FACTOR #8: Ownership of both process and outcome

TOOL: Mind-mapping

Major Sections

I. Time for Reading	II. Mind Mapping Practice
III. PGA-Processing, Generalizing, Applying	Learning Objectives
Materials Needed	Time Needed
Overview of Activity	Source
Developed by

Learning Objectives:

Discover how to organize ideas in a way that draws on both "right and left brain" thinking.
Practive using a more visual and fluid form of creating, organizing, and communicating new ideas.

Materials Needed:

Multi-color markers
Sheets of newsprint

Time needed:

1 hour

Overview of Activity:

Introduction	5 minutes
Time for Reading	10 minutes
Mind Mapping Practice	25 minutes
PGA	15 minutes

Note:

Length of this activity will depend on the number and complexity of mind-maps that the individual or group decides to complete.

Source:

Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of Your Brain. New York: A Plume Book, 1974, 1982, 1989. pages 77-109.

Developed by:

Elizabeth Burden, Burden & Burden, Tucson, AZ

I. Time for Reading

Take a few minutes to read the Mind Mapping: Background Paper ... starting on the next page. If you have questions about it, ask other members of your group.

Mind Mapping
background paper

Mind mapping is a way of organizing information or creating new ideas that uses both sides of the brain. It is more visual and less structured than linear forms of organizing material (like outlines).

You can use mind mapping for taking notes, preparing for speeches, keeping minutes of a meeting, organizing a writing project, planning an event ... as well as for communicating information and ideas in a more informal way.

There are a few rules to follow when creating a mind map:

Begin by placing a subject or theme in the middle. You can use a word or two, or draw an image. Colors may be used to highlight the image, especially if the color is linked to the theme.
Use drawings or images when desired. Images often are much easier to remember than words. Images also often convey a much fuller concept than a single word can display.
Words are best printed-printing gives a more visual, clear image.
Place each word on a line that is connected to the word or concept that precedes it in the mind-map. Try to only put one word on each line.
Use colors throughout the mind map as a way of enhancing memory.
Try to let the mind be free and jot down any ideas that occur. You can always go back and organize things differently after you have generated enough ideas.

Adapted from: Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of Your Brain. New York: A Plume Book, 1974, 1982, 1989. page 95.

II. Mind Mapping Practice

Choose an idea that your collaboration is trying to implement or a new issue or challenge facing your group, or some other subject that you want to address.
Draw a mind map of what you have chosen, using the rules found in Mind Mapping as a guide. You can work individually, or in small groups.

III. PGA-Processing, Generalizing, Applying

Talk about Mind Mapping using these Questions.

How did it feel to organize ideas with the mind mapping technique?
Does this feel more comfortable or less comfortable than more linear ways of organizing ideas, e.g. outlines?
Did you come up with ideas and/or connections that you would not have made if done in a more linear way?
How could you use the technique of mind mapping in your collaboration?