Theory Mapping and Education

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Theory Mapping can be a powerful tool for the teaching of theories due to:

• Clear communication: see post on Argument Mapping.
• Ability to present the historical development of ideas: you would first present a Theory Map of the dominant theory at a particular point in time, demonstrating clearly how it provided the most coherent explanation of the available facts. You can then present (or brainstorm within the group) how this was challenged by new facts creating incoherencies, and introduce the Theory Map of the best competing theory. After a while a ‘paradigm shift’ occurs in which the higher coherence of the new theory is so compelling that support shifts to it. In this way, students can feel much more involved in the intellectual debate, and hence understand and remember it better.
• Improved critical thinking skills: it has been demonstrated that Argument Mapping is very effective in improving critical thinking skills (e.g. van Gelder, T. J., Bissett, M., & Cumming, G. (2004). Cultivating Expertise in Informal Reasoning. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58, 142-152)

Obviously, this would need to be first be developed for university classes, and then simplified to be appropriate for earlier education levels.
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