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4.2 Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual way to organize information and ideas that helps with brainstorming, planning essays, and retaining knowledge. There are two common mind map templates - a circular thought bubble structure and an outline structure. Mind maps benefit visual learners by allowing them to see connections between ideas at a glance. They help generate and organize ideas, see the big picture of a topic, and decide what information to include in an assignment. To create a mind map, place the central topic in the center and radiate related ideas and details in connected branches using colors, lines, and shapes. Mind maps can then be used to develop the structure and paragraphs of an academic essay.

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Mukul Kumar Rana
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1K views16 pages

4.2 Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual way to organize information and ideas that helps with brainstorming, planning essays, and retaining knowledge. There are two common mind map templates - a circular thought bubble structure and an outline structure. Mind maps benefit visual learners by allowing them to see connections between ideas at a glance. They help generate and organize ideas, see the big picture of a topic, and decide what information to include in an assignment. To create a mind map, place the central topic in the center and radiate related ideas and details in connected branches using colors, lines, and shapes. Mind maps can then be used to develop the structure and paragraphs of an academic essay.

Uploaded by

Mukul Kumar Rana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mind mapping

What is mind mapping?


• Mind maps are a great way of organising your
thoughts, especially if you are a visual learner. Just like
a road map helps you on a journey, a mind map can
help you get from the start to the finish of a project or
essay in an organised efficient manner without getting
lost along the way. Mind mapping is a way to represent
ideas and concepts in a picture form. By focusing on
key ideas and looking for links between them, you can
‘map’ knowledge that will help you better understand,
retain and organise information. They are often used
just to ‘brainstorm’ a topic but they can become a
powerful tool to help organise assignments and plan
essays.
What does a mind map look like?
• Making a mind map is only limited by your own
creative genius. However, there are two common
templates that are often used. The first is a
thought bubble template that is more circular
thinking and suits people who process thoughts a
little randomly. It involves placing a central theme
in a bubble near the centre and then placing new
and related ideas or information radiating out
from it. Information that links to those ideas can
then be added in more bubbles (squares, lines, or
whatever).
The second type is an outline template which is a more traditional form of organising
ideas and suits people who are more linear in their thinking.
The benefits of using a mind map
Mind mapping helps you to:
• brainstorm ideas to help get you started on your
assignment
• organise information that you can see at a glance
• see the big picture, or overview, of your
assignment, project, or essay
• decide what information and resource material
you will include in your assignment and where
you will put it.
How do I use mind mapping?
You can use mind mapping for the following:
• taking notes in a lecture and listening for the most important
points or keywords
• showing links and relationships between the main ideas in your
subject
• brainstorming all the things you already know about an essay
question
• planning the early stages of an essay by visualising all the aspects
of the question
• organising your ideas and information by making it accessible on a
single page
• stimulating creative thinking and creative solutions to problems
• reviewing learning in preparation for a test or examination.
How do I get started with mind
mapping?
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.
5) Leave some space on your page. The reason for this is that you can continue to
add to your diagram over a period of time. If A4 sized paper feels too small, you
may like to use A3.
How to create a bubble mind map
• Step one Place the title of the main theme, or
a draw a picture that represents it, in the
centre of the page (landscape is better).
• Step two
Add main branches to the central theme by using lines or arrows that connect to other ‘bubbles’. These lines
show the connection between the two and help to organise your ideas. Each bubble should only contain
one key word or idea that stems from the central theme. These could form the basis for each paragraph or
section of an essay.
Step three
Next add more detail by drawing smaller (sub) branches from your key words. This forms the
basis for what you want to write about for each idea.
Step four
If you are doing a large project you may need to add even smaller branches onto your sub-
branches to flesh out ideas even further.
How do I turn my mind map into an
academic essay?
• Before you can begin to write your essay paper, you must
first understand and determine what the ‘main’ idea of
your writing will be. What is the central theme/main idea
or controlling point that you are trying to convey to your
reader? Whatever the topic, it is always a good idea to
think about the issues that surround that topic and mind
mapping is an excellent form of brainstorming. The
information that comprises your paragraphs must have a
relationship to that controlling point. The decision about
what to include in your paragraphs ultimately begins with
your ideas. Ideally, each paragraph in an essay should
contain one idea or cover one aspect relevant to the central
theme on your mind map.

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