Methodology for drawing up a mental map. Mind Mapping, or how to make your brain work better. Mistakes when using mind maps

The amount of information in modern world is constantly growing, but the methods of handling it remain the same and are already ineffective. What was adequate for the use of our ancestors will not help modern people to cope with the available volumes and intensity of information flows.

The use of charts, lists, tables and texts has some drawbacks, although time-tested. Firstly, if the amount of information is large, then it becomes quite difficult to write down, remember, and then reproduce it. Second, the process of highlighting key messages is difficult. Thirdly, time is used in such a case irrationally. Well, and, fourthly, the presented methods limit the use of a creative approach and the generation of new ideas when solving a problem. Therefore, the modern scientific world speaks of such a method as Examples and stages of its construction will be discussed below.

A new method of assimilating information

An innovative method of processing and assimilating information is considered to be the method of mind maps, invented by Tony Buzan. The scientist declares that the problem situation is the processes taking place in the human brain. it processes speech, numbers, linear representation of facts But the right hemisphere is responsible for orientation in space, perception, various abstract operations.

Tony Buzan argues that a mind map is an effective replacement for traditional methods. Examples of this method show that information is recorded due to the general activity of the two hemispheres of the brain and

What are the advantages of the new method

The answer to this question is simple and will now be demonstrated. The first advantage of this method is that the recording of information is fast, easy, and not so voluminous. The second advantage is that by reading the map, you will have structured and logical relationships in front of your eyes. The third advantage is the usefulness of a method such as mind maps. Programs develop cognitive processes, namely memory, thinking and imagination. The fourth advantage is that when creating a drawing, a person uses his creativity and the resources of both hemispheres of the brain. The fifth advantage is that information is memorized almost instantly and with a high level of quality. The sixth advantage is that it is easy to learn a method such as a mind map. How to compose it? A simple instruction will help you.

Tony Buzan Method Application Cases

There are a number of areas where the effectiveness of using a method such as a mind map is manifested. We will describe examples below.

The next block of information presented will tell readers how to use this method.

Mental map: how to draw up?

This is not to say that the application of this new method is so simple, because it will require a person's efforts, but the usefulness of this skill will pay off the cost of resources. There are a number of steps and nuances that must be followed in order to create such a pattern.

The first three steps are fixing the mind map

The first stage is the initial one. It is also called the free association mode or brain-storming. For example, you have a project. Taking a piece of paper, write down all the thoughts and ideas that come to mind, even the most ridiculous. There is no room for criticism and limitations in this process.

The second stage is the actual creation of a mental map. You can take colored pencils and in the center write the main topic from which to make branches and write down ideas related to the main goal and generated during brainstorming. Basic ideas can also branch out into several lower-order ideas.

The third stage is fixing the made drawing. You should put off the card for at least 2 hours, and best of all - for 2 days - and then return to it. Thus, the fixation of ideas in consciousness will occur.

The final stages of building a mental map

The fourth stage is a return to the mental map. At this stage, using colors, emotionally color your creation: indicate what is important or dangerous for you, joyful and fun. There are no strict requirements for shades, so use what you like. Create vivid images, because they will help to bring the drawing to life and will contribute to memorization.

The fifth stage is to re-fix the card. Set the sheet aside again for 2 hours to 2 days. Returning again to the canvas, you can make some more meaningful changes. Now the mind map is ready!

The presented method is quite young, but very effective, and many people have already appreciated its benefits. Do it yourself!

This article contains information about an amazing and very effective way of recording information - mental maps, about what they are for, how to compose and use them in educational process... The appendix contains some colorful examples.

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Mind Maps(mindmapping)is a convenient and effective technique of thinking and alternative notation. It can be used to generate new ideas, capture ideas, analyze and organize information, make decisions, and much more. This is not a very traditional, but very natural way of organizing thinking, which has several undeniable advantages over conventional methods of writing.

Natural because a mental map is literally a visualization of human thinking: firstly, the neuron itself looks like a mini-mindmap (a nucleus with branches), and secondly, thoughts at the physical level are displayed as “trees” of biochemical impulses.

Although the first examples of creating mind maps can be found in scientific works created centuries ago, their widespread use began in the second half of the twentieth century thanks to the English psychologist Tony Buzan ... Buzan systematized the use of mind maps, developed rules and principles for their construction, and put in a lot of effort to popularize and disseminate this technology. Of the 82 books written by Buzan and devoted to this topic, the most famous is - "Teach Yourself to Think" - it is included in the list of 1000 greatest books of the millennium.

