MIND MAPPING

INTRODUCTION:-

the use of diagrams that visually "map" information using branching and radial
maps traces back centuries. These pictorial methods record knowledge and model systems, and
have a long history in learning, brainstorming, memory, visual thinking, and problem solving by
educators.

DEFINITION:-

A mind map is a diagram used to visually organize information. A mind map is

hierarchical and shows relationships among pieces of the whole. It is often created around a
single concept, drawn as an image in the center of a blank page, to which associated
representations of ideas such as images, words and parts of words are added. Major ideas are
connected directly to the central concept, and other ideas branch out from those major ideas.

Mind maps can also be drawn by hand, either as "notes" during a lecture, meeting or planning
session, for example, or as higher quality pictures when more time is available. Mind maps are
considered to be a type of spider diagram A similar concept in the 1970s was "idea sun bursting".

GUIDELINES:-

Buzan suggests the following guidelines for creating mind maps:

 Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
 Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
 Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
 Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
 The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The lines become thinner
as they radiate out from the center.
 Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
 Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for
encoding or grouping.
 Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.
 Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.
  Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your branches.

USES:-

 Mind maps can be used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas.
 They can also aid in studying and organizing information, solving problems, making
decisions, and writing.
 Mind maps have many applications in personal, familial, educational,
and business situations. Applications include notetaking, brainstorming (wherein ideas
are inserted into the map radially around the center node without the implicit
prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential arrangements; and wherein
grouping and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing, using a mnemonic
technique, or sorting out a complicated idea.
 Mind maps are also promoted as a way to collaborate in color pen creativity sessions.
 Data retrieved from mind maps can be used to enhance several other applications. These
include expert search systems, search engines, and search and tag query recommender.
 DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER VISUALISATIONS:-

 CONCEPT MAPS:

Mind maps differ from concept maps in that mind maps focus on only one word or
idea, whereas concept maps connect multiple words or ideas. Also, concept maps typically have
text labels on their connecting lines/arms. Mind maps are based on radial hierarchies and tree
structures denoting relationships with a central governing concept, whereas concept maps are
based on connections between concepts in more diverse patterns. However, either can be part of
a larger personal knowledge base system.
 MODELLING GRAPHS:

There is no rigorous right or wrong with mind maps, relying on the arbitrariness
of mnemonic systems. A UML diagram or a semantic network has structured elements modelling
relationships, with lines connecting objects to indicate relationship. This is generally done in
black and white with a clear and agreed iconography. Mind maps serve a different purpose: they
help with memory and organization. Mind maps are collections of words structured by the
mental context of the author with visual mnemonics, and, through the use of colour, icons and
visual links, are informal and necessary to the proper functioning of the mind map.

PRINCIPLES:-

 Always start with a central theme. This can be the title or it can be an image that
represents the title.
 Try to use as many images as possible since they stimulate creative thought, draw the
attention of the eye and aid in enhancing memory.
 Use only one or two keywords per line.Each word or image should be on a line which
connects other lines.This is something like a flowchart except that the labels or images
will be on the connecting lines and radiating in different directions.This provides the
basic structure of the mind map.
 Use different colours for different themes. Colours are used to highlight and accentuate
important information.
  Let your mind run free.Try not to fetter it with unwanted or unnecessary information.

STEPS:-
1. Start in the centre of a blank page

 Turn the page sideways

 Your brain has more freedom to spread out in all directions

2. Use an Image or Picture for your central idea

 An Image is worth a thousand words

 It stimulates your imagination
 It is more interesting
 It keeps you focused
 It helps you concentrate

3. Use Colours throughout

 Colours are exciting to the brain

 Colours add vibrancy and life to your Mind Map
 Colours add energy to your creative thinking

4. Connect Main Branches to the central image

 Connect second and third level branches

 The brain works by association
 The brain likes to link things together
 Linking the branches creates structure

5. Make your lines curved

 Straight lines are boring

 Curved branches are attractive

6. Use One Key Word per line

  Single Key Words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility
 Each word or image creates its own associations and connections
 Each Key Word is able to spark off new ideas and thoughts
 Phrases dampen this triggering effect

7. Use Images throughout

 Each image is worth a thousand words.

