal", are connected with labelled arrows, for example ("is-a", "related-to" or "part of"). As opposed to Mind Mapping, which only allows hierarchies (tree structures), concept maps allow any kind of connections between the concepts (true graph structure). Concept maps are widely used in education and business for brainstorming, communicating complex ideas etc. The concept mapping technique was developed by Prof. Joseph D. Novak at Cornell University in the 1960s. His work was based on the theories of David Ausubel (assimilation theory), who stressed the importance of prior knowledge in being able to learn abount new concepts. Novak concluded that "Meaningful learning involves the assimilation of new concepts and propositions into existing cognitive structures".