Since the dawn of human history, learning has been a characteristic of each individual, which has helped to establish the foundations of human development, since when learning is done, "knowledge is acquired through study, exercise or experience." As we have evolved as a civilization, people have emerged who have dedicated themselves to the study of human behavior, this has led to the definition of various criteria regarding learning; concept, methods, tools, techniques, among others.
Thus, with the passing of time, the demands of modern life (dynamic, competitive and full of information), have led society to seek new models, techniques and systems that allow to acquire this knowledge in an effective and efficient way. In this order of ideas arise the MENTAL MAPS, under a concept created by the British psychologist Tony Buzan, based on the premise that we all act according to our models and criteria of thought and our way of abstracting what we perceive, creating our models, ideas and image associations that make it easier for us to "access" specific information within our memory.
For a long time, it has been considered that the best way to keep notes or notes is through the writing of numbers, words, sentences, phrases, paragraphs, maintaining a sequential order of the information, that is, organized and structured. These aspects are what make the mind mapping technique different, since it shows a new alternative to present and take advantage of information, totally different from traditional methods, with the ability to be used in all fields of personal life, professional, family and / or social and is currently used by students, teachers, writers, businessmen, planners, presenters, exhibitors and anyone who, knowing this method, applies it in a given situation in order to acquire or transmit some information.
Verbal Type Mind Map
The human brain:
The brain is part of the central nervous system of vertebrates and is located within the skull. In the human species it weighs an average of 1.3 kg and is a mass of gray-pinkish tissue that is composed of approximately 100,000 million nerve cells (in an adult brain), connected to each other and responsible for the control of all functions mental. Likewise, the brain is the control center for movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and nearly all vital activities necessary for survival. All human emotions like love, hate, fear, anger, joy and sadness are controlled by the brain. It is also responsible for receiving and interpreting the innumerable signals that are sent from the body and the outside.The large surface area of the brain and its complex development justify the higher level of intelligence in man compared to other animals. The cortex is divided by a longitudinal fissure into a right and a left part, called the cerebral hemispheres, which are symmetrical, like an image seen in a mirror. Both hemispheres are interconnected through the "corpus callosum" which is a conglomeration of white nerve fibers that connect them and transfer information from one to the other.They are interconnected through the "corpus callosum" which is a conglomeration of white nerve fibers that connect them and transfer information from one to another.They are interconnected through the "corpus callosum" which is a conglomeration of white nerve fibers that connect them and transfer information from one to another.
The brain is the organ of the body that works the most, since everything that is done, felt or thought is due to the brain and if a comparison is made with a computer, the difference becomes visible at the moment of knowing that the The computer does its operations through sequential and logical processes, the brain is multidirectional, functioning in a much more complex way as it processes information synthesizing and integrating it through parallel and simultaneous processes. Knowing this, it is also necessary to remember that all the information that the brain can receive from the outside world, is obtained through the senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) whose sensations are received through the respective organs (tongue, skin, nose, eyes and ears) which in turn are controlled by the brain;These sensitive parts are constantly sending "messages" informing us about everything that happens around us, however and despite all this information, scholars in the field have stated that human beings use only ten percent (10%), approximately, of the capacity of this wonderful organ. In the same way, it has been possible to determine, in general lines, that each hemisphere is intimately interrelated with its counterpart, although they exercise different functions and each one is responsible for one side of the body, in a specular way, that is, the functions performed by the side left of the body are directed and controlled by the right hemisphere, happening in a similar way with the left hemisphere,allowing in this way to complement each of the messages received and to fully execute the bodily functions competent to this organ.
Paul Mac Lean, who for the year 1997 was Director of the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior of the National Institute of Public Health of California, developed a model of the brain structure of the human being, known as "triune brain", "cerebral triad" or "three in one" and we will base ourselves on this model to understand the conformation of this organ, where it is stated that the human brain is made up of three interconnected neural systems and that each one has its own specific and particular intelligence, as well as its own functions. and defined which are related according to the process of evolution and consequently, the development of each of the neural systems which can be mentioned as follows: a) R-System, reptilian system or reptilian brain. b) Limbic system or brain and c) Neocortex.
