English Vocabulary: MINDMAPPING

I came up with the idea of working with mind maps some years ago, when I was working at a secondary school. The school had made it a common goal for all teachers to work on some kind of integrative activity at the end of each term.

I thought that was a great idea because I often found students studied each of the units in my curriculum as separate compartments and had a hard time relating concepts. Many times, I found myself in need of building on previous knowledge, but somehow, learners seemed to have erased all that background information I thought they had from their minds.

And, of course, I thought maybe my part in this matter was that I hadn't given them the right study tools that would help them assimilate and fix knowledge. The results were amazing...especially with students who had difficulties in the subject and needed to take extra tests at the end of the year to be able to pass. It proved to be an excellent study technique.

mindmeister.com is a great online mind map creator for those who prefer doing things digitally. It is also a great tool if you want to share your work easily with others. These are some of the benefits of mindmapping outlined on their blog:

"Here are just a few of the reasons why mind maps are so effective:

• A mind map’s radiant structure directly corresponds to the way our brains store and retrieve information.

• A mind map conveys the hierarchy and relationships between individual ideas and enables you to see the big picture.

• A mind map makes use of mental triggers (such as pictures, colors, and connections) to help your brain memorize things more easily.

• The best part: mind mapping doesn’t feel like work!"

https://www.mindmeister.com/blog/students-guide-to-mind-mapping/#benefits

https://app.genial.ly --> Genially also offers a number of visually attractive mind map templates.

Have a look at the gallery, where you can see some of the work my students have done!

HOPE YOU'LL FIND THIS USEFUL =)