Is mindmapping a game your brain plays?
For many of us the words mind mapping might conjure up images of artistic and eccentric people who take notes in a peculiar way that no-one else understands.
Wikipedia states that one of the most common and widely-used expressions of the various types of learning styles, is Fleming’s VARK model.
Fleming maintains that people who learn visually have a preference for learning off pictures; visual aids such as overhead slides, diagrams, etc.
Some people are auditory learners who learn optimally through listening to speech and talking, descriptions, recordings, lectures, discussions, etc.
Kinesthetic and Tactile learners prefer to learn via active exploration of the world; science projects; experiments. They learn by experiencing and doing.
While everyone may not be cut out for mindmapping it is also true to say that everyone can and do use some form of creative technique to feed their brains.
Every one of us uses color and shape to differentiate ourselves from other people e.g. the clothes or hairstyles that we wear. Could it be that we do that so that we would be memorable and stand out? Does it work? Do people remember you by your style?
Not convinced? Are you one of those people who scribble little squiggles and shapes and forms on the telephone book when you are talking on the phone or even when you are concentrating (or not) on a presentation or lecture?
When your attention span starts dwindling there is a part of your brain that wants to combat boredom, by playing! It plays with color and images and sounds and smell.
Your brain is divided into two halves, a left side and a right side. The left side is built for computing facts and numbers much like a computer. The right side is more artistic and craves color, rhythm, sounds and smell.
The mystic practice of mind mapping is nothing else but a slightly more structured approach to allowing both sides of your brain the opportunity to work and to express itself.
The fact is you will already have your own study or planning methods that have worked for you in the past. All you need to add is the desire to optimize your ability to learn and retain new things.
With just a little bit of effort or adjustment to what you already do, you could put the use of color and texture and shapes and images to use to help your brain capture and retain a lot more than it already does.
Whatever the way you already use to underline or accentuate information on pages or notes, you can optimize that system of yours to increase your own ability to remember things.
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