Week 5: Mind Mapping - Reflection

   This week, we used the useful skill of mind mapping. Mind maps have a highly effective way of getting information in and out of ones brain and is a creative and logical means of note-taking and note-making that literally "maps out" your ideas. Mind maps have a natural organisational structure that radiates from the centre and uses lines, symbols, words, colour and images relating to simple, brain-friendly concepts. In addition, mind maps are able to convert a long list of monotonous information into a colourful, remarkable and highly organised diagram that works in line with one's brain's natural way of doing things.

   Mind maps mimic a city map where by the city centre represents the main idea; the main roads leading from the centre represents key thoughts in one's thinking process; the secondary roads or branches represents one's secondary thoughts, and so on. Special images or shapes can represent landmarks of interest or particularly relevant ideas. 
  

  In class, we had a group activity whereby our teacher randomly handed us a photograph and we had to create a mind map based on the photograph as our main idea in 20 minutes and later on, present it to the class.















   We were then given a group assignment to make a mind map on mahjong paper. The main idea of this mind map would be the question of "How does education fit with our dreams of a happy life?". We first thought of the benefits of education and later branched out into how those benefits lead to the stereotypical "happy life".

  

   Mind Maps are the external mirror of one's own natural thinking facilitated by a powerful graphic process, which provides the universal key to unlock the dynamic potential of the brain.















Reflection: After these 2 activities, I have realised how useful mind mapping truly is. At the beginning of each activity, I was at a loss and my mind did not know which direction it should head towards. But after starting the mind map, the visuals started to clear my mind and made me fully understand each idea better. The mind maps also led me to ideas that I would not have thought so had I not used a mind map. Mind mapping truly is a helpful skill everyone should cultivate using in their thought process.