MIND MAPPING

A Mind Map is a visual representation of a topic/ problem. A Mind Map helps the

user structure information, analyse better and understand the topic. This on the

other hand helps in synthesizing, recalling and generate new ideas which are

novel.

How to Properly draw a Mind Map:

1. The topic should be written at the centre of the page, and circled.

2. Sub topics should be written around the main topic, linked with a line ( not an

arrow)- RESEMBLING A LINKING BRANCH.

3. Each sub topic should have it’s own colour.

4. Each Sub topic can have a number of additional links/branches ( lower level sub

topics) that clearly and visually show what that sub topic is all about. ( These links

should be in the colour of the subtopics).

VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF A MIND MAP

VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF A MIND MAP

WHAT ARE MIND MAPS USED FOR?

• Note taking

• Brainstorming (individually or in groups)

• Problem solving

• Studying and memorization

• Planning

• Researching and consolidating information from multiple sources

• Presenting information

• Gaining insight on complex subjects

• Jogging your creativity

MIND MAPPING IN EDUCATION

In Education Mind Maps are usually used for?

• Brainstorming sessions

• Visualizing concepts

• Improving critical thinking

• Decision making

• Improving reading and writing skills

• Advanced research papers or graduate projects

• Storyboarding presentations

• Project management

• Outlining written documents

RESEARCH AND STUDIES: Research has shown that the use of Mind Maps in class have provided fruitful results:

Pilot Study at John Hopkins University ( Nursing Program) showed that the use of

mind maps enhanced:

• Enhanced simulation learning significantly

• Positively impacted the learning experience

• Produced a 12% increase in test scores

In another study that was conducted by The National Reading Panel (NRP) in 2000

(Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific

Research Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction) showed

that the use of visual organization tools was one of the 7 most effective ways to

improve students retention.

TRY YOUR OWN MIND MAP

Scenario 1: You are a teacher and you want to introduce a topic that students usually

find hard to comprehend. Create a mind map that will help your students

understand the basis of the topic and the process of learning.

Scenario 2: You are recently unemployed and you wish to start your own business.

Choose the business of your choice and create a mind map to bring about all the

different aspects and factors of this business idea.

Scenario 3: The family is going through an eventful time at the moment and a

celebration is in order. You will be organising this celebration and you need to get

organised quickly. Get organised by using the mind mapping tool.

Mind Mapping Tool online: https://www.text2mindmap.com/

PEST ANALYSIS

P- Political

E- Economy

S- Socio-Cultural

T- Technological

These four subheadings help the user assess the four external factors in relation to

the situation.

UNDERSTANDING PEST

Political:

Assessing government regulations and legal factors in terms of their ability to affect

the situational environment and trade markets (the case of a business).

Main issues addressed in this section include:

• political stability,

• tax guidelines,

• trade regulations,

• safety regulations,

• employment laws.

UNDERSTANDING PEST

Economic:

Economic issues that are bound to have an impact on the situation/ company.

This includes factors such as:

• inflation,

• interest rates,

• economic growth,

• the unemployment rate and policies,

• the business cycle followed in the country.

UNDERSTANDING PEST

Social :

Social issues that may have an impact on the situation/ business. This provides an

understanding of how consumer needs are shaped and what brings them to the

market for a purchase.

This includes:

customer demographics,

cultural limitations,

lifestyle attitude,

education.

UNDERSTANDING PEST

Technological:

The positive of negative impacts of technology with the introduction of a new product

or service in the market place.

These include:

• technological advancements,

• lifecycle of technologies,

• the role of the Internet,

• the spending on technology research by the government.

EXAMPLE OF PEST

LET’S PRACTICE

Scenario 1: You are starting your own business ( choose a preferred business), and

you would like to see whether this business is likely to be successful or not. Conduct a

PEST analysis exercise to find this out.

Scenario 2: You are working in a large organisation that manufactures car parts. The

company uses state of the art manufacturing machinery and the best ranking

engineers at university. Unfortunately due to recent expenses the company needs to

increase the number of customers. Conduct a PEST analysis to find out the different

factors that will effect this growth.

THE EDWARD DEBONO SIX THINKING HATS

The Edward deBono six thinking hats is a tool created by Dr. deBono himself which

prompts group discussion and individual thinking using six coloured hats.

Each colour identifies the direction of the discussion/ line of thought:

Managing Blue - what is the subject? what are we thinking about? what is the goal?

Information White - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?

Emotions Red - intuitive or instinctive gut reactions or statements of emotional feeling (but

not any justification)

Discernment Black - logic applied to identifying reasons to be cautious and conservative

Optimistic response Yellow - logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony

Creativity Green - statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought

goes

LET’S PRACTICE

You are at home watching TV on a cold winter Saturday evening when you hear

strange noises coming from the neighbour’s house next door. You and your neighbour

are not great friends, in fact you often argue with her as she usually leaves a lot of

rubbish in the street.

You are unsure of whether these noises are something to worry about. However your

neighbour who is also an elderly man might be in serious trouble. You are unsure of

whether you should go out of your warm blanket to check up on him. He may, after all

get angry with you for disturbing him whilst watching football.

What will you do? And why? Use the six thinking hats to weigh all your options.

LET’S PRACTICE

Your students were never an easy bunch.. But lately they have been acting even

worse! They speak in class and consequently do not understand their lesson, they

play truant, they’ve also agreed not to hand in the latest assignment.

When it comes to grades, these are horrible however telling them that they are risking

to do badly in the annual exams and repeating the year seems not to bother them one bit.

As the teacher, you care about the well being of your students and you wish them to do well.

Furthermore you also wish to help them achieve and at the end of the year you want to feel

the satisfaction every teacher feels when his/her students do well.

How will you face such situation? Use the 6 thinking hats to understand and solve this

problem- What is your outcome?

LET’S PRACTICE

Think of a real life situation which you see as a problem that needs solving.

Use the Six Thinking Hats to come up with possible solutions to this problem.

SWOT ANALYSIS

This thinking tool helps the user identify the strengths and weaknesses within a

situation/ company/ business/ idea. On the other hand it also prompts the user to

think of the possible threats and opportunities that lie within that same situation/

company/ business/ idea.

The word SWOT in fact represents the words:

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Threats

• Opportunities

WHEN TO USE SWOT ANALYSIS?

• Exploring avenues for new initiatives

• Making decisions about execution strategies for a new policy

• Identifying possible areas for change in a program

• Refining and redirecting efforts midplan

SWOT Analysis is perfect to focus on solutions and opportunities. It helps the user

organise information and make a comprehendible scenario out of it.

EXAMPLE OF A SWOT ANALYSIS EXERCISE The Company is seeking to grow physically and branch out to eventually make more sales

and reach more customers.

LET’S PRACTICE

Looking back at the scenarios used in the PEST analysis, how can a SWOT analysis

complement the findings in the PEST analysis. Use the SWOT analysis to find out and

write a short concluding report on the findings and problem solving solutions.