BENEFITS:-

 They help in clearly defining the central core of a topic and its main themes.
 They depict the relative importance of a topic at a glance.
 They give you an instant overview of the entire chapter in your textbook on one single
page and this will save time when you are revising for an exam.
 Unnecessary words are not included.
 You can use colours to depict themes, sub-themes and connections.
 It combines both left and right parts of the brain while thinking. This means that you will
remember the subject matter better than if it was written in full sentences.
 They use all the pillars of memory such as association, images, location and imagination
and make use of auditory, visual and kinaesthetic senses, and therefore, enhances
memory to its full potential.
 They help you map out your thoughts and brainstorm to work out a solution to a problem.
 The Five Essential Characteristics of Mind Mapping:

 The main idea, subject or focus is crystallized in a central image

 The main themes radiate from the central image as 'branches'

 The branches comprise a key image or key word drawn or printed on its associated line
 Topics of lesser importance are represented as 'twigs' of the relevant branch
 The branches form a connected nodal structure

How to Make a Mind Map

 Think of your general main theme and write that down in the center of the page. i.e. Food
 Figure out sub-themes of your main concept and draw branches to them from the center,
beginning to look like a spider web i.e. Meats, Dairy, Breads
 Make sure to use very short phrases or even single words
 Add images to invoke thought or get the message across better
 Try to think of at least two main points for each sub-theme you created and create
branches

:
Mind Maps

Mind Mapping Techniques

Mind maps have an almost limitless number of uses. They are a powerful tool because they
allow you to think visually, using pictures to solve problems, plan strategies, and to
communicate ideas clearly.

The diagram below shows ten uses for mind maps.

Why Mind Maps Are Effective

Mind maps are extremely effective for taking notes, planning a project, brainstorming an idea,
presenting information to others, and many other uses. Why is this? Here are a few reasons:

 They improve our capacity to see the bigger picture

 They help us save time by focusing on key issues
 They improve our ability to retain and recall information through patterns and
associations
 They help to clarify thinking
 They provide concise, visual information maps that are well-suited for presentations and
reports
How to Make a Mind Map

Many diagrams such as flow charts, org charts, and network diagrams follow a fairly rigid set of
standards. Mind maps are an exception to this. It's really up to the user to create a mind map that
suits their mind's eye.

The most basic way to create a mind map is with a pen and paper or a whiteboard.

While this is a cheap way to create a mind map, it also has drawbacks, particularly for business
people. If you want to make changes, it can get messy in a hurry. It's impractical to easily share
and collaborate with others. And it's not suitable for publishing in a report or using in a
presentation.

High-quality mind mapping software such as SmartDraw solves these problems. In the same
amount of time or less, you can capture the same information and create a mind map. This is a
polished result that is easy to edit, share, and publish.

This informational video offers a brief overview of how to start mind mapping with SmartDraw.
Starting with a mind map template, this video takes you through the basics of creating a
SmartDraw mind map. In just a few minutes, you can learn how to create professional mind
maps to brainstorm and present ideas, run meetings, and more.

Guidelines

1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
4. Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
5. The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The lines become thinner
as they radiate out from the center.
6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
7. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for
encoding or grouping.
8. Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.
9. Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.
10. Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your branches.

Rough mindmap notes taken during a course session

As with other diagramming tools, mind maps can be used to generate, visualize, structure,
and classify ideas. They can also aid in studying and organizing information, solving
problems, making decisions, and writing.

Mind maps have many applications in personal, familial, educational, and business situations.
Applications include notetaking, brainstorming (wherein ideas are inserted into the map radially
around the center node without the implicit prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential
arrangements; and wherein grouping and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing,
using a mnemonic technique, or sorting out a complicated idea. Mind maps are also promoted as
a way to collaborate in color pen creativity sessions.

In addition to these direct use cases, data retrieved from mind maps can be used to enhance
several other applications. These include expert search systems, search engines, and search and
tag query recommender To do so, mind maps can be analyzed with classic methods
of information retrieval to classify a mind map's author or documents that are linked from within
the mind map

Steps to creating a Mind Map

Step1.

The central idea is the starting point of your Mind Map and represents the topic you are going to
explore.

Your central idea should be in the centre of your page and should include an image that
represents the Mind Map’s topic. This draws attention and triggers associations, as our brains
respond better to visual stimuli.
Taking the time to personalise your central idea, whether it’s hand drawn or on the computer,
will strengthen the connection you have with the content in your Mind Map.

Step 2. Add branches to your map

The next step to get your creative juices flowing is to add branches. The main branches which
flow from the central image are the key themes. You can explore each theme or main branch in
greater depth by adding child branches.

