synthesis / analysis techniqUe 56 Mind Mapping When a topic or a problem has many moving parts, mind mapping provides a method of visually organizing a problem space in order to better understand it. Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool that can help generate ideas and develop concepts when the relationships among many pieces of related information are unclear. It provides a nonlinear means of externalizing the information in our heads so that we can consolidate, interpret, commu- nicate, store, and retrieve information. Because of its visual, diagrammatic nature, it is a powerful mnemonic device, and can be used to promote understanding and enhance recall of a problem space. Because the way people think is rarely linear, and complicated problems do not follow a neat pattern of steps that can be isolated from one another, mind maps reflect how we think through complexi- ties of a given problem. As the map takes shape, it allows us to summarize and test assumptions, make and break connections, and consider alternatives while we shape the data into meaningful themes and patterns. By limiting mind maps to one side of one sheet of paper, the process of freely mapping associations should not feel overwhelming. To draw a mind map, follow the steps below: 1 1. Identify a focus question to serve as the central theme and keep the mapping process from straying off topic. Draw the subject in the center of a sheet of paper, and circle it. 1. Hyerle, David. visual Tools for Constructing Knowledge. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1996. 2. See note 1 above. 3. See note 1 above. Further Reading Buzan, Tony. The Mind Map Book. New York: Plume, 1996. Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of your Brain, 3rd ed. New York: Plume, 1991. Wycoff, Joyce. Mindmapping: your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity and Problem- Solving. New York: Berkley Books, 1991. See www.mindmapinspiration.com.