Country Studied: Czech Republic
Area of Focus: Increasing productivity and reducing stress
Types of learning difficulties the Best Practice is supporting:
- Reading and writing difficulties
- General or specific learning difficulties
Aims and objectives of Best Practice
Mind mapping is a unique method for learners with difficulties to memorize vocabulary and grammar. It is also an excellent tool for pupils to better organize their thoughts and written texts.
People with learning difficulties have a hard time committing words and texts to memory. Hence, there is a need for methods with reduced text. Through mind maps, pupils learn to create associations between ideas by connecting them as branches on a tree. By creating their own maps, pupils have the freedom to follow the path their own mind takes them, and in doing so, learn more effectively.
In addition, mind maps can put grammar instructions in order, making it easier for pupils to understand rules. Pupils are free to use colors and shapes of their liking, and thus associate ideas with what is in their mind. Consequently, they are able to comprehend, learn and retain information more efficiently.
Lastly, pupils with difficulties are notoriously bad organizers. When they learn how to organize a mind map, it will become easier to organize their written language. This skill is potentially transferable to their life in general as they can figure out how to organize their bags, desks, chores etc.
Short description of Best Practice
Mind mapping can easily be taught from the early stages of the learning process. This means that pupils as young as 6 and 7 years old can potentially benefit from it. It might even be claimed that the earlier this method is engraved in their brain, the easier it is to develop and improve the use of it over time.
For a mind map we first set a central idea, the one our map is going to revolve around, and we match it with an image. Then we brainstorm associated ideas and write them down in color. Every one can use colors they like and connect the ideas however they feel is easier for them to understand. These are the branches. Each pupil is free to use the shapes they like to put their ideas in and it is advisable to have the lines that connect them to the main idea curved so that it is visually more appealing. Then, instead of using entire sentences which will seem tiring, we use single keywords. In doing so, we are reminded what the key point of every branch is. Finally, we add or even replace words with pictures, emojis or clip art. Graphic images can grab one’s attention and convert a mundane piece of information into something memorable, easier to learn and utilize when needed.
3 Key learning Principles that were used in this Best Practice to support learners with LD
- This method addresses one of the biggest struggles learners with difficulties face when learning a new language: acquiring new vocabulary and grammar. More specifically, dyslexic students find the copious amounts of words and texts particularly hard to retain and therefore use. Mind maps are here to save the day. Information is learned in key words. Students no longer have to memorize paragraphs or never-ending pages of vocabulary. Color-coded key words associated to the main idea, created by every student according to how their brain works is a brilliant way to help those in need of simplification.
- Additionally, mind mapping is a multidimensional method that incorporates a multitude of senses allowing all students to take part in the learning process. Since the branches are color-coded and the ideas represented in images, it is helpful to visual pupils to retain information by bringing to memory the images they themselves have chosen to represent an idea. Colors and images help the brain make associations and create connections. Sound can also be integrated into the branches, which in turn means that it is helpful to auditory learners as well. Lastly, since mind mapping can be created in handwriting, kinesthetic pupils have the ability to use the material they like with the textures they enjoy. As a conclusion, all different types of learners can benefit from this method. Of course, we should not forget that mind mapping is a process that generates creative thinking and prompts pupils to have fun while acquiring new knowledge. All students are involved, regardless of their ability, and not only do they learn, but also participate in the process creatively.
- Finally, we ought to take into consideration that thinking, and in extension, learning are not linear processes. Every individual’s brain follows their own thinking path. Everyone has their own unique way of thinking. By allowing pupils to be in charge of their own mind maps, we automatically give them and their brain the freedom to roam freely and act according to how their brain leaps back and forth to an idea. Gardner (1993) said that “it’s not how smart you are, but how you are smart”, and every pupil gets to exercise this in their own unique way.
Strategies used as part of Best Practice
- Adapting instruction to various learning styles.
- Strategies for modifying or creating teaching materials to suit different abilities.
Results and impact
As mentioned previously, mind mapping has two main areas of focus on pupils with learning difficulties:
- To commit vocabulary and grammar to memory with the ultimate purpose of retaining the information and use it when necessary.
- To organize the pupils’ thoughts which will ultimately help them long term in the general use of language (even their mother tongue) as well as in their life.
When learning something, we need to activate our memory in order to store the piece of information and be able to retain and later use it. Mind mapping enhances and empowers the memorization process and language acquisition through pictures. It is highly valued by cognitive pedagogy because it stimulates memory by creating strong associations.
As regards organization, a mind map can help the chaotic process that a young learner with difficulties possesses. By teaching pupils basic writing structure, after serious practice, they will have the power to recreate their teachers’ instructions and take it further by adding their own ideas and thus starting to have organized and consistent thoughts. This, of course, can be applied in their native language, too.
Additionally, we can look further into its results and see that it has several other things to offer. For instance, teachers can create individual learning plans just by looking at the pupils’ mind maps. They can get a valuable insight as to how each child’s brain functions and use it to their advantage. Additionally, teachers can divide the classroom in groups and have students create maps as part of various projects. Once they have been shown how mind maps work, it will be an easy task to do and try to collaborate to put all of their ideas together for the greater good of the project.