We are used to writing down our thoughts in a linear fashion. Then this method has significant drawbacks:

• Recorded hard to remember and even harder restore in memory... This is because visually, such an entry looks monotonous, with constantly repeating elements - words, paragraphs, lists, etc. And we, when monotonous pictures float before our eyes, easily turn off.
• In such a summaryit is difficult to highlight the main... Usually we remember the main ideas thanks to special keywords, which for us are carriers of impressions about the idea. These words are few and they are lost in the mass of ordinary words that do not mean anything to us.
• Time with such a recordvery inefficiently spent... At first we write down a lot of unnecessary, and then we are forced to read and re-read this unnecessary, trying to find the same keywords and determine the degree of their importance.

Tony Buzan invites us to stop struggling with ourselves and start helping our thinking by mastering the technique of mind maps. The purpose of creating a mind map is to put things in order in the head, get a holistic picture and find new associations.

Characteristic features of mind maps:

The main object of study (the starting point for reflection) is always located in the center of the map;

Aspects of the main object, issues related to it, and related topics diverge from the central image in the form of branches;

Branches-associations are explained by keywords, phrases or graphic images, branches of the second order depart from them, expressing secondary ideas, from which, in turn, branches of associations of the third order diverge;

The branches of associations form a hierarchical structure.

When creating a mental map, such techniques are used:

Use of colors and graphics;

Use of abbreviations (or foreign words);

Usage legend etc.

Tony Buzan has developed a whole set of rules for creating mind maps that serve to make the maps beautiful and effective, using the full potential of the brain to work with information.

Rules for creating mind maps.

1. What kind of paper is suitable for making mind maps?

It is most convenient to draw on A4 format (not large, not small). The arrangement is horizontal, the color of the paper is white.

1. What should be the style of the mind map?

It is important to make the style of the card memorable! To do this, you can use humor, originality (make big small, small big, etc.) With practice, your own unique style will appear. It is important that, first of all, you like the mental map yourself.

1. The structure of the mind map.

Radial. The main idea, task or object of attention is in the center, the rest of the objects related to the topic branch out in the form of branches from the center to the periphery of the mental map.

Understandable. The order of information should be obvious from the map, the importance, priority of this or that block of information, for this it is better to use a selection, for example, a halo or the use of a different color. The creation of a holistic, structural block of information with an understandable sequence is what you should strive for.

1. Diversity

Use pictures of different types, change the font size, scale. Monotony is uninteresting and does not attract attention.

1. Codes

Use coding: make the more important red or green, use generally accepted codes, come up with your own to highlight this or that information in order to give it some generality.

1. We use pictures wherever possible.

Three-dimensional dynamic pictures are better remembered and allow you to build a perspective. We use both our own and generally accepted symbols. The idea is this: "talking" pictures that evoke emotions are better perceived, remembered and retrieved from memory. We always draw the central image, it contains 3 or more colors, preferably three-dimensional.

1. The words

No more than one or two words per branch. This allows you to expand the possibilities of the flow of associations, ideas, thoughts. Select key words, 1-2 words, after seeing which, you will be able to remember the whole picture. Block letters are easier to read. 3D grabs attention.

1. Colors

We use a variety of colors and a highlighter to highlight objects of information and better later memorize them. You need to be more careful with colors, sometimes more does not mean better, remember about the holistic perception and color ratios. If the mental map is dazzled with 20-30 different shades, a cacophony will result and the whole perception will be violated.

1. Lines and connections in the mental map.

The closer the line is to the central image, the thicker it is. The length of the line is equal to the length of the word or the size of the picture. Lines are also designed to show the significance, consistency and connection of one piece of information to another. We use arrows to indicate the connection.

(The rules for creating mind maps in the form of a mind map -http://www.stimul.biz/images/data/gallery_122.jpg)

Having got acquainted with mental maps quite recently, I was already able to fully appreciate their advantage and I believe that it is necessary to acquaint students with this technique by conducting a master class. Students can use such a map to take notes, plan their answer, graphically display the concepts being studied, literary works, analyze and remember historical events, physical phenomena, work on a project, and even write an essay.

A few examples.

Here is a sample of the simplest mind map created with the free software FreeMind. It shows the initial structure of the first few trainings prepared by the project. It can be used, for example, during a presentation, since such a card is an excellent solution for visual presentation of information, an alternative way of recording (as opposed to linear). But we are much more interested in them as a method of organizing systems thinking, searching for ideas based on associations. We have already briefly mentioned such connection diagrams in the lesson on. Today we present to your attention a more detailed material describing the benefits of mindmaps for each, indicating their differences from other methods of visualization and specific examples of use.

The essence and history of the appearance of mental maps

Let's immediately make a reservation about the meaning of the term. The concept of "mental map" in scientific literature is more common in psychology and is associated with human behavior. Regarding the subject of our article, this term is not entirely apt, since it does not reflect the essence of the English "mindmap", from which it comes. Nevertheless, the name "mental maps" is widely used, along with the more correct from a philological point of view categories "connection diagrams", "mind maps", "mind maps". Therefore, we will agree that for greater convenience we will use them as synonyms.

