Many of the class
assignments require brainstorming, strategic organizing and new
ideas to realize the course objectives.
Thinking out of the box . . . some of us are better at it
than others, but not because we were born that way. Everyone can
learn to think more creatively.
The human brain is very different from a
computer. Whereas a computer works in a linear fashion, the brain
works associatively as well as linearly, comparing, integrating, and
synthesizing as it goes.
Association plays a dominant role in nearly every mental function,
and words themselves are no exception. Every single word or idea
has numerous links attaching it to other ideas and concepts.
Mind maps, developed by
Tony Buzan, are an effective method of note
taking and are useful for the generation of ideas by associations. For
an example, mind mapping is used to create the outline of every class
that we create.
Click Here to view a
mind map
that was used to create one of our classes.
To make a mind map, one starts in the center
of the page with the main idea, and works outward in all directions,
producing a growing and organized structure composed of key words
and key images. Mind maps begin to take on the same structure as memory itself. Because of the large amount of association involved,
they can be very creative, tending to generate new ideas and
associations that have not been thought of before . . . thinking
outside the box. It will become an extremely important resource
to achieving your goals.
Every item in a map is in effect, a center of
another map. By presenting your thoughts and perceptions in a
spatial manner and by using color and pictures, a better overview is
gained and new connections can be made visible. Color, pictures and
doodling are important, they add a sense of playfulness to the
subconscious mind.
The mind forms associations almost instantaneously, and mapping
allows you to write your ideas quicker than expressing them using
only words or phrases. Let's give one a try . . . let's try a mind dump
of all of the tasks that you want to complete tomorrow. Your goal is an
exhaustive list of all your mental clutter:
Get out an unlined peace of paper and a
pencil.
Write the word Tomorrow in the
approximate center of the page and draw a circle around the word.
Add each of the following branches and label
them
Financial
Work
Family
Physical
Emotional
Family
Spiritual
Social
Make child branches as necessary
Now make a complete mind dump of your to-do
list for tomorrow
You can complete all of the mind mapping
exercises in the class with a simple paper and pencil, but if you
are truly interested in taking your creativity to new heights you
might want to test-drive one of the electronic versions. The
electronic versions are not required to complete your course work.
Tony Buzan, who gets credit as the father of
mind mapping, has developed inexpensive software called
iMindMap.
iMindMap is extraordinarily flexible, very easy to use, and is a powerful piece of software. You can download a
30-day trial version free. Click
Here. If Visual-Mind is not to your liking, try:
