Mind maps can be used for a multitude of
purposes. This article outlines how they can effectively be used to help
support and develop students' writing skills
A mind map is ...
A mind map, or spider-gram, is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to
writing. It is a structured strategy, which shows the (hierarchical)
relationship of ideas, as opposed to an unstructured strategy, such as
brainstorming, in which students produce notes at random on paper.
Having an organised display
of information from the outset of the writing process may help some students,
as it is more easily converted into a draft, whereas in brainstorming, the
random recording of ideas might lead to problems with the structure of
students' texts.
The advantages of mind maps
Making a mind map should be a spontaneous pre-writing activity. Students start
with a topic at the center and then generate a web of ideas from that,
developing and relating these ideas as their mind makes associations.
Mind maps work well as
their visual design enables students to see the relationship between ideas, and
encourages them to group certain ideas together as they proceed. Mind maps work
especially well when created in groups, since the discussion this engenders
aids the production of ideas, and makes the task livelier and more enjoyable.
How to make mind maps with
your students
Choosing a topic
Traditionally, students are given a topic to write on by the teacher. However,
with certain classes, students may prefer to nominate the topic themselves.
This can lead to greater interest in the task on the part of the student, as
well as, perhaps, greater knowledge of the topic under study.
The mind map strategy can
be used to explore almost any topic, though discursive essays and narrative
work particularly well as they front students' ideas and lend themselves to
discussing ideas in groups.
I usually start by writing
the topic on the board. In the last writing class I taught, with a group of
upper-intermediate students, I chose a discursive essay with the title "Why
do people start smoking?" I chose this genre as we had
recently been looking at the language used to give reasons and explanations.
The discursive text is useful in highlighting this feature of English, and in
raising awareness of the noun phrase, a particularly tricky area for
intermediate students.
Note making
Once the topic has been introduced, I encourage my students to close their eyes
and think about it for a minute or two, in silence. They then have two minutes
in which to note down their ideas. If they do not know a word in English, they
can write it in L1 at this stage, as dictionaries or too much teacher
intervention tend to halt and inhibit the creative flow.
Then, working in groups,
they can compare and discuss their ideas, perhaps adding to their mind maps as
they go. This stage also provides the opportunity for peer teaching, as other
students may be available to provide the English word for the idea that was
noted down in L1.
Feedback
The next stage, in which the teacher makes a collective mind map on the board,
is optional, but is useful for students who are new to the idea of mind maps,
or for weak classes. It is also in this feedback stage that any remaining
language problems can be ironed out. As the teacher elicits students' ideas,
and reformulates expressions or corrects, students will learn how to express
their ideas in English. Such personalisation is said to aid vocabulary
learning.
The map is fluid and
changeable, and new connections or subgroups can be made, or branches added, as
the students make suggestions. The end result should be an organised display of
information, showing the central topic, and a number of subtopics and further
points that stem from it.
Organising mind maps
In the next stage the students organise their mind maps into a linear format to
decide the best way in which to present their points. They should first think
about the overall structure, i.e. the order in which to relay the information, and
then focus on the precise function each paragraph will have in their final
text, as this helps to clarify their writing. This can be done in groups, or as
a class with the teacher leading the discussion.
However it is carried out,
it is important to provide a context and audience. I told my class, who were
writing about drugs, that they were writing for their college magazine. Having
an audience in mind helps students to decide which ideas are most important,
and also helps students to choose the appropriate style.
Writing
Students should then begin to write their compositions, working in pairs if
they wish. After two paragraphs, they should exchange their compositions, so
they become readers of each other's work. This allows for feedback, and
possible re-writing. Once they have finished, they should again exchange their
texts. This gives their texts a communicative purpose, as well as developing an
awareness of the fact that a writer is always producing something to be read by
someone else, rather than for the display of writing alone.
Continuation
Once students are familiar with the idea of making mind maps, they can be
encouraged to use this skill for further writing activities. It is a useful
technique and often improves the clarity and organisation of student texts.
Further Reading
'Process Writing' by Ron White and Valerie Arndt
'How to Teach Writing' by Jeremy Harmer
'Writing' by Tricia Hedge
'Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers' by Michael McCarthy
Vanessa Steele, British
Council, Barcelona
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