Free Concept Map Templates
Part 1: What is a Concept Map?
Concept maps were an innovative learning tool created in 1984 by Gowin and Novak. It is a visual aid that will help you list down ideas, connect them and depict them in a hierarchical structure. You can use a concept map to understand a topic or show the flow of events or ideas.
Types of Concept Map
Let’s have a look at the four main types of concept maps:
Hierarchical Map: This is a chronological type of map that lists the general information on the top and gets more specific as it moves downwards. The map can be sequenced according to the time those particular events happened or even their importance.
System Map: The system map is the most complicated one of the bunch because of how detailed it is. It maps all the possible information and their relationships, which requires a lot of analytical skills.
Flow Chart Map: The flow chart map is the most linear concept map with everything organized and arranged logically.
Spider Map: Spider map is usually used when there is a central theme, and all the data revolves around it. The main point is at the center, and you keep on adding ideas around it. This is one of the most straightforward maps to construct and read.
These are some types of concept maps that you can use. However, you need to select the type according to the question or the topic you are addressing.
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Part 2: Free Concept Map Templates
Rather than starting from scratch every time, you need a concept map template. EdrawMax Template Gallery contains an array of creative templates (made by Edraw users) that you will find for any occasion you need. Let’s have a look at some of them.
1. Blank Concept Map Template
A blank concept map will help you structure and create a relationship between ideas. You have more liberty to create a concept map as you want, add colors, and structure it. In the workspace, you can add shapes and background images to create a more attractive map.
2. Nursing Concept Map Template
The nursing concept map is primarily used to illustrate a patient’s condition and nurses’ reaction to that. It can be used in nursing education too for explaining essential concepts. If you are a nurse, it is also useful in keeping track of important information regarding patients’ data or any information you are still trying to learn.
3. Science Concept Map Template
This concept map is excellent for delivering any complex scientific ideas and relationships. You can easily modify it to adjust to different topics like organ systems, food chains, evolution, and explain history related to important discoveries. By making a concept map, it will be easier to understand how two processes link.
4. Global Warming Concept Map Template
While teaching students or people how lethal global warming is, a concept map will be quite handy. You can link different consequences of global warming, its causes, and prevention in an organized and more understandable way. With a visual aid, you will find it easier to explain the cause.
5. Brand Concept Map Template
For an organization to be strong, all the employees need to be on the same page regarding the brand and brand image. A concept map is a great way to explain that. You can edit the pre-existing brand concept map template by adding your company colors and logo for a better visual understanding.
6. Nervous System Concept Map Template
The nervous system can be quite a tricky subject to understand, considering how reflex actions are created and impulses are generated with each stimulus. All of this can be far easily understood when using a concept map. With the help of arrows, shapes, and background images, the whole process will look far less daunting.
7. Macromolecules Concept Map Template
For chemistry teachers, who find it very hard to explain complex topics, a concept map can be a great idea. Using this macromolecules concept map template, you can efficiently explain the process, its uses, and the monomers and develop the students’ interest in even the most boring topics.
8. Time Management Concept Map Template
The time management concept map is an innovative way to organize your daily tasks in a journal. You can list all the essential tasks on the top or categorize them according to work or personal. You can make one for a whole week or even one for each day. This way, to will remember to complete all the critical tasks.
9. Project Management Concept Map Template
Project management can be quite hectic, and an excellent way to organize the scope and budget is by using a concept map. This concept map will help you create all the tasks, assign responsibilities or create a rough idea and estimate for the clients. Concept maps will ensure everyone is on the same page making communication easier.
10. Business Real Estate Concept Map Template
Real Estate Concept Maps can be quite useful in discussing multiple real estate types and their pros and cons. This will help clients to make informed decisions. With a Real Estate Concept Map template, you just have to fill in the information. You can design it with whatever theme you want, and it will be done in no time.
11. Health Concept Map Template
A health concept map can be quite handy for a doctor to explain diseases to certain patients. They can be useful in keeping patient histories and the medicines they have taken before. Using the concept can help doctors and nurses ensure the patients are getting what they require.
12. Bubble Concept Map Template
While using EdrawMax, you are not limited to a single set of shapes. You can use rectangles, diamonds, triangles, circles, etc. A bubble map essentially uses circles to identify relationships between different items. You can link ideas, create hierarchies or just show a process flow.
