Using Mind Maps as an Aid to Student Learning and Revision
Elli Georgiadou, Geetha Abeysinghe
- School of Engineering and Information Sciences, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BT, UK E.Georgiadou@mdx.ac.uk, G.Abeysinghe@mdx.ac.uk
Abstract
Mind maps are cognitive tools which help the transformation of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. More importantly mind maps describe an individual's mental representation of concepts and their interrelationships referencing people’s knowledge and understanding to a representational model of that knowledge. The process of externalising knowledge of what may seem as diverse and, often disconnected concepts is particularly necessary for students who need to benefit from useful revision and in turn improve their performance in end of module examinations. Finding the connections and interrelationships of these concepts both aid understanding and reinforces memory. In this paper we explore the use of mind maps at the end of a module when students are revising for examinations. We illustrate with a case study of students studying for a Masters module. The paper concludes with two sets of suggestions one for teachers and one for learners.