Hexagon concept maps
Hexagon concept maps are a classroom routine where pupils arrange labelled hexagons so touching sides show meaningful links between ideas.
- Evidence
- Theoretical
- Subject
- English / History / Geography / Science / RE
- Key stage
- KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5
- Citations
- 2
- Lethal mutations
- 3
Hexagon concept maps take three minutes to explain and a year of practice to use well. Pupils have a set of hexagons, each labelled with an idea, a name, an event, or a key word. They arrange them on a flat surface so that hexagons sharing a side are connected for a reason they can explain.
What it is
A synthesis routine that turns the geometry of a hexagon into a constraint on pupil thinking. Each tile has six edges, so each idea can touch at most six others. That cap forces pupils to choose which connections matter.
The routine is associated with David Didau and was adopted widely by UK secondary teachers in the early 2010s, particularly in history, English, and RE.
Why it works
Four mechanisms with a solid evidence base sit underneath the routine. Pupils retrieve the idea on each tile before they can place it. They elaborate by explaining why two tiles belong together. They dual code by linking spatial position to verbal meaning. And in pairs, they talk through their reasoning out loud.
The EEF cognitive science review summarises these mechanisms. Dunlosky and colleagues rate elaborative interrogation as a moderate-utility strategy.
How to use it
Pick 10 to 12 ideas from the unit. Print and cut, or use the Chalk hexagons tool. Give pupils three minutes to read every hexagon before they touch any. Ask them to build a connected arrangement where every hexagon touches at least one other on at least one side. After five minutes, pick three pairs of touching tiles and ask the pair to explain why those two belong together.
Photograph the layout for retrieval next week.
When not to use it
It is a synthesis tool, not an introduction tool. Pupils need prior knowledge or the activity collapses into guesswork. Use it at the end of a unit, or as a knowledge audit before mocks. It does not replace explicit teaching and it is not quiet.
Related Chalk tools
The hexagons tool builds printable or interactive grids from any list of terms. Three Heads and Diamond 9 serve similar synthesis purposes with different constraints.
Evidence
Theoretical basisNo randomised trial of the hexagon routine itself. The routine combines four mechanisms with strong independent evidence (retrieval, elaboration, dual coding, structured talk). Rated as theoretical because the underlying mechanisms are well evidenced but the specific routine has not been tested as a unit.
Practice alignment
Caveats
- The routine is a synthesis tool. It requires pupils to have prior knowledge to arrange.
- Effect depends heavily on the quality of the talk pupils generate. Without the oracy element, it becomes a drag-and-drop activity.
Lethal mutations
Common ways this method drifts from the evidence base. Drawn from Brown and Campione's research on implementation degradation.
- 1
Letting pupils arrange in silence
Why it matters: The structured talk is half the mechanism. Silent arrangement collapses to drag-and-drop and produces almost no learning.
Do this instead: Insist on paired or threes. Use oracy stems like "I would put these together because" or "I disagree because" so the reasoning is audible. - 2
Giving pupils too many hexagons
Why it matters: More than 20 tiles overwhelms working memory. Pupils spend the activity managing tiles rather than thinking about relationships.
Do this instead: Start with 10 to 12. Add complexity by varying the prompts (constraint mode, misconception hunt) rather than the count. - 3
Running it as an introduction to a topic
Why it matters: Hexagon maps are a synthesis routine. Without prior knowledge, pupils have nothing to connect and the activity collapses into guesswork.
Do this instead: Use at the end of a unit, as a knowledge audit before mocks, or as a recap of last term.
Try this in Chalk
Related concepts
Questions teachers ask
Is this just a fancy mind map?
What age group does it work with?
How many hexagons should pupils have?
Hexagon Thinking
Generate printable or interactive hexagonal grids that pupils arrange to show connections between ideas.
Open Hexagon Thinking