In my last blog I wrote about how to use mind mapping as a tool to put all of your ideas on a page before turning it into an essay. Not only does this help to get all of that information you have studied onto a page for organisation, it also helps you to create a “check list” so you don’t forget anything.
Mind mapping can also be an important tool to help you study. Like I said last week, I LOVE MIND MAPS! Check out this video on how you can use mind mapping to summarise information and work as study notes.
The below video has some fantastic ideas on how you can use mind mapping to summarise A LOT of information on the one page.
You could use this as a study tool, rather than just to help you plot your ideas down in an exam.
Some things to remember:
- Your mind map is individual to you! Who cares what your friends variation looks like. They will look different, because you think differently!
- It is fluid and forever changing. Today, your mind map may be perfect, tomorrow you may think you need to add some more. This is representative to your changing state of mind. Don’t stress. Just add!
- Add pictures! Add quotes!! Add colour!! Add anything that represents you. If you are a visual learner, you may use pictures to represent the concept you are trying to remember. If you are a textual based learner, your map might be full of writing.
- Please don’t highlight everything! THIS is something I wish I was told in school. I look back on my study guides and notes and they are ALL highlighted because it was ALL important! Use colour and highlighting sparingly. Sure your page will look really pretty, but that isn’t going to help you.
- Make specifics stand out. If you have a concept in one colour, put your quotes (and all of them) in another colour.
- Make your connections within and between texts. For HSC writing, THIS is what the examiner is looking for that you can connect ideas both within your prescribed text and between your related text.
- DON’T REWRITE THE STORY. This is specific for English. Don’t write the story in your mind map. Write the concepts. Write the techniques that are used. Know the story, sure, but only how it demonstrates the particular topic you are looking at (Eg. Distinctively Visual, Discovery etc).
Have you had mind map success?? I would love to see and hear about it! Upload an example that you have and tell me how it helped you to organise your idea!