#54 Mind Maps

Mind maps: you either love them or hate them. Many see mind maps as a gimmick, no better than upmarket versions of good old fashioned ‘spider’ diagrams and no more useful.

However, it’s worth trying them out before making a judgement. I was introduced to them by a teacher about 5 years ago, and I was very sceptical. I became a convert after finding them very useful for project planning in my work. I now use them for several uses in my personal and professional life.

Different people use them at different levels: I use the schematic branching facilities of mind mapping software, but am not terribly impressed by the colour aspect of branching. It doesn’t help me, but it obviously does help others.

I find them extremely useful for gathering my thoughts when planning projects, or even something as simple as designing a library guide.

There is free software available to enable you and your pupils to mind map, and there are people out there who are seriously convinced about its benefits. There are also sites devoted to mind maps and mind mapping tools.

Worth a look.