Research on multirelational semantic maps is laden with promise for educational applications, but the development of knowledge mapping systems has been largely unsystematic. This paper describes the distinctive features of knowledge maps, discusses their origins, and explores some of the strengths and weaknesses of the wide variety of maps and mapping approaches that have been appearing in the literature over the past several years. Research findings pertaining to maps' potential and actual uses in educational settings are summarized, with some indepth attention to the more programmatic efforts of Novak as well as to our own mapping system. Suggestions are made for future exploration of, and experimentation on, maps as unique tools for organizing, representing, and communicating a wide variety of knowledge domains.