An Explanation of Mind Mapping

We strongly recommend Tony Buzan's (1993) book, The Mind Map Book: Radiant Thinking. It is an excellent and colourful resource for taking you deeper into the Mind Mapping process. It also provides numerous examples of Mind Maps. Buzan makes connections to the literature related to brain research and learning. He sees Mind Mapping as a natural function of the human brain. Another useful book is Nancy Margulies' (1991) book, Mapping Inner Space. This book illustrates practical ways to get started. The ideas provided in both are essential Buzan's book provides an indepth explanation of the process while Marguiles' book provides a useful introduction regarding how to start. Mind Mapping is an analytical process that involves creatively integrating a combination of visuals, colour, codes, words, and connectors. It can be employed as a method to take notes, to study before an exam, to brainstorm, or make connections between ideas. It can be extended with little effort to be an alternative way of applying Hilda Taba's Inductive Thinking model of teaching (see Chapter 9). Additionally, several high-school English teachers have students employ Mind Maps to collect and portray their arguments when involved in Academic Controversy (explained in Chapter 11). Buzan states that Mind Maps have four essential characteristics and several non- essential characteristics. We would argue that

colour is also a critical attribute rather than nonessential. Our rationale is the mind processes and is intrigued by colour. ESSENTIAL: 1. a central image that represents the subject being mapped 2. main themes that radiate like branches from that central image 3. those branches have a key image or key word printed on an associated line 4. the branches have a connected structure NON-ESSENTIAL: 1. colour 2. codes RATIONALE: Mind Maps enhance the brain's capacity to store and recall information. Because it uses visuals and colours, it provides a novel and interesting way to make sense of something the student is learning. It can be a motivating way for students to summarize a unit on a Friday afternoon when things are dragging and a bit of a "pick-me-up" is required. One enjoyable example of integration is to weave the Johnsons' Cooperative Learning process ( explained in Chapter 7) with Buzan's Mind Mapping process to have a small group create a Mind Map. The lesson on heroes later in this chapter illustrates this integration. Also, students can employ Cooperative Learning structures such as Gallery Tour and Three-StepInterview to explain the major messages in their Mind Map.

Source: Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser, Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration (2001) Toronto: Bookation Inc.

Source: Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser, Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration (2001) Toronto: Bookation Inc.

Steps in Creating a Basic Mind Map

MATERIALS: Each student or group of students will need a sheet of paper and coloured pens or crayons. The size of paper will depend on the topic, the time, the amount students know, and what you are going to do with the Mind Maps. You can also have students cut and paste pictures from magazines instead of (or along with) their drawings. SIZE: If the Mind Map is to be a poster for sharing, the size will be different than if it is to serve as notes and placed in a binder for review before a test. We saw a Mind Map that took up the complete wall of the classroom and evolved over the year-it served as an ongoing summary of the students' learning in a middleschool English class. The following steps are only suggestions; feel free to add, adapt, or extend to make it responsive to your students' needs. Remember that when you do this with a partner, you are attending to five of the eight intelligences identified by Howard Gardner, as well as the brain's propensity for creating patterns and its need for talk. 1. Select a topic (for example "the heart" or "factoring" or "poetry" or "democracy"). . Think of a visual that captures the essence of that topic and place that visual in the centre of the paper using colours that will assist you to remember that idea. For example, in a kindergarten class, the students did a Mind Map of the story "The Billy Goats Gruff." They put a picture of the bridge in the middle.

Steps in Creating a Basic Mind Map 00

2. Brainstorm for the key ideas related to that topic. Record all the ideas that come to you - this can be personal or group brainstorming. Now you can simply pick out the most important ideas that will branch out first or you can group those ideas into common categories give each of those categories a label and then those become the first key ideas. Draw a picture or symbol that represents each of the key ideas you brainstormed. Then position those visuals that make sense to you around the outside of the visual you placed in the centre of the map. Put in the key word and then connect the key words to the centre topic with a line or bubbles. Flow with ideas radiating out from each of those key ideas; again, think of visuals that capture the essence of that idea and place them in a way that makes sense to you. Then, place the word by tge visual. Again, connect with lines. Continue until you have exhausted the topic, the space, the time, or your patience. 3. Reflect with a partner or with small groups or with the class -perhaps a Three-Step- Interview or Gallery Tour. In your mind or with a partner, talk through the journey you took to conceptualize the key ideas related to the topic. Explore the relationships between different aspects of the map.

Source: Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser, Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration (2001) Toronto: Bookation Inc.

Concept Attainment Process: Mind Maps and Concept Maps

On this page and the next are four examples of Mind Maps. Following those are two pages containing four examples of Concept Maps. Compare and contrast each of the sets. Try to identify the essential characteristics or critical attributes of both Mind Maps and Concept Maps. On page 283 there are two testers and a place to write down your thinking. You can then turn to the section that describes each of the two processes to compare your thinking with that of Tony Buzan (Mind Mapping) and Joseph Novak (Concept Mapping).

grade one's first attempt at Mind Mapping related to what information maps provide

university student's first attempt at Mind Mapping issues/topics related to water ecology

Source: Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser, Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration (2001) Toronto: Bookation Inc.

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grade eight student's second attempt at Mind Mapping

Source: Beyond Monet / Barrie Bennett / Carol Rolheiser, 2001

Source: Barrie Bennett and Carol Rolheiser, Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration (2001) Toronto: Bookation Inc.