Mind maps or mind maps are an effective technique for alternative notation and visualization. The modern idea of ​​them was laid in the 70s. last century by British psychologist and TV presenter Tony Buzan. He was interested in the problems of the development of intellectual abilities. He achieved outstanding results - in 1997 on the air he set a record in memorizing multi-digit numbers.

In the course of his research, T. Buzan came to the conclusion that the generally accepted way of perceiving textual information is not optimal. According to him, reading a page from left to right and from top to bottom seems artificial to the human brain, because it is designed in such a way that it perceives data nonlinearly and completely at once. From the criticism of the "inconveniences" of linear perception later, mental maps appeared as a method of organizing information and an alternative way of recording. What is much more important, work towards improving the concept of smart maps showed the possibility of their use as a tool in the "brainstorming" technique (although this did not become a discovery - they used a prototype before), for searching and generating new ideas, memorizing,.

Buzan's method began to be widely used almost immediately after it was presented to a wide audience through the BBC TV show "Think with your head", which the author himself hosted. He later wrote several more bestselling books about his technique. But the inventor of the theory can only be called a stretch. Similar methods have already been used by the sages. Ancient Greece and Rome (Porfiry, Aristotle, etc.), engineers of the New Time. Of course, Buzan outlined the boundaries of the modern approach, not hiding that he relied on the works of his predecessors.

To complete the idea of ​​the essence of mental maps, let us note how they differ from other visualization methods. The mind diagram is distinguished from standard diagrams and graphs by the absence of rigor. You create your tree diagram the way the task requires, or whatever is more convenient for you. No need to worry about iconography, dry numbers or percentages. The graph is most often built to show some measurable relationship, but the principle of building a mental map is completely different - to show the connection (often not obvious) as the author sees it.

Recently, the use, primarily by designers and engineers, of concept maps, a graphical tool designed to show the relationship between concepts, has been gaining popularity. But their main difference from mind maps is that they are created to work simultaneously with several ideas, and not one, and a description of the relationship between them.

Applying mind diagrams

How effective is the use of mind maps? A series of studies were conducted with the participation of students from American universities. As a result, the following became clear:

• 80% of students believe that mind maps help to better understand scientific concepts and ideas;
• Mental maps contribute to better memorization of the material;
• Students with a lower level of ability are better at absorbing knowledge gained from mind diagrams.

So, the areas where you can use mind maps to benefit:

Presentation

80% of the people on the planet are visuals. This means that they better perceive what can be seen. With this in mind, you should prepare your own. Use illustrations, diagrams, graphs, including mental maps. The combined use of various ways of presenting information will serve to retain attention and better assimilate the material.

Activation of creative thinking. Brainstorm

The creative process is often closely related to. T. Buzan suggested using mental maps to activate it: for this, a key concept or idea should be written in the center of the sheet, and all associations should be noted or drawn on the branches extending from the main concept. In the future, they are already overgrown with new associations. This makes it possible not only to expand the set of connections of a ready-made idea, but also to generate a new one, to find the non-obvious.

Connection diagrams are also useful for solving creative problems, creating an algorithm for finding an answer. Write the question you are interested in on the sheet in the upper left corner, and the ideal solution on the bottom right. Build a chain with intermediate actions that will take you from problem to ideal result. Explore and analyze this path, find optional links, or those that can be combined. All this seems quite simple, but sometimes it is just an understandable visualization that is not enough in order to find the necessary conclusion.

Education

As mentioned above, the schematic representation of the material contributes to its better assimilation. Try, while learning something, to use not only textbooks, but also tables, mind maps, diagrams. You can even create them yourself - this is both a convenient way and a memorization technique (see below).

Memory development

Mind maps can be applied like. The information recorded in this way is better remembered, structures knowledge, allows you to highlight the main thing and conveniently work with large amounts of data.

Management (management)

Communication diagrams are also used in planning and developing projects, building organograms. They are an excellent solution where there is a need to separate areas of responsibility.

In addition, mental maps will be useful in conducting trainings, in drawing up, developing intellectual abilities.

Basic principles of communication diagramming techniques

1. Start in the center of the paper by writing or drawing in at least three different colors for your keyword.

2. Feel free to use images, symbols, codes of different sizes for your map.

3. Write down keywords using and capital letters, and lowercase letters.

4. Each word or image must correspond to one branch (line).

5. The lines of one branch should be connected and become thinner as they move away from the center.

6. The length of the line should correspond to the length of the words or objects drawn on it.

7. Apply different colors for different branches and groups of keywords.

8. Develop your own style of mind mapping.

9. Use associations.

10. Clearly build your map based on radical hierarchies or outlines.

Greetings to all readers of the site. With you, as always, Ekaterina Kalmykova. And right away I have a question for you: do you systematize your thoughts and if so, how? Do you have any way to put things in order in your head? I have - I use mind maps. And in this article I will share with you my experience in drawing them up and show my examples of intelligence maps.

