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Maps and spidersIn this section I'm just talking about using maps and spider diagrams
to aid memory and learning. You could also use them to help you come
up with ideas for, say, a story, or to plan an essay. Click 
The whole area of mapping is associated with one guy - Tony Buzan - who coined the phrase 'Mind Maps'. Here he is! And below is an example of a typical Tony Buzan style mind map; the subject is concerned with mind mapping itself and how the brain likes to learn and remember  Image taken from the website of the training company Nuclei.com Important point: A map is for YOU only - don't worry about making it understandable for someone else. It just has to jog YOUR memory; it's not a way to teach others. I use a modification of the Tony Buzan style of map. Here are the basic steps: Creating map notesPaper: Use
a white sheet of paper, preferably a large A3 size (twice the normal
A4 size), and turn it on its side. Some of my students use flip-chart
paper to make Mega-Maps on which they can put almost an entire subject! Topic: Select the topic, problem or subject to be learned. You will need a list of all the topics you have to learn, either from your course syllabus or from a good text book or revise guide. You will have to use your judgment as to how big a topic you're going to put on a single sheet. Resources: Collect together all the materials you need, like text-books, notes and revise guides. Key words: Make
a column on the left in which to note down key words and phrases that
you want to remember. First branches: The first, thickest, branches you make should be the main heading. Write these headings on the branches, making each branch about as long as the heading itself, so that you don't have too much blank space left over. Make each branch wavy - the brain prefers 'natural' shapes. Start using a pencil until you're sure of the layout of your map, then colour in. Further branches: As you work outwards, the branches should get thinner. The second branches should be sub-headings. Continue like this until you get to finer and finer details. Taking in facts: This is the time when you do the learning. It is crucial that you take time to learn about your topic before you put the summary of it on the map. What you put down must be a summary of what you've just learnt. Much of the value of creating a map is that you really do have to learn your stuff in order to create it! It doesn't matter so much what it looks like on paper as much as what went on in your head while you were drawing it. So, use a variety of activities to be clear on what you need to write on your map. Simplify everything down to key words and phrases, diagrams, tables and pictures. Visualising the result: This is crucial. Take the facts you want to remember and try to imagine in your mind's eye, what they could look like on your map. Try to visualise all the relevant facts together in a big picture or diagram. If you can do this, then your map will be brilliantly useful. Linking: Link related facts together (use your syllabus or text-book headings as a guide) use squiggly lines - not straight! 
Image taken from the tangram.co.uk website. Abbreviate: Write down information in abbreviated form - key words and phrases, pictures, diagrams, cute mnemonics, etc, etc. Images: Use images, diagrams, graphs, etc, as much as possible. Colour codes: Develop your own colour code; for example, on a history map, use different colours for people, events, countries, dates, agreements, wars, etc. For Science, use colours for definitions, examples, explanations, equations and so on. Re-drawing: Don't be afraid of re-drawing your maps. This is not a waste of time because you are forcing the material into your memory all the time. The more creative the process, the better you will remember. Adding to your map: Later on, as you learn more about a topic, add the new information to the same map. That way you're automatically revising what you've done before and you never lose the information - it's always there on the same BP sheet. Throw your map away! OK, I don't really mean it - what I'm getting at is that the main point of creating a map is to help you understand a topic. If you create a fabulous map, then you've probably learnt the topic well and you could, if you wanted, throw the map away because the facts are so well ingrained in your memory. But keep them for revision! [-> next, go to the section on - Charts and tables ] |
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for an online whiteboard to practice.