Mind mapping to help study

A mind map is a great aid to exploring subjects and concepts.  From the initial word or outline, you take a creative journey to uncover many links and associations.

Mind Map Guidelines (from Wikipedia)

Example of a Mind Map (from Wikipedia)

Mind maps help you produce a more visual representation of linked ideas, allowing you to dig deeper without losing sight of your original purpose.  You can take the research journey full circle by using your sub-links to find more information, then by re-associating your new findings through the key concept you started with.

If you’ve not seen them before, or want a recap of the basics, check the video at the bottom of this post for an example of a mind map in development.  For remembering key facts and forming a basic, overall awareness of something, they’re great.  You can easily add more to them and shape them in a way that benefits you.

There are a huge number of services for creating mind maps on computer and online.  Chuck Frey has put together a huge resource list of all the mindmapping tools currently available.  There are so many tools out there, you’re spoilt for choice.

But be warned.  Mind maps aren’t a perfect study tool: “A disadvantage of mind mapping is that the types of links being made are limited to simple associations.  Absence of clear links between ideas is a constraint.” (Davies)

In other words, mind maps don’t hold all the information in themselves.  They can be used for stepping beyond the basics, but they require your effort to do so.  It is only through your own work before and/or after compiling a mind map that you can gain greater insight in your area of study.

I’ve used mind maps in the past to help me gain an overview or to prize basic ideas from my mind.  But, as I mentioned above, I cannot rely on them to give me a complex understanding or a range of differing views.

I used mind maps in two different ways:

  1. To explore where I needed to go next in order to make learning leaps;
  2. To highlight key elements of prior learning to serve as a simple reminder or as a way to visually link what I was studying.

Mind maps took me beyond linear thinking.  They were a way of getting linear thoughts and creative processes working together.  I still had a structure in the mind maps, but it was less restrictive, allowing me to play with ideas more freely.

The use of this technique serves to benefit your study.  Davies explains:

“Learning simply by reading textbooks, or listening to a presentation (incorporating linear-structured Powerpoint slides) is far more likely to result in non-learning or rote learning (Hay et al. 2008).  However, if students are asked to study, draw or manipulate a map of what they have learned, this may yield improved learning because it is more usable.  This is because maps aid in linking new information with what they already know.”

When faced with a visual representation of key concepts and thoughts:

  1. You are no longer limited to a linear way of thinking.  You gain an extra dimension to what you’re learning;
  2. The text is placed in a more visual representation (possibly with actual pictures), which aids learning further;
  3. Links are more obvious and it’s easy to drill down to sub-topics.

Mind maps are also great for making rough plans for an essay or dissertation.  You can take all the ideas/concepts you wish to write about, branch off to different areas of your essay (introduction, methods, references, conclusions, etc.), and add to your mind map as you see fit.

Jumping between unrelated elements of the same overall topic is much easier in this visual form.  You don’t risk losing your place or making so much mess on the page.

And if you use Wikipedia to get a grasp of topics, WikiMindMap brings the data to you in a mind map style.  It helps most when you’re exploring a subject and want to find related items to research further.

I’ve already quoted twice from a new journal article by Martin Davies.  His paper looks at differences between different types of mapping, including ‘concept maps‘ and ‘argument maps‘.  These other types of mapping are less likely to be used in an everyday study scenario.  Davies says that “students will have to do a considerable amount of initial reading and thinking and struggle with key concepts before coming to an understanding of the exact task they need to complete.  It is only after this process that the student can map an argument.”

Nevertheless, Davies moves on to discuss the future of ‘mapping’ in education and suggests that different types of maps can benefit at different stages of research and writing.  New, “as yet unrealised and potentially complementary functions” may help students greatly once software can provide the relevant links.

The possibilities have potential to be pretty impressive.  If you want the academic lowdown, the paper is in the journal ‘Higher Education’, which is free to view until December 31st 2010.  The paper can be viewed here.

More Mind Map Help:

EduLinks – Partying, Promises & Performance

Time for some more EduLinks. Want to see links on a particular topic? Have some links that may be of interest to readers?  Let me know in the comments, or get in touch!

On with the links…

Grad Recruiter – CV Structure and Format Checklist

Get your CV looking and feeling great with these simple tips.  Not a ‘how to’ guide to work from scratch, but how to tweak your CV so it flows better.

Chronicle – Tweeting Students Earn Higher Grades Than Others in Classroom Experiment

It’s all about engagement.

Guardian – Innovation is born when art meets science

Art and science need to mix better. I always said they should be friends.

On focus:

Who’d have thought that daydreaming made you *less* happy?

Seems like we need deeper focus more often than we tend to allow ourselves.

MakeUseOf – 10 Online Synonym Dictionaries That Help You Find A Similar Word

A thesaurus gives you many words to express a similar sentiment.  This post gives you many websites with a similar function…

Impact Magazine – Weapons of Lash Destruction

A history of drinking games.  “Since when did our drinking habits become so organised?”

The Boar – The Price of a Promise

Lib Dem MPs signed a pledge before this year’s general election to say that they would vote against any increase in tuition fees.  Some are due to go back on that pledge and Nick Clegg said he regretted signing the pledge.

The Boar examines what a promise is and explains why MPs going back on a pledge damages the public’s confidence in politics.

Cognition & the Arts – Does background music aid or impair reading comprehension?

Do you work better when listening to music, or would you prefer silence?

A study has found that people work better in silence.  However, so many questions are left unanswered, as this post explains, that you needn’t switch the iPod off yet.

