A mind map is an effective way of arranging and organizing thoughts, with the help of which we can visualize complex information and ideas. Thanks to the visual presentation of information, this method is perfect for students and teachers.
The Swiss Army knife for the brain
The version of the mind map method known today is associated with the name of the British writer Tony Buzan. In his book, he also calls the method the Swiss Army knife of the brain, because instead of simply documenting the information, he connects the thoughts along logical lines. This leads to the fact that we often just glance at our own mind map to see and understand the information related to the topic.
One of the key elements of this method is the use of colors, with the help of which we can easily separate the different sets of ideas and their connections. Using ZEBRA Mildliner colors allows us to quickly review our thoughts and easily identify the main themes.
Reading a book using the mind map
By following the steps below, we can make the processing of the books we read much more memorable:
- Let’s review the entire book to see which major topics are covered in that volume
- Work out the length of time to be spent studying, and determine the amount time of material to be covered in that time.
- Using a blue ZEBRA Z-Grip pen, record on a piece of paper the information you already know about the given topic. These will be your mental grappling hooks during your studies.
- Use a mini mind map to determine your goals and the subject of your study for the given study period.
- Take an overview of the text, looking at the table of contents, major headings, conclusions, and illustrations – anything that catch your eyes. This process helps you define your central image as well as the main branches of your mind map.
- Now move on to the preview and looking at all the material not covered in the overview. Add to your mind map.
- The next stage is the inview, in which you fill in the bulk of the learning puzzle, still skipping over any major problem areas. Having familiarised yourself with the rest of the text, you should now fin it much easier to understand with the rest of the text, you should now find it much easier to understand these passages and bulk out your mind map. Feel free to use colors – ZEBRA Doodler’z gel pens – to mark the different thoughts.
- The last step is the review, in which you go back over the difficult areas you skipped in the earlier stages and look back over the text to answer any remaining questions or fulfil any remaining objectives. At this point you should complete your mind map notes.
Resources: Tony Buzan: The Mind Map Book, BBC, 2010