R-System or Reptile:
This brain system, according to Mac Lean, has been the oldest of our brains, that is, it is the brain of our first ancestors which continues to perform its old functions, it is the primitive brain. It is located in the upper part of the spinal cord at the base of the neck and absorbs information in the form of energy through the spinal column to the pores of the skin. Its name comes from the fact that the aforementioned scientist found a great affinity with the brains of reptiles and it is the brain that makes us do things instinctively within which it can be mentioned: security, sense of territory, routines, habits, patterns, values, conditioning, etc. It is doing the action; moving away from things that we dislike or getting closer to things that we like, have or want,in her rest patterns of aggressiveness as well as establishment of social structures.
Limbic system or brain:
It is the brain that continues in antiquity, it is also called Paleomammal or mammalian brain, located behind the face, enveloping the Reptile brain and is connected to the Neocortex and according to Mac Lean who says that we share this brain with the lower mammals «is basically involved in the experiences and expressions of emotion such as love, joy, fear, depression, feeling or unaffected and in turn, controls the autonomous system of the body. It is considered as the connection between the old reptilian brain and the neocortex.
Neocortex:
It is the last brain, its name comes from the new cortex, being the youngest and most evolving brain which allowed the development of Homo Sapiens, it is divided into two (02) hemispheres (left and right) and is the one that allows us to think, speak, perceive, imagine, analyze and behave as civilized beings, it is located on the limbic system and according to Mac Lean a series of nerve cells are developed in it dedicated to the production of symbolic language, to the function associated with reading, writing and arithmetic. In the same way it provides the procreation and preservation of the ideas that arise there, it receives the first signals from the eyes, ears and skin since those of taste and smell come from the limbic.
The Human Brain
The cerebral hemispheres:
The Californian professor Roger Sperry (Nobel Prize in medicine), at the end of the sixties announced his studies on the cerebral cortex (neocortex) where he indicated that the hemispheres tend to divide the main intellectual functions; In this sense, it was presented that the right hemisphere was dominant in the following aspects of the intellect: perception of space, rhythm, gestalt (total structure), color, dimension, imagination, daytime dreams, among others. In turn, the left hemisphere has preponderance in another, totally different range of mental abilities since this side is verbal, logical, sequential, numerical, linear and analytical. However, later research by other scientists was able to determine that although each side of the brain is dominant in specific activities,Both are trained in all areas and are distributed throughout the cerebral cortex, however, and it is worth highlighting, the dominance specified by Roger Sperry prevails. These characteristics of abilities have originated a current classification of human beings based on the hemispheric dominance they possess, this being a counterproductive fact since a "qualification" is produced that limits the people who are governed by one or the other side of the brain, inducing not to exercise a skill that according to this qualification "is not dominant", because that person "does not work" and lacks this or that ability, this being something extremely far from the truth since there is a misinterpretation of that concept and the ability to organize new strategies is limited.In this sense, skills such as language (words, symbols), numbers, logic (sequence, enumeration, linearity, analysis, time, association), rhythm, color, images (reverie, visualization) and spatial perception (dimension, gestalt) They are possessed by all human beings and can be developed by using appropriate techniques such as radiant thinking and mind mapping.
Right and Left Hemispheres of the Brain
Cerebral cortex seen from the face. The cortical faculties shown in the illustration constitute the <
Remember:
According to research carried out by various scientists, during the learning process, humans mainly remember the following aspects:
- Those topics or aspects concerning the beginning of the learning period Those topics or aspects concerning the end of the learning period Any aspect and / or topic associated with the topic being learned Any aspect or point that is outstanding or highlighted during the process All What draws attention in a decisive way. What is of special interest.
These aspects, together with the images that are perceived during the process, contribute to the acquisition of inherent ideas and consequently to the process of "remembering", through the association of images, concepts and knowledge.
