RETHINKING THE USE OF CONCEPT MAPS Mariya Burdina University of Central Oklahoma

How can I get to the library?

What’s the difference between income and price elasticity?

Temporal contiguity principle Students learn better when corresponding words and “pictures” are presented simultaneously rather than successively Mayer, 2004

Traditional concept maps A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts Satisfies temporal contiguity principle

GDP map ( Nora Buchman, Scribd )

Nominal GDP Real GDP GDP Deflator Inflation

Spatial principle Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other Mayer, 2004

Conceptual chapter map A graphical tool for organizing concepts Shows links among concepts Provides brief explanation of the concepts Satisfies temporal contiguity principle Satisfies spatial principle

Use Review tool for a topic or a chapter Drawn on the board by instructor Completed with the help of students Distributed to students Used during in-class assignments/quizzes Option for “revising” a chapter map

Production Possibility Frontier Slope Constant Increasing Points: inside outside on PPF Corners Shifts in PPF Affecting one good Affecting both goods

Production Possibility Frontier show every possible combination of two goods produced by a country Slope of PPF shows the Opportunity Cost Shifts of PPF occur when either technology or amount of resources is changed Intercepts: Red – max production of good A when B = 0 Orange - max production of good B when A = 0 Possible but not efficient: Green and every point inside PPF Possible and efficient: Black, Red, Orange and every point on PPF Not possible but desirable: Blue and every point outside PPF Good A Good B Good A Good B Good A Good B Good A Good B Good A Good B Constant OC Increasing OC Affecting both goods Affecting one good

Demand, Supply, Market Equilibrium Law of demand Shifts of demand curve Law of supply Shifts of supply curve Market equilibrium Surplus Shortage Changes in market equilibrium

Market Demand Supply Changing price: Increasing price decreases Qd Decreasing price increases Qd Changing price: Increasing price increases Qs Decreasing price decreases Qs Changing Demand: Number of consumers Popularity Future prices Change in income: - Normal goods - Inferior goods Changing Supply: Number of Sellers Better technology Future prices Input prices Prices/popularity of similar goods Changes in Equilibrium Algorithm: 1)Draw the D and S curves and show the equilibrium 2)Decide whether event shifts S curve or D curve or both 3)Decide in which direction curve(s) shifts. 4)Illustrate the shifts using the graph 5)Use supply-demand diagram to identify new equilibrium P and Q.

“Evidence” Students use concept maps in class A-ha moments Reduced load of questions during the in-class assignment

“Evidence” Business statistics Normal vs. Standard Normal vs. Uniform Hypothesis testing Intermediate Microeconomics Max utility vs. Min cost EV vs. CV

Practical strategies Introduce maps as a review before in class assignment Assign “revise” the map instead of the “create” the map Keep it simple (Coherence Principle) Students learn better when extraneous material is excluded rather than included Think what’s important and what is not. Only the most important things should be included in the map

Practical strategies Keep it colorful to emphasize important points Make sure that assignment can be answered with concept map Provide links and definitions; allow space for student to fill in with examples

“Evidence” Principles of Micro PPF Opportunity Cost and Trade Demand, Supply and Equilibrium Elasticity Surplus Public goods Cost Market comparison Each type of market Principles of Macro GDP Inflation Productivity and growth Savings and Investment Unemployment Open market economy

Next step: Class Experiment Conceptual chapter map in Principles of Macroeconomics 2 classes of students: Chapter map for in-class assignment for Class 1 Notes for in-class assignment for Class 2 No notes for the test Chapter map for quiz for Class 1 Notes for quiz for Class 2 No notes for the test