The beauty of the Mind Map is that you can continually add new branches and you’re not
restricted to just a few options. Remember, the structure of your Mind Map will come naturally
as you add more ideas and your brain freely draws new associations from the different concepts.

Step 3. Add keywords

When you add a branch to your Mind Map, you will need to include a key idea. An important
principle of Mind Mapping is using one word per branch. Keeping to one word sparks off a
greater number of associations compared to using multiple words or phrases.
For example, if you include ‘Birthday Party’ on a branch, you are restricted to just aspects of the
party. However, if you simply use the keyword ‘Birthday’, you can radiate out and explore the
keyword, party, but also a wide variety of different keywords such as presents, cake etc.

One word per branch also works well for chunking information into core topics and themes. The
use of keywords triggers connections in your brain and allows you to remember a larger quantity
of information. This is supported by Farrand, Hussain and Hennessy (2002) who found that
medical students who adopted Mind Mapping experienced a 10% increase in their long-term
memory of factual information.
Step 4. Colour code your branches
Mind Mapping encourages whole brain thinking as it brings together a wide range of cortical
skills from logical and numerical to creative and special.

The overlap of such skills makes your brain more synergetic and maintains your brain’s optimal
working level. Keeping these cortical skills isolated from one another does not help brain
development which the Mind Map seeks to do.

One example of whole brain thinking is colour coding your Mind Maps. Colour coding links the
visual with the logical and helps your brain to create mental shortcuts. The code allows you to
categorise, highlight, analyse information and identify more connections which would not have
previously been discovered.

Colours also make images more appealing and engaging compared to plain, monochromatic
images.

Step 5. Include images

Images have the power to convey much more information than a word, sentence or even an
essay. They are processed instantly by the brain and act as visual stimuli to recall information.
Better yet, images are a universal language which can overcome any language barrier.
We are intrinsically taught to process images from a young age. According to Margulies (1991),
before children learn a language, they visualise pictures in their minds which are linked to
concepts. For this reason, Mind Maps maximize the powerful potential of imagery.

What is Mind Mapping? (and How to Get Started Immediately)

Brainpower
A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that
helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and
generate new ideas.
Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.
In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is structured in a
way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works. Since it is an activity that
is both analytical and artistic, it engages your brain in a much, much richer way, helping in all its
cognitive functions. And, best of all, it is fun!
So, how does a mind map look like? Better than explaining is showing you an example.

)
This is a mind map about – conveniently enough – mind mapping itself. It presents, in a visual
way, the core elements and techniques on how to draw mind maps. Yes, I know this may look a
little too messy initially, but bear with me: once you break the ingrained habit of linear note
taking, you won’t look back.
Benefits and Uses

I think I already gave away the benefits of mind mapping and why mind maps work. Basically,
mind mapping avoids dull, linear thinking, jogging your creativity and making note taking fun
again.

But what can we use mind maps for?

 Note taking
 Brainstorming (individually or in groups)
 Problem solving
 Studying and memorization
 Planning
 Researching and consolidating information from multiple sources
 Presenting information
 Gaining insight on complex subjects
 Jogging your creativity
It is hard to make justice to the number of uses mind maps can have – the truth is that they can
help clarify your thinking in pretty much anything, in many different contexts: personal, family,
educational or business. Planning you day or planning your life, summarizing a book, launching
a project, planning and creating presentations, writing blog posts -well, you get the idea –
anything, really.
How to Draw a Mind Map

Drawing a mind map is as simple as 1-2

 Start in the middle of a blank page, writing or drawing the idea you intend to develop. I
would suggest that you use the page in landscape orientation.
 Develop the related subtopics around this central topic, connecting each of them to the
center with a line.
 Repeat the same process for the subtopics, generating lower-level subtopics as you see
fit, connecting each of those to the corresponding subtopic.
Some more recommendations:

 Use colors, drawings and symbols copiously. Be as visual as you can, and your brain
will thank you. I’ve met many people who don’t even try, with the excuse they’re "not
artists". Don’t let that keep you from trying it out!.
 Keep the topics labels as short as possible, keeping them to a single word – or, better
yet, to only a picture. Especially in your first mind maps, the temptation to write a
complete phrase is enormous, but always look for opportunities to shorten it to a single
word or figure – your mind map will be much more effective that way.
 Vary text size, color and alignment. Vary the thickness and length of the lines. Provide
as many visual cues as you can to emphasize important points. Every little bit helps
engaging your brain.
Final Thoughts

Mind mapping is an absolutely fascinating and rich topic – this post only scratches the surface. If
you want more reference material now, Wikipedia is always a good starting point.
Mind mapping is a passion for me, and it is one of the strongest drivers behind this blog. I plan to
explore it in much more depth – publishing mind maps, providing tips, talking about computer
mind mapping, and much more. Just make sure to keep visiting (or better yet, subscribe).
In the meantime, please give mind mapping a chance – try it out. Follow these handy tips and see
the results for yourself. Don’t worry too much about doing it the "right" way – just make it fun.
To inspire you, one more great mind map from Buzan Centre Australia on Creative Intelligence.

