At first glance, I wasn't a huge fan of mind maps. I like to organize my thoughts in a very logical list fashion, so I was immediately freaked out that a mind map should be a freely written somewhat hodge podge of thoughts. Secondly, I initially brushed off the idea of mind maps because I didn't think that it would be a helpful tool for my math students. I was so turned off by mind maps that I decided I must not be understanding the full idea or all of the ways they could be used. I found a few websites that made the idea of mind maps much more appealing to me:
Balancing your Mind Map
The first link shows how computer software can be used to make a more organized version of a mind map. I think that it would be helpful for me to jot down a mind map and then use some sort of software to organize the map on the computer.
Students Guide to Mind Mapping
The second link explains various ways that mind maps can be useful for students. I found the note-taking section interesting. As mentioned before, I tend to write notes and thoughts in a list fashion. However, as pointed out in the Mind Meister Blog, how often do teachers lecture in a perfectly logical and sequential fashion? Most times, we go back and add thoughts and bits of information along the way. Mind maps can easily allow students to add in those important bits of information in the correct places. Mind maps can also be a great tool to create a to do list.
Mind Maps - Why Have I Never Heard of These?
I still wasn't sold on the idea of using mind maps in math. The final link gave me some great ideas as to how I could incorporate these mind maps into my classroom. Mind maps can be used in two major ways in the math classroom. First, the maps could be used to organize broad ideas and explore relationships among various topics. For example, as mentioned in the blog, mind maps could be used to compare and contrast things such as ratios, fractions, and percents. In addition, mind maps could be used to solve a numerical problem, or organize the steps necessary to solve the problem. Mind maps could be a great tool for students to explore new material and begin forming those connections necessary to learn the material.
I love this! Mind maps are a little challenging for me too- a list maker myself that likes order, or who has been taught to like order :). However, I am beginning to see the value in the maps. Especially for some students. And we need to remember that these strategies come from what is known- research about how our brains are wired. So this isn't really just something made up, but it has some foundation. It is likely worth a try.
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