Evidence as to why this was considered Good Practice
Mind mapping has been researched in various settings on different academic levels and in most cases, it has been evident that it does work. However, since there is a lack of studies specifically for foreign language learners with learning difficulties between the ages of 6-12, we could conclude its practicality based on logical assumptions.
Firstly, mind maps enhance creative thinking. Students learn to think for themselves so as to organize information in a structured and logical way and once this has been achieved, they are able to better understand the connection between different ideas and therefore exercise their critical thinking in figuring out what is right and what is wrong. Additionally, no two students comprehend and retain information the same way. By making full use of everyone’s brain, we can be sure that the goal will be achieved as the map mimics the way the brain learns. Learners visualize the hierarchy of the information and by keeping it clear and simple they are able to retain it. It is most helpful that pupils are not forced to learn identically with everyone else, but rather on their own way.
Secondly, mind maps encourage active learning. Instead of just passively watching the teacher giving a lecture, the student can participate in the learning process by actively analyzing and organizing information. This, of course, means that mind mapping creates the perfect foundation for lifelong learning as it allows students to classify and organize information without any help according to how they themselves can learn more effectively and efficiently. And this is certainly an invaluable skill when it comes to lifelong learning.
One last thing worth mentioning is that mind mapping is a great tool for exam preparation. By going over their already made mind maps, students can scan through the material a lot quicker than they would have done had they studied from a textbook and also review it in an understandable way to them. In doing so, they do not have to waste their precious time studying endless pages at a time, something that can be deemed quite daunting for a learner with difficulties.
Transferability
Mind mapping can be easily taught to any student of any age and ability. It basically teaches pupils how to use their own brains and be creative. It can be taught in any targeted language at any level. Young learners can start using mind maps in their basic form as early as in the 1st grade.
Pupils can start to learn how to construct their maps in hand at first, written in paper, and then move on to modern assistive technologies through computers and many more. In actuality, on account of fast developing technology, now more than ever, pupils can be assisted by simple devices you can encounter at home (tablets, mobile phones). Computer software and apps have become so advanced that you can find one that suits your own needs and does the job you want it to do.
Something worth mentioning is how mind maps can advance in their structure according to level and use. As mentioned earlier, mind maps can start being taught even from the 1st grade. This means that by the time pupils reach 6th grade, after years of practice, the method can be so advanced that they no longer need instructions on new vocabulary, grammar, writing, revision. Thus, making it an invaluable tool for their lifelong learning journey.
Resources used as part of Best Practice
Mind maps can be created either by hand or with assistive technologies. The great thing about this is that every student gets to pick which one they prefer and with which way they feel more comfortable and learn more effectively.
Kinesthetic pupils will most likely opt for the tangible option. Since they learn through moving and touching, these students are free to roam around using the materials of their own choosing. Textures are of importance when we are dealing with said students and so we have to be able to provide them with paperboards, colored markers, scissors, magazines, stickers and pretty much anything that could be utilized in a collage, readily available in aid of the student.
On the other hand, visual and auditory students could possibly select to create their maps with assistive technologies as this help them more with the specific manners, they are able to learn. Technology has made great leaps forward over the last decade and with the positive results that we have been presented with from mind mapping research, we now have a number of software products for our computers as well as applications for our phones and tablets.
Critical issues
Before implementing mind mapping within a classroom, we need to make sure that the educators teaching the method are appropriately trained. It might seem like an easy task to do, but with the wrong instruction it might lead to unwanted results adding frustration to pupils with difficulties when learning a foreign language. Consequently, it is advisable for teachers to first go through a seminar on how to create and also teach mind mapping.
In addition, pupils should be taught how to use and create mind maps according to their age and abilities. Should we introduce a full-on mind map used by a 15-year-old, for example, to a 7-year-old, the only thing that we will accomplish is to create confusion and anxiety. We need to be very explicit with how we instruct younger pupils to build mind maps so as to motivate them and not create negative feelings as that will steer them further away instead of reeling them in.
Lastly, it is imperative that mind maps be exercised extensively in order to be used optimally. This goes for both students and teachers. Much like any other skill, mind mapping needs to be practiced constantly in order to be honed and bear results.
Any additional learning that we can take from this Best Practice, example:
The one thing that can be deduced by the success of mind maps is the necessity for reduced text in teaching grammar and giving instructions.
Pupils with learning difficulties find themselves lost when they are introduced to new grammatical phenomena. They focus more on trying to accomplish reading the information rather than process it and understand it. Most publishing houses seem to forget that a classroom consists of students of mixed abilities, and they still print textbooks full of information written in tiring texts. This is not only an impediment to learners with difficulties, but to all students in general as the majority finds being taught grammar extremely tedious. So, we can only imagine how they feel when this is done through boring texts.
Therefore, it is only logical that teaching grammar should be made through more practical mediums or at least with minimized text if we want learners to be able to participate and comprehend new information.