Mind maps:
The characteristics seen above were the same that Dr. Tony Buzan (creator of the method of "mind maps", as a learning tool) began to notice in the sixties when he gave his lectures on psychology of learning and learning. memory, since he observed that he himself had discrepancies between the theory he taught and what he actually did, motivated that his "class notes were the traditional linear notes, which ensure the traditional amount of forgetfulness and the no less traditional amount of frustrated communication ». In this case, Dr. Buzan was using such notes for his lectures and lectures on memory and was pointing out to his students that the two main factors in evocation were association and emphasis. In this sense, Dr.Buzan raised the question that his notes could help him highlight and associate themes, allowing him to formulate an embryonic concept of mind mapping. His later studies on the nature of information processing and on the structure and functioning of the brain cell, among other studies related to the subject, confirmed his original theory, being the birth of mind maps.
Radiant Thinking:
To make the interpretation of what are called "mind maps" easier, it is important to consider the term radiating thought, which can be summarized with a simple example: If a person is asked what happens in his brain when at that moment you are listening to pleasant music, savoring a sweet fruit, stroking a cat, inside a brightly lit room where the smell of wild pines enters through the window, you might get that the answer is simple and surprisingly at the same time complex, due to the multidirectional perception capacity of the human brain to process various information simultaneously.
Dr. Buzan expresses that each bit of information that accesses the brain (sensation, memory or thought, which encompasses each word, number, code, food, fragrance, line, color, image, writing, etc.) can be represented as a central sphere from which innumerable links of information radiate, by means of links that represent a certain association, each of which has its own infinite network of links and connections. In this sense, the human brain's thought pattern is seen as a "gigantic branching-association machine," a super-biocomputer with lines of thought radiating from a virtually infinite number of data nodes, reflecting structures of data. neural networks that constitute the physical architecture of the human brain and in this sense,the more new data is learned / gathered in an integrated, radiant and organized way, the easier it will become to continue learning.
The above described allows us to conclude that radiating thought is the natural and virtually automatic way in which the human brain has always functioned.
The Mind Mapping method:
The mind map is a technique that allows organization and the way of representing information in an easy, spontaneous, creative way, in the sense that it is assimilated and remembered by the brain. Likewise, this method allows ideas to generate other ideas and to see how they connect, relate and expand, free from the demands of any form of linear organization.
It is an expression of radiant thought and a natural function of the human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique that offers the means to access the potential of the brain, allowing it to be applied to all aspects of life since an improvement in learning and a greater clarity of thoughts reinforce the work of man.
The mind map has four essential characteristics, namely:
- The subject or motive of attention, crystallizes in a central image. The main subjects of the subject radiate from the central image in a branching form. The branches comprise an image or a keyword printed on an associated line. The minor points are also represented as branches attached to the higher level branches. The branches form a connected nodal structure.
In addition to these characteristics, mind maps can be improved and enriched with colors, images, codes and dimensions that add interest, beauty and individuality, promoting creativity, memory and the evocation of information.
When a person works with mind maps, he can relax and let his thoughts arise spontaneously, using any tool that allows him to remember without having to limit them to the techniques of linear, monotonous and boring structures.
For the elaboration of a mental map and taking into consideration the essential characteristics, the matter or motive for attention must be defined by identifying one or several Basic Organizing Ideas (IOB), which are key concepts (words, images or both) from which it is possible starting to organize other concepts, in this sense, a mind map will have as many IOBs as required by the «mental cartographer». They are the key concepts, which bring together the greatest number of associations, being an easy way to discover the main IOB in a given situation, asking yourself the following questions, according to Dr. Buzan:
- What knowledge is required? If this were a book, what would the chapter headings be? What are my specific goals? What are my basic questions? Often times, why, what, where, who, how, which, when, serve quite well as main branches of a mind map. What would be the broader category that does it cover them all?