My advice has always been, if you’re finding concentration tough, do the opposite of what you’re currently doing.  When you’re in silence, try listening to music.  Also, try listening to different types of music, or opt for a bit of noise.

Ben Casnocha – How to Draw An Owl

A short post that says so much…and leaves so much more to the imagination.

Providing information, advice and guidance to students

My previous post asked if you were taking too many study risks.

Arthur made a great point in the comments:

“The focus on your education should be increasing your capabilities, not getting through a series of assessment tasks. If you bought a car that did not have wheels, you would feel ripped off. So why buy an education without capabilities?”

No matter how aware you are of increasing capabilities, how can universities help you increase them further in a changing world?

image by rild

image by rild

Yesterday, Aaron Porter, President of NUS, spoke about the type of information, advice and guidance students need in order to develop talent and make the most of their time at university.  Speaking at the Graduate Talent conference on Innovation and Skills for Competitiveness, he gave a similar analogy to Arthur’s.

Porter said that if you buy a bike and the chain falls off after five minutes, you’d get a refund because the goods are faulty.  While he understood the massive difference between high street transactions and entering higher education, he still saw the need for an increasing recognition of how students perceive HE and the need for those students to have the right tools throughout their education.

That, he explained, is why information, advice and guidance needs to be properly targeted at the point of application, and that individuals are made aware of the differences in curriculum and community in different institutions.

You may be in the position to assess risk in terms of study, but what about ongoing?  What can a university do to help you minimise risks after you graduate?  And how can they help you minimise risks in terms of what you study and how you use your time at uni?

Porter covered a lot of ground in today’s talk and made a number of important points.  Here are the main details covered in his talk:

  • Students will begin to change the way they engage with institutions. More students will actively ask “What can I do to guarantee employment?”
  • So much information is available, but it’s hard to navigate through it all.  How can the relevant information be provided to students in an easy to digest fashion?
  • Student background makes a difference in how easily individuals can navigate information.  Must address a diverse community, so nobody is left behind or left wanting.
  • League tables are used to choose where to study, but not always with real understanding of what those tables mean & how to see the big differences between institutions.
  • Students won’t dust down a strategic report on what employers want from graduates.  As good as the advice may be, there is still a need to put the detail forward in a way that students *will* access it.
  • How often during induction are students actually asked what the purpose of HE is, told how it is different to what learning has come before, and asked what they personally want out of HE?  Helping students to focus on these critical issues will make a huge difference to their experience and understanding.  Ask critical questions at the start to earlier allow students to prepare better.
  • Need to think about better integrating employability and careers into curriculum and teaching.  Students now expect this, so let’s deliver.
  • Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) needs rolling out quickly to make a level playing field for students.  Beef up academic achievement and its detail, while also highlighting achievement outside the classroom.
  • Drawing out this information through HEAR will help graduates articulate their achievements and skills.  In turn, job applications can be better targeted by graduates, as they can sell themselves more accurately.
  • All students should feel able to participate in extra-curricular activities, whatever their background.
  • Work exp. & internships need to become almost an entitlement, especially with fees about to climb.
  • Way in which we communicate information needs to be more innovative in terms of social media.  On campus and off campus, are institutions operating in the same environments as students?  Careers information is perfect territory to take on social media, because it’s not likely to be seen as a personal intrusion.
  • National measure of employment needs to go beyond a 6-month view.  1 year, 3 years, 5 years, etc.  Students need to know, because education costs are growing and employability is a big deal.
  • There is a danger that learning for its own sake may be lost.  Could be an adverse impact on which skills students learn before graduation.
  • Browne didn’t crack the problem of getting an entirely flexible HE system.  The opportunity was there, but hasn’t been addressed.  We must, therefore, still think about how we can address the issues.  This is critical in allowing students to get the employment skills they need.
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Risk or Responsibility?

Do you take risks when faced with important decisions?  Do you push things to one side and let random excitement take hold and stress you out?

Perhaps you think you only take an occasional gamble. But you may be more of a risk taker than you think.

photo by anarchosyn

photo by anarchosyn

It doesn’t sound like much, but think how tempting it is to leave an essay until the last minute.  Rather than prepare in advance, there’s a want to bash everything out in the last minute.  You may not really *want* to do everything in the last minute, but the beast of procrastination rears its ugly head and that’s what happens anyway.

What of study plans?  Before the work starts, a plan can seem so structured and restricting.  Surely you’ll get the work done eventually.  You’ve done it before that way.  Much better to work when you feel like it, eh?

Keep those fingers crossed that you’ll get that feeling every time.

Of course, you will feel like it, because you’ll have no choice. Time will have run out. Panic is often a big driver of decisions.

Shame those decisions aren’t likely to be the best ones.

Many choices may not feel risky, but there’s a real chance they will make a negative impact.

Making plans straight away does involve taking responsibility.  But this is a low risk, positive action.  Responsibility sounds like a hassle, because you know you have to start.  And the end is so, so far away.  At least, it’s so far away until there’s not enough time.  Then the game changes and it’s out of your control…

The sooner you start, the sooner you can finish in your own sweet time.  No rushing, no major panic, no second rate attempt that you know could have been better.

You don’t have to jump on tasks the moment you get them, but neither should they be left to linger.

Advice like this isn’t unusual.  That doesn’t make it any easier to action.  Not until you give it a context.  As I see it, that context is risk.  The longer you leave it, the bigger the chance you’re taking.  Risks don’t have to sound risky before they become dangerous.

Are you willing to gamble with grades?