13. Energy Concept Map Template
Learning all about energy can be fun using this concept map. You can learn about different forms of energy and how one energy is converted into the other. The concept map will ensure that you understand the law of conservation of energy and examples of how we use energy every day.
14. Creative Concept Map Template
Creative people are often bombarded with ideas that are hard to keep track of them. In that case, using a concept map will help list ideas and link them to create a whole story. A concept map will help write stories, track characters, background, and relationships with other characters.
15. Climate Change Concept Map Template
Climate change has become one of the most critical issues of the 21st century. A concept map might help those who still don’t understand the gravity of the issue. By listing its consequences and causes, people may able to understand how they are affecting their surroundings.
16. Cell Cycle Concept Map Template
One of the essential topics of biology includes the cell cycle. It can be an ordeal trying to remember all the phases and all the changes that take place. To remember it all, you can use a concept map listing down the differences in each stage.
17. Pneumonia Concept Map Template
Another great use of a concept map is to list all the relevant details regarding a particular disease or disorder. You can keep track of any symptoms, causes, and remedies. People who are studying medicine can use this to learn all the information. Those who have a sick relative will find all the well organized information handy.
18. Chemistry Concept Map Template
Chemistry is made easy with this Chemistry Concept Map Template. Teachers can use this one to quickly create a lesson plan that is both visually appealing and interesting. For concepts like atoms and the periodic table, this map will help identify elements, where elements are found, their compounds that will enhance students’ learning ability.
19. Math Concept Map Template
Math is one of the more challenging subjects to understand. Difficult topics will be made easy using concept maps. This map can explain definitions; show solved problems, any related equations, and any terminologies. Using a visual aid will allow students to understand concepts and link ideas better.
20. Influence of Media Concept Map Template
Here is a concept map about the influence of media from 4 different perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of media and the vital role of it. Media influence is the actual force exerted by a media message, resulting in either a change or reinforcement in audience or individual beliefs.
All the concept map templates are avaliable in EdrawMax Template Gallery >>
Part 3: When to Use a Concept Map
Teaching New Concepts
You will find that mind maps are a very effective way to introduce students or fellow peers to a new topic. The visual aid will help process ideas and make connections, and you move forward with the topic. Hierarchical concept maps will be useful here to ensure students can grasp the essential ideas and points and then organize them.
User Flow Maps
The business will find it advantageous to use concept maps to demonstrate user perspective. It can be used to show customer journeys and make efficient business plans.
Understand Relations between Concepts
Concept maps are vital as they show relationships between ideas. As an essential visual aid, they will help identify and remember how one concept branches out and what thoughts are connected.
Part 4: How to Create a Concept Map
Now to the real question: How to create a concept map easily? EdrawMax is one of the top-selling software to help you create a concept map in a few simple steps
Step 1: 1. Open EdrawMax and click on [New] menu. Navigate to [Mind Map] in the left pane and select [Concept Map]. Then click on [Plus] button.
Step 2: You will be directed to the workspace. On the left side, there are shapes that you can use to create a concept map. Use the right pane to edit the shapes and personalize them.
Step 3: Choose your topic and drag & drop it on the canvas, which will be your map’s main and starting point.
Step 4: Draw more shapes, add-in ideas, and connect them to the main topic. Add any background shapes to make your chart more colorful and attractive.
Step 5: Establish the hierarchy for your map to make sure the more important concepts are on the top. Recheck and fill in any gaps of information you might have missed out.
Step 6: You can share the map with colleagues or invite team members to collaborate on the map collectively.
Part 5: How to Add a Concept Map in Word/PDF/PowerPoint
It can be a nightmare adding visuals into Word that are outside the basic SmartArt function. A better way to do it is using EdrawMax and then exporting your drawings to editable word files. If you want to insert a concept map in Word/Excel/PowerPoint, follow the simple steps below and make a quick and easy map.
Step 1: Once you have created your concept map, click on [File] tab.
Step 2: Select [Export & Send] from the left pane and select [Office] and click on [Word].
Step 3: In the dialogue box, name your file and click [Save]. Your diagram will be saved as a word file. You can try to export your concept map as a PDF document, PowerPoint or Excel file in the same method.
Part 6: Conclusion
Concept maps are a very efficient way to teach a new concept to pitch an idea. They will help you to understand better, clarify your thoughts and connect ideas. EdrawMax is one great tool to draw quick concept maps that are professional and easy to make. Give it a try, and all other diagram tools will pale in comparison.
See More Pre-Made Concept Map Templates by Edraw