Many wonder why studying with Mind Mapping… Is it still useless to learn? No, don’t worry!
Mind Mapping is a unique note-taking technique. With the right working methods, this technique will help students to succeed in their studies.
How do we know that? Because we have been accompanying high school and college students for many years …
We explain below why Mind Mapping is essential if you want to improve your grades and succeed in your studies.
Note taking
Note-taking is a key point for students. Indeed, it is from there that they can gather information that will enable them to have the data they need. However, it is a job that can easily get complicated. So, to easily perform this task, using a mind map could be an appropriate solution. Indeed, thanks to this technique, note taking will be easier to do.
Why? Simply because the Mind Map will allow you to use keywords. These key words will facilitate concentration on the essential. Then, thanks to the association of these key words, the Mind Map will allow its author to take notes of a course or to note his ideas.
A logic mind
In addition, to concentrate on the essential, the student learns to become logical because he must articulate and categorize his thinking in the mind map. Put global information on level 1 branches and details on level 2 and 3 branches. With practice, the student learns to move from the global to the details and vice versa which allows him to adapt according to his needs.
All teachers agree, a secret to successful study is to develop your logic.
Categorizing information, organizing it, ordering it, moving it from one branch to another to rearrange information or compose new ideas will all facilitate the development of your logical mind…
Mind Mapping is the support to increase your logical mind!
Task management
In the context of studies, it is important to clearly define the tasks that must be performed to carry them out properly. In these cases, some people use tools such as post-it, but sometimes it doesn’t have the expected efficiency especially if you lose them or need to have a global view. Likewise, note in his notebook or diary his todo does not help if we find ourselves overwhelmed by actions.
Mind Mapping allows high school and college students to put everything they have to do on paper and at the same time have an overview and a detailed view by chunking up and down in the mind map branches.
Why? Because they record global information on level 1 branches. Then, they go down in detail by passing to the sub branches of level 2 and 3.
Time saving
Thanks to Mind Mapping, it is possible to organize your time in the best of ways and save up to 2 hours per day (best gain realized by one of our students).
Thus, a mind map will organize ideas to save time. To do this, make sure you put everything you have to do on this paper. From there, you will find the right time and time to complete each type of work you will face. You can also find ideas to save time by asking yourself what activities you can do faster or avoid (surfing social networks)…
Memory
For all students, it will be essential to use their memory in class and during homework. Mind Mapping will help to classify the information received and to organize and associate this information between them. With the mind map the student uses colors and images which will stimulate his visual memory. His spatial memory will be put to use when the student tries to remember what he wrote at the bottom left in his mind map of the history course. Finally his temporal memory will help him to find the chronology of the writing of his mind map. Imagine the relief of being able to remember good part of the course during an exam by revising your mind map… Even auditory memory can be used with mind maps. For example, by reminding you the sounds heard when the teacher was explaining the theorem…
Practicing learning methods that use Mind Mapping is a real asset for students who want to make better use of their memory.
Exercises
For most students, doing exercises is a chore especially when they are numerous. It is necessary to have an effective working method in order to do it well. For that, a mind map will allow you to gather all the ideas that you will have in your possession, to order them so that you can do this work efficiently and quickly. This technique aims above all to make you work methodically and by there you will have significant results.
With Mind Mapping, it is possible to analyze a statement and evaluate the questions where you will have everything right and where you will need to be more careful to win points.
With the Mind Map, it is possible to transform the exercises into a treasure hunt. Where each point is to get closer to his quest. Imagine turning exercise into a fun activity. Suddenly, the chore becomes a game and the student releases his or her potential…
Reading
According to several experts in quick reading (Jonathan Levi, Ana Goldentouch), Mind Mapping is very useful to understand what you read and remember the contents of a book. Each year of study is accompanied by compulsory readings of several French books, Mathematics, History, Sciences…
Reading and memorizing are essential for study. With Mind Mapping this activity will become easy since the student will retain the essentials and will know how to organize the information to remember during an exam or will be ready for a surprise quiz.
Writing
Finding good ideas and knowing how to write them are two skills expected of high school students for the BAC.
To find good ideas, the Mind Map will brainstorm and throw away the information you think about. Its advantage is that this information will already be categorized since the level 1 branches will serve as categories. Then the sub-branches will provide the arguments and examples expected by the correctors. The mind map will also be very useful since the student will be able to remember his courses in the form of mind map…
Essay, comparative analysis, presentation all these forms of writing follow a very precise structure and expected by the proofreaders. For example, the famous thesis, antithesis, synthesis will easily fit into a mind map that will be completed by the ideas found as explained in the previous paragraph.
Mind Mapping is the best way to succeed in writing…
Revisions
As exams approach, it is very difficult to record all the information needed in revisions. The Mind Mapping will bring together on a single sheet the entire program for each of the subjects to be revised. Then, it will be possible to make another Mind Map for each chapter with details of what will be expected for the exam.
Several students accompanied with a mind map method were able to revise the entire BAC program in Mathematics or Marketing in one and half month and increase their mark by more than 5 points.
Collaborative work
When the revision program is properly planned using the Mind Map, it is possible to share it with classmates or family to organize the work together.
Likewise, it is possible to review multiple courses using the mind maps to play and to remember the course content.
Using Mind Map will encourage collaborative work during studies and revisions.
Orals or interviews
Many students are shy or don’t know what to say when it’s time to submit an application or a presentation.
With Mind Mapping, it will be possible to list the essential elements to be presented. As the focus is on the essentials, the student is more likely to remember what he or she wants to present during the oral or interview. Remember stress blocks memory. But with the mind map that focuses on the essential, the student will increase his chances to convince his jury because he will remember a minimum of the message he has prepared.
In addition to things to say, Mind Mapping can also be useful for remembering things to do (look into eyes, smile and give examples, firm grip) and not to do during a presentation or interview…
Emotions management
Finally, studies offer several opportunities to get to know each other better by interacting with others, the need to convince and sometimes to seduce a jury or classmate on whom you fell in love. It is then that the problems of stress, panic, shyness or lack of confidence, fear of failing or being ridiculous, appear. And that’s normal since between the ages of 14 and 25, it’s often the first experiences that hurt our emotions.
A coach can leverage on Mind Mapping to guide a student so that he learns to manage his emotions and face a follow-up of his progress. Sometimes, students surprise you with their self-analysis via a mind map in which they will specify:
- the current situation with a description of the difficulty encountered
- the desired situation
- Ways to improve and better manage their emotions
Conclusion
As explained above, high school students and students face many difficulties and challenges during their studies. There are learning and working methods that with Mind Mapping become great assets for any student who wishes to succeed in his studies.
We suggest you to discover these methods in the book Mind Mapping, to be effective in work and studies…
It’s your turn!
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Please comment on your answers to these questions:
- What is the biggest challenge/difficulty you or your child is facing in school right now?
- What practical cases (see above) would you like to study?