The Construction And Training Of Middle School Students' Cognitive Maps

Map is the "second language" of geography. It is an indispensable tool for us to collect information, identify directions, make route plans, read newspapers and so on. In fact, besides external paper map, everyone has a "cognitive map" in his mind. Cognitive map refers to the process that one may have a visual map web shaped in his mind after internalizing the location and earth features so a to store and memorize effectively various information of physical geography and human geography.Generally speaking, the past research focused on how to read a paper map. There was not much research involved in the cognitive map. In this paper, the author explores the storage structure and formation mechanism in the brain at first, and then puts forward some proposals to build a cognitive map on the basis of summing up the practice of Chinese and foreign teachers and myself. At last, some activities and means are adopted for the strengthening and training of cognitive maps.This paper is divided into four parts.The first chapter is the theoretical basis for this thesis. At first, the author discusses the development of the cognitive map concept in different years. Then, the author introduces the abroad research on several aspects of cognitive map such as representation in the minds, constituent elements, influencing factors, stage of development and so on. Finally the author introduces the domestic colleagues' research on the cognitive map.In the second chapter, in accordance with the internationally accepted survey principles, the author compiles a questionnaire to measure the cognitive map of the ninth grade students in the school where the author is. The results show the cognitive map in the students' mind is incomplete and inaccurate.As the center of the thesis, the third chapter mainly discusses about how to build and develop cognitive maps in students in the geography teaching process. In this chapter, the author advances explores into paper map and the actual life environment according to their scale differences, and raises some strategies aiming at how to internalize the maps and the surrounding environment into the students' mind. And finally, the author discusses the application of modern technology in constructing cognitive maps.The fourth chapter discussed how to strengthen and train the unskilled cognitive maps so as to make it an important skill. The strategies include training in such aspects as the regional contrast, variant map, mind map, and map drawing.