Learning, Creating, and Using Knowledge: Concept Maps(tm) As Facilitative Tools in Schools and Corporations

This book recognizes that in today's "information society" the future of economic well-being rests upon the effectiveness of schools and corporations to empower their people to be more effective learners and knowledge creators. The volume is organized around five factors involved in every educational event: the learner, the teacher, knowledge, the context, and evaluation. Each is discussed from both theoretical and pragmatic perspectives. Concept maps are used extensively to illustrate key ideas from learning theory, theory of knowledge, and instructional theory, as well as to give concrete examples. Rote learning, still common in many schools and universities today, is shown to be ineffective for achieving the goals of individuals and society in an era when creative production of new knowledge is at a premium. Throughout the volume, effective management is shown to be dependent upon the same factors as effective teaching.