This SET is an example of a graphic organiser. Because a picture can be worth a thousand words, graphic organisers are powerful tools for converting complex information into meaningful displays. They can be used for many different purposes, including helping students pull background knowledge forward, assessing how well knowledge is remembered and understood, and fostering creativity as participants generate new ideas.

In 'Team Concept Maps', student teams draw a diagram that conveys members' combined ideas or understanding of a complex concept, procedure, or process. This SET engages students by challenging them to synthesise and be creative as they organise their hierarchy of associations into a meaningful graphic. Diagramming words, ideas, tasks, or principles is identified by many different names, including 'Word Webs', 'Mind Maps', and 'Cognitive Maps'. The name 'Concept Maps' is used here because this term is used in the literature to describe a broad, inclusive approach and this SET will be most effective if teachers are creative in deciding what should be diagrammed and students are encouraged to be creative in choosing what is the most appropriate graphic.