Mind map concept

The example I have drawn is quite simple and illustrative. Typically, the circuit looks much more ramified, since it can fix great amount connections between objects.

Thanks to the use of such cards, a person perceives a large amount of information better and easier, because it is difficult for our brain to perceive information in the form of a sheet of text or a bunch of tables. It is much easier if the same information is presented in a visual form that is diluted with color, complemented by drawings and based on associations.

Benefits of using mind maps

1. Excellent assistants in mastering new material. The process is much faster, more fun and more efficient.

2. Super planners. With them it is very easy to make a plan for the day, write a list of tasks, highlight the most important points, etc.

3. Storage of thoughts. Write down whatever comes to your mind when you work with the map. Typically, your brain sends you interesting and useful information about the task or idea that you are visualizing.

4. A wonderful reminder. Here one cannot but recall the Russian proverb "what is written with a pen cannot be cut out with an ax." It will be difficult to ignore what is on the map. This means that the probability of completing the task is much higher.

5. Mind maps are suitable for large projects that are initially scary to tackle. But as soon as you start to visualize, everything is laid out on the shelves. The whole mega project gradually unwinds like a ball, and before you there is an ordered map of sequential actions.

How to create mind maps

I would single out two ways to create mind maps: manual and software.

For manual way you just need to take a paper sheet, preferably a landscape one, pens, pencils, felt-tip pens.

Programmatic way Is the use of computer programs. Considering both methods, you will notice that they have both their pros and cons. Using a specific program, you can easily correct your mind map, change something in it and you do not have to redraw it completely.

It is also much more convenient to carry a mental map on an electronic medium rather than an album sheet. The disadvantage of working in the program is its stereotyped nature, limitations in drawing and visual expression of one's thoughts.

Mind mapping software

The programs listed below can be easily found on the Internet, but note that they are both paid and free. Therefore, choose an assistant to your liking.

I will highlight the following:

- Mindmeister. You can see how to work in this program and examples of maps.

- FreeMind. I use this program quite often. In it, you can easily and quickly create a memory card. Read more about working in the program in the article.

Rules for creating mind maps

There are a few simple rules to follow when creating mind maps.

1. Use one mind map to express thoughts or ideas on the same topic.
2. It is best to place the sheet horizontally (be it a sheet of paper or a sheet on a computer monitor), since this is how the human eye perceives information best. Think about how information is displayed on TV, on a blackboard at school, or on a monitor.
3. In the center, as a rule, the main object (task, idea) is placed, which gradually overgrows with logical connections and interconnected branches. These can be goals, sub-goals, points, sub-points, etc.
4. It is advisable to highlight all connections in different colors, use icons, symbols, pictures. This way you style everything visually using your associations. All graphic elements help to depict an understandable mind map. It is important not to overdo it here. The map should simplify the perception of the information presented, and not vice versa. The mental map should be bright and expressive, but at the same time simple.

Where can I use with a mind map

In my opinion, mind maps can be used in different areas of activity. Mind mapping is useful for many categories: managers, employees of any company, teachers, journalists, etc. In addition, it can be used in our everyday life to solve everyday problems.

The following areas of application can be distinguished:

1. Diverse tasks at work. Projects, the purpose of which is the development, implementation of something. Various organizational arrangements.

2. Projects in your personal life. Using mind maps, you can plan the organization of a banquet, planning a vacation or going to the country))

3. Lists of tasks.

4. Organizational structures of companies and organizations.

5. Designing the structure of sites, program interfaces.

6. Structuring of texts. Make content, speech plan, report agenda.

7. Presentations in the form of a mind map.

8. Lecture notes

Mistakes when using mind maps

When you create a mind map for the first time, pay attention to the most common mistakes that occur during work:

1. Too complex and highly branched mental map. Such a map will only confuse, not clarify everything.
2. Same patterns and colors for different branches.
3. Lack of pictures and icons
4. Ambiguity and randomness. All elements must be interconnected

In fact, I've been familiar with mind maps for a long time. I just didn't know about the existence of certain programs and a scientific concept. Always at the institute at lectures, in order to have time to write down and remember everything, I only drew circles, arrows, figures that I could understand. These were my mind maps, which helped me graduate from the institute with honors. Now, being no longer a student, I actively use mind maps in my daily work. Very often I use a mind map before writing an article for a blog.

Surely, and you use something similar?

I hope after reading the article you will be able to make it easier for yourself to draw up mind maps: choose the program that is most convenient for you in your work and go!

And I would also like to introduce you to the cool book by H. Müller “Drawing up mental maps. The method of generating and structuring ideas ”. A very interesting and useful book. Download, study and practice! Download HERE!

Do not forget: the best thanks to me is the repost of the article 🙂

Best regards, Ekaterina Kalmykova