Mind Mapping
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping:-
Mind map can be explained as “writing down a central theme and thinking of new and related ideas which
radiate out from the Centre”. By focusing on key ideas written down in your own words and looking for
connections between them, you can map knowledge in a way that will help you to better understand and
retain information.
It can be used for assignments and essay writing especially in the initial stages, whereit is an ideal
strategy to use for your ‘thinking’. Mind mapping can be used for generating, visualising, organising, note-
taking, problem-solving, decision-making, revising and clarifying your university topic, so that you can get
started with assessment tasks. Essentially, a mind map is used to ‘brainstorm’ a topic and is a great
strategy for students.
1) Place the central theme/main idea or controlling point in the centre of your page. You may find it
easier to place your page on the side, in landscape orientation, which is easier for drawing purposes.
2) Use lines, arrows, speech bubbles, branches and different colours as ways of showing the
connection between the central theme/main idea and your ideas which stem from that focus. The
relationships are important, as they may form your essay paragraphs.
3) Avoid creating an artistic masterpiece. You should draw quickly without major pauses or editing.
Chances are, your first idea was fine and you placed that idea in the direction or on the branch you thought
made the most sense. It is important in the initial stages of mind mapping to consider every possibility, even
those you may not use.
4) Choose different colours to symbolise different things e.g. you may choose blue for something
you must incorporate in your paper, black for other good ideas, and red for the things you need to research
or check with your tutor/lecturer. Your method is entirely up to you, but try to remain consistent so that you
can better reflect on your mind map at a later stage.
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