MIND MAP

I love this tool. I haven't really thought about mind maps in a long time. I had a 10th grade English teacher that would have us do them for everything. I honestly wish that I had some of those maps today. Just to see where my thought process has come from and what has changed. The different tools that are available to us, in the form of mind maps are incredible, including “inspiration.”

These tools lay things out in such a logical and easy to follow method. The options that are available are so much more visually appealing than anything I ever put together on my piece of notebook paper in pencil. These maps can be so useful when tracking progress on long term projects, in not only the classroom, but also the workplace.

For the subjects that I plan to teach (history, government, economics), these can be used in so many different ways. I could show the relationship between the different branches of government. Use a timeline to show how historical events relate to one and other, and include web links to video and audio. And in terms of economics, it would be an easy way to show the cause and effect of different events within an economy.

The map that is shown here, is one that I received by chance today. I subscribe to a green building blog and this is one they were included in and I thought it was a great example of the use of mind maps.

The part of "Mapping Student Minds" by Ariel Owen that I enjoyed the most was the ability to analyze ones thought process. It is one thing to have students go home and map out a central idea and identify the casual and formal relationships between that idea and others. But it is a very different process to ask them to explain it and debate with one and other on what should be added or removed and the reasons why. This allows for a window into how the students are developing their ideas. It is such an important process that is so often overlooked or not easily accessible. This kind of debate is a win win situation for both students and teachers, as it allows the teachers to see which areas of development may need more attention.

The beauty of a program like this is that it allows for constant change. Students can let their imaginations and intellect run wild at first, bringing any and all possible scenarios and connections into the fray. Then with time and focus, students can clarify their thoughts, learning to remove needless or periphery ideas, and really concentrate on developing a strong argument with only the most important factors considered.

The project described in the article is wonderfully thought out and such a great hands on experience for the kids. It seems to be all encompassing, bringing together the scientific data, the field experience, the analyzation of information, and the argument to support their data. Things that I remember most from my time in school were not the facts and dates, but it was the experiences and alternative projects that I did in groups or outside of class. There is no doubt in my mind that a project like this is something these kids would remember for the rest of their lives.