No matter what educational level you are in, when it comes to preparing for an exam, nobody likes to study. Because let's face it, learning about what you like is exciting, but studying to be evaluated is an ordeal.
When it comes to preparing for an exam, every seasoned student knows that the key to successfully passing any assessment is not related to what is known about the subject, but rather to what the assessor considers to be important.
Studying what others believe is relevant and not what one personally wants, is already a great source of demotivation for any student and if on top of that, we have to express it how the examiners want, we have no other option but to study by heart.
Given this scenario, students need to have resources that facilitate the memorization of concepts, and mind maps can be very helpful, since not only will they allow them to quickly memorize countless concepts, but will keep them highly motivated during the process.
A method to achieve accelerated learning
Suppose I have to prepare a "History of Education" topic for a week from now. Well, what will probably happen is that since I am not very interested in the past, I put the book or notes aside and one or two days before I start reading them repeatedly and with a bit of luck, make some diagrams, With what result? Well… probably a student hit.
However, there are techniques such as mind maps that allow me to organize the content of the entire subject in such a way that I can integrate it as I distribute it, significantly reducing the time I dedicate to study.
A key to being successful in using this technique is not wasting time reading the subject, because if one is not interested, it will surely be wasted time. Instead, we will go to the index and establish a categorization of the main ideas and sub-ideas of the index.
Now that we have a global idea of the topic, we are ready to start making the mind map.
How to make mind maps
Before explaining how to make a mind map, I would like to clarify that the method I am going to describe is the one that I personally use. This method is a variant of the original mind maps of Tony Buzan, creator of the same. However, he maintains the essence of his way of working which is:
- organize content in categories located around central concepts;
- present information in a symbolic way (Buzan uses drawings and I use photos);
- create interrelationships between the different concepts using different colors (something we both do); and
- offer the information in such a way that with a single glance anyone can see a summary of the information to be studied.
Internet + mind maps = laughter attack
I mentioned earlier that I had made an adaptation of Buzan's mind maps. I have done this specifically to make them closer to the digital natives that I work with in the Student Coaching sessions.
A digital native learns better if he thinks symbolically, this means that it is easier for him to google images for a photo that expresses a concept strongly.
For example, if you want to remember the name of María Montessori, as one of the representatives of the new school, it will be easier to remember this concept if you choose a photo of a mountain and with the paint you paint a face of "sorry" (sorry in English) than by drawing a concept picture.
On the other hand, these natives are addicted to experiences, so I try to encourage them to put the censorship aside and look for images that really impact them. In this way, they will be creating not only a deep amnesic trace, but they will be able to use them as a linguistic code to build some learning on others, always using the same concepts.
You already know a little more about this method, but, when one uses the philosophy of mind maps to study, learning has no limits, because programs like CmapTools can be connected with other people's maps of the world and together build a version very original of any subject.
It is a resource that offers many possibilities for classroom learning and that I encourage all teachers to use.
