Facilitating the Writing Process
Writing a paper can be an overwhelming experience for students. They might have a head full of good ideas but no clear strategies for getting them down on paper, and for developing and organizing their thoughts. Mind mapping can help.
Instructional Goals
Students can use mind mapping during all phases of the writing process:
- brainstorming and drafting;
- developing and organizing content;
- getting feedback and editing.
Learning Strategies
Drafting
Paul is writing a paper for an eighteenth-century history class—he's chosen to write about medical practitioners. He starts by drawing a simple mind map with paper and pencil. He puts his main topic in the middle of the page; key words radiate around the topic. He could have simply made a list of keywords but Paul likes the fluidity of a mind map. Using visual graphics helps him to brainstorm and to see connections. In the past he's been a procrastinator but he finds that mind mapping is a painless way to get his ideas down on paper.
Paul's mind map accomplishes a lot in that it
- contains much of the content that will appear in his paper;
- enables him to think about the topic wholistically without getting stuck on word choice, grammar, or paragraph development;
- is fluid and easy to revise.
Developing Content
Once he's gotten ideas and information on paper, Paul can actually see where his thoughts are undeveloped or the overall structure of his argument is imbalanced. He's able to identify some gaps in his knowledge—he notes that he has more research to do. He uses his mind map to make new connections, and to elaborate and refine ideas. Paul finds that it's pretty easy to rethink and redraft with a mind map; it's much harder for him to rewrite after he's spent a long time committing his thoughts to words.
Paul's mind map contains a lot of good information but he still doesn't have an organizing scheme. He still needs to form meaningful categories that will structure his paper. As he sees patterns emerging from his mind map he makes notes and uses different colored markers to record this "ah-ha!" moment. He's found a basic structure for his paper.
Besides helping Paul to generate content, mind mapping also helps him to
- analyze and draw conclusions from his data;
- rethink and revise;
- develop ideas and connections;
- find patterns and organize his thoughts.
Using a Digital Tool
Paul wants to get feedback but he's not sure that anyone else could read his messy mind map. He makes a more formal map using a digital mind-mapping tool and e-mails it to his professor to get her feedback. At this point Paul is able to respond to her criticism and revise his ideas without having to rewrite.
Related Resources
- See the Bibliography and Campus Resources on our Mind-Mapping TEL Activities Spotlight Issues page.
