How I Could Use Mind Mapping
Mind mapping follows principles of beginning with the end in mind, and so I imagine that I could use it as a tool in project-based learning, where we take an end objective and plan backwards through the intermediate objectives down to the foundational tasks. Mind mapping can also be used to find and develop connections between ideas or themes, either within a unit or across disciplines to show the connection between different concepts. I chose the latter to create an assignment for 3rd graders, who aren’t quite ready for backwards planning, but are very ready for exploring the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The Assignment I Created
The objective of this lesson is to introduce the students to mind mapping by having them explore the interdisciplinary relationships found in a single word, in this case, the word, “cent.” The student-friendly statement I came up with was, “I can use mind mapping to find connections for the word, “cent” in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies.” Mind mapping will be defined as taking ideas and putting them into visual form.
At our school, 3rd grade is the first year that students are given laptops for classroom use. While they are familiar with tablets and phones, using computers with track pads has a bit of a learning curve. Sketchboard gives us a great opportunity to practice those fine motor skills and typing, all of which they need for their standardized tests. The “We Do” portion of our first lesson engages those skills as we work together to create our first set of icons for the following words:
- Cent
- ELA
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
My students are starting to move away from the “show me” stage and want more and more to use their own creativity when completing an assignment, but still fall back to wanting me to do things for them when they get frustrated. Creating the icons as a first lesson is low stakes enough that I can help them get the hang of using the tool (Sketchboard in my case) while they come to terms with their own creativity.
The instructions for creating their icons will be to choose (or create) one that “looks like” the subject matter it represents. The bookshelf might represent ELA, the robot might symbolize science, etc. In working the room, I plan to ask them why they chose those particular images to encourage metacognition. All of my feedback will be in the form of validation. At this point, it doesn’t matter if I agree with them as long as they are reflecting on their own thinking.
Once we are done with creating and labeling the icons, we’ll play around with the linking tools while linking the “CENT” to our “I Can” statement, and from there to the four subject matter icons. Prior to this lesson, our class will have already covered our online research standard, and so the students will use those skills to find a definition for “cent” that could be shortened into its own box and linked to the website where they found the definition.
As always, I know that I will have some students that are going to require ongoing scaffolding, but for the most part, my “I Do-We Do” ends here.
Over the next several weeks, words related to cent will appear in lessons in all four disciplines. To keep them vigilant, students will be rewarded individually and as a class through our ClassEquity system if they can identify the word prior to my pointing it out. In their journals. they’ll record the word, a definition of the word, write a sentence, and the subject where the word was discovered. At the end of the week during our reteach session, they will have time to add their words and insights to their Sketchboard project and develop their own connections between what they learned that week and what they have already recorded, with the freedom to modify what they have already done as they acquire new information. In the end, we’ll share their creations as a class with a gallery walk. They’ll be given the opportunity to explain their mind maps and discuss why they made their choices and connections.
Differentiation and Exploration
I’m excited to see what happens with an assignment of this nature. Exceptional students on both ends respond to these creative and artistic projects in very different ways, but I am hoping that it helps my students that are considered lower functioning find novel ways to inform their learning. One can easily see how a motivated or advanced student would want to add or personalize their information, but I am really anxious to see what my SPED and struggling students create with these tools.
The Benefit of Going Digital
Mind mapping is not a new concept. We’ve always created plans, prototypes, and flowcharts to help visualize, record, and realize our projects. Digital tools add several advantages to this ancient art.
Multiple Copies, Cloud Storage, and Availability: Projects can be saved in many different places, making them harder to lose and easier to modify. Additionally, we can work on a project anytime, anywhere, as long as we have the right tool and access. Snow days, illness, and vacations no longer need to get in the way of learning and assessment. A dog can no longer eat the homework, and it is less likely to be lost or burned.
Additionally, as long as we’ve saved the project, it will always be there. If my students want to show their grandchildren what they did in 3rd grade, it will probably still be in some cloud somewhere.
Changes and Corrections: Making changes to a digital project is as easy as pointing and clicking, and if we don’t like what we’ve done, going back is as easy as clicking the “back” button. The same can’t be said of a physical model.
Collaboration: We don’t need to be in the same room, or even the same country to work together on projects. My students can collaborate on digital projects with students from around the world, using the same tools.
Mass Production: We can print as many physical copies of a project as we want or need. If the school board, admin, other teachers, or parents want to see what we’ve been up to, I can print out copies or email links, and it’s all right there.
Conclusion
At the end of this hyperunit, the students will have created a mind map with original connections and definitions. They’ll have practical experience with search engines and will have generated their own graphical organizer. Examining their own work will help them understand how planning and comprehension can flow in many different directions. Who knows, they might find ways to use it that have yet to be considered. To see an example of a final version of my introductory project, click here or on the graphic below. Mine is bare-bones, from an adult who is used to flow charts, but I’m excited to see what my gang of 9-year-olds will come up with on their own.