MIND MAPPING IN EDUCATION

Educators and students have been drawing concept maps and mind maps on paper for many
years. Visual software applications, in particular mind mapping tools, have automated this
process, making it more efficient to brainstorm concepts as ideas or branches. This allows for the
creation of much larger mind maps, and the ability to easily re-organized branches by dragging
and dropping them around the map. Furthermore, some mind mapping software applications
integrate with MS Office, allowing students to convert their ideas into other documents such as
Word or PowerPoint. Mind mapping for education is perfect for:

 Brainstorming sessions
 Visualizing concepts
 Improving critical thinking
 Improving reading and writing skills
 Advanced research papers or graduate projects
 Outlining written documents
 Storyboarding presentations
Mind Mapping Research and Pilot Studies

It is a known fact that working with mind maps helps students organize their ideas and
understand concepts better. Since an outline is sequential, it can be difficult to work with,
especially for students that struggle with the process. Mind mapping is a freer, non-sequential
way to organize material, making the process more coherent; in particular for students that may
not be process oriented, but visually oriented. Mind mapping is also recognized as an assistive
tool where for instance, students with Asperger or dyslexia will benefit from the mind mapping
method.

A study conducted by The National Reading Panel (NRP) in 2000 (Teaching Children to Read:
An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and its
Implications for Reading Instruction) showed that the use of visual organization tools was one of
the 7 most effective ways to improve students retention.

The Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education (IARE) at AEL conducted a
research study in 2003 entitled Graphic Organizers: A Review of Scientifically Based Research.
The study concluded that Graphic organizers:
  Improve reading comprehension
 Benefit students achievement levels
 Enhance thinking and learning skills
 Increase retention
 Support cognitive learning theory

"Organizing ideas and concepts into graphic patterns has been explored for years by cognitive
educators. Mind Mapping builds a process structure or “map” over the content body of the
material a person has gathered, thereby organizing it for development. Constructivism, simply
stated, is the philosophy that we learn by organizing new concepts and ideas relative to our own
experience. Mind Mapping mirrors the constructivist theory. Research has shown that
developing mind maps increases thinking, memory and learning skills. Recently Lehigh acquired
a software program called MindView, which takes the idea of Mind Mapping to a new level."

- Johanna Brams, MSEDT, Lehigh University

A pilot study for students in a Nursing Program was conducted by David A. Boley, Professor at
John Hopkins University. Students were divided into two groups, one group using mind mapping
and mind mapping templates for various subject areas, the other group continuing with their
usual learning methods. The study concluded that pre-made mind maps:

 Enhanced simulation learning significantly

 Positively impacted the learning experience
 Produced a 12% increase in test scores

When the group that did not use mind mapping was later introduced to the mind mapping
method, their achievements increased equally validating the results.
CONCLUSION:-
The system of taking down notes graphically represents information in the form of a
map. It uses a single paper to depict the gist of a large subject matter such as speeches, poems,
concepts, information derived from meetings, lectures, etc.It activates both parts of the brain by
making use of all the pillars of memory in addition to your thinking and reasoning skills. Mind
maps help to identify the central and main sub-themes.

REFERENCE:-

 https://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/health-want-to-create-a-mind-map-read-
this/20180820.htm
 https://www.google.com/search?q=principles+of+mind+mapping&rlz=1C1CHBD_enIN
880IN880&oq=principles+of+mind+mapping&aqs=chrome.0.0l3.9616j1j7&sourceid=c
hrome&ie=UTF-8
 https://www.google.com/search?q=mind+mapping+images&rlz=1C1CHBD_enIN880IN
880&sxsrf=ACYBGNTYCId0pMf6XRmneOrRRSAxNkDyhQ:1581342550313&tbm=i
sch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=qkJvDhNZhM5T2M%253A%252CvGdeM4f35waDpM%2
52C_&vet=1&u
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map