Once the basic organizing ideas have been determined, other aspects need to be considered:
- Organization: The material must be deliberately organized and the information related to its original topic (starting from the main idea, new ideas are connected until the information is complete). Grouping: After having a defined center, a mental map must be grouped and expanded through the formation of sub-centers that start from it and so on. Imagination: Visual images are more remembered than words, for this reason the center must be a strong visual image so that everything on the mind map can be associated with it. Use of keywords: Notes with keywords are more effective than sentences or phrases, being easier for the brain to remember these than a group of words, phrases or sentences of "caletre". Use of colors: It is recommended to color the lines,symbols and images, because they are easier to remember than if they are made in black and white. The more color you use, the more memory, creativity, motivation and understanding will be stimulated and even, it can give a depth effect to the mind map. Symbols (support tools): Any kind of symbol that is used is valid and can be used to relate and connect concepts that appear in the different parts of the map, in the same way they serve to indicate the order of importance in addition to stimulating creativity. Involve awareness: Participation must be active and conscious. If mind maps become fun and spontaneous, they allow to attract attention, motivate interest, creativity, originality and help memory. Association:All the aspects that are worked on on the map must be associated with each other, starting from the center of it, allowing the ideas to be remembered simultaneously. Highlight: Each center must be unique, the more the information stands out or highlights, the faster and easier it will be remembered.
Laws and recommendations of mind mapping:
According to the creator of this technique, Dr. Tony Buzan, there are laws that are intended to increase rather than restrict mental freedom. In this context, it is important not to confuse the terms order with rigidity, or freedom with chaos. These laws are divided into two groups: The laws of technique and the laws of layout:
- The techniques:
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- Use emphasis Use association Express yourself clearly Develop a personal style
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- Use hierarchy Use numerical order.
Similarly, Dr. Buzan annexes some recommendations to the previous laws:
- Break mental blocks Reinforce (review and verify the mind map) Prepare (create an ideal context or framework for the development of the mind map).
Advantages of Mind Mapping over the Linear System of prepare-take notes:
- You save time by jotting down only the words that matter. You save time by not reading more than relevant words. You save time by reviewing your mind map notes. You save time by not having to search for keywords in an unnecessary series. Increases focus on real problems Keywords are juxtaposed in time and space, enhancing creativity and recall Clear and appropriate associations between keywords are easier for the brain to accept and remembering mind maps. By constantly using all cortical skills, the brain is increasingly alert and responsive.
Mind Map Model
Conclusions:
After this brief summary of what a mind map is, origins, precursors, concept and technique, a series of conclusions can be mentioned:
- Both hemispheres of the brain are used, stimulating the balanced development of the same It stimulates the brain in all its areas, motivated to actively participate with all its methods of perception, associating ideas, images, phrases, memories, etc. It stimulates the creativity of the being It has no limits in its design. It is an effective and dynamic tool in the learning and information acquisition process. It breaks paradigms with respect to structured and linear learning methods. It can be used in all aspects of daily life., both personally, as well as family, social and professional.
Bibliographies:
- Buzan, Tony, The Book of Mental Maps, Ediciones Urano, Barcelona (Spain), 1996. de Montes, Zoraida, Beyond Education, Editorial Galac, Caracas (Venezuela), 1997 Barroso, Manuel, Self-esteem Ecology or Catastrophe, Editorial Galac, Caracas, 1987. Ramírez, Tulio, How to do a Research Project, Editorial Panapo, Caracas, 1999.Losada, José Vicente, On Maps, Mental Models and Paradigms, Article, Virtual Magazine «ANCLAJE», pnlnet.com, www.pnlnet.com/anclaje/a/66. 2000 Abstract: The MENTAL MAPS technique of Dr. Tony Buzan, as a tool for learning Topic: Human Resource Management
1 ″ learn », Microsoft Encyclopedia (r) Encarta (r) 98 Current Dictionary of the Spanish Language, (c) 1995 Biblograf, SA, Barcelona.
2 Buzan, Tony, The Book of Mind Maps, Ediciones Urano, Barcelona (Spain), 1996, p. 76, 77 and 92.
3 de Montes, Zoraida, Beyond Education, Editorial Galac, Caracas (Venezuela), 1997, p. 52
4 de Montes, Zoraida, Beyond Education, Editorial Galac, Caracas (Venezuela), 1997, p. 35
5 Buzan, Tony, The Book of Mind Maps, Ediciones Urano, Barcelona (Spain), 1996, p. 41
6 Buzan, Tony, The Book of Mind Maps, Ediciones Urano, Barcelona (Spain), 1996, p. 44
7 de Montes, Zoraida, Beyond Education, Editorial Galac, Caracas (Venezuela), 1997, p. 5
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