Basic Education teachers in developing countries are faced with extreme limitations in resources. For both pre-service and in-service training, this instructional tool can help bridge varied learning styles and uneven prior learning of students and break through to help tool students for critical thinking and lifelong learning...

1. MINDMAPPING AS A 21ST CENTURY LEARNING SKILL
Joel Wayne Ganibe
THE BENEFITS
HOW
INDIVIDUAL
LEARNER
 Organize your thoughts clearly (this
means learner practices higher order
thinking skills such as analyzing and
evaluating and synthesizing/creating
new meaning or patterns and
relationships)
 Require a minimum of 3 levels
 Level 1 as general classification or dimensions of the object lesson
 Understand and remember easily
 Use color/symbols/
pictures/real objects
See it, touch it, listen to the explanations/provide the story behind
 Communicate and present effectively
 Listen and Explain
 Address the questions
 Accept the feedback
 improve
 Plan and run projects successfully
 See the “forest and the tree”
 Appreciate the dimensions/facets/characteristics of the problem and
anticipate challenges
 encourages divergent (out of the
box/creative) thinking and use prior
learning in different contexts or
applications
 the first mind map should be fast and tries to capture thoughts/ideas
with or without clear relationships to the topic/problem
 2nd
version tries to organize the nodes more logically
 the final mindmap demonstrates how one grasps the topic and if the
learning objectives have been achieved great for self-learning
 quicker way to take "notes"
 Reflective learning
Reflection Time: “the new thing I learned today during mind-mapping is____”
(this may refer to either content or process or both)


2. GROUP
LEARNERS
 Engages everyone to participate and
contribute, collaborate
Assign nodes to every member of the group
 appeals to all 3 kinds of learners
(visual, aural/audio, kinesthetic)
 Use color/symbols/
pictures/real objects
See it, touch it, listen to the explanations/provide the story behind
(experiential learning)
 In the context of "solving the
problem," encourages group
"discovery" by friendly exchanges of
thoughts, opinions, beliefs that are
instantly analyzed and evaluated and
verified by group-mates so that
everyone has a chance to find
solutions
Everyone is free to contribute and also free to modify or change that
contribution within the allotted time
There must be a clear class learning objective, group learning objective and
individual learning objective—so learners are aware of “context” and that
there is always a unique perspective from every individual that must be
drawn by the group as an asset that can be used to the current or even future
problems/situations.
 learners exercise communications
and negotiation skills with each other,
especially as they present their maps
to a bigger audience and receive
feedback
Learners learn to freely communicate their thoughts and react to both
positive and negative feedback objectively
 groups can learn from other groups
and the class learns together faster
and deeper
Group receives feedback and evaluation from the class and does self-
evaluation after their presentation
Learners must learn to “frame” their feedbacks constructively


3. LEARNING FACILITATOR
before the
lesson proper
 for diagnosing prior learning of individual
learners, and be able to see the real "baseline" in
order to calibrate or adjust the learning
tasks/activities for better alignment to acceptable
evidences of learning
Alternately use the KWH diagram and the diagnostic/exploratory group
mindmap
during
the lesson
 for presenting the road map for discovering the
lesson in the target dimensions/facets/angles of
observation, analysis and evaluation (what are we
trying to learn, how will you learn this and how I
will evaluate your learning/knowledge/ skills level
achievements
Does not need powerpoint, can use the blackboard or big sheets of paper
or white board, or even the ground and a stick and different available
objects.;
Use WALT (we are learning to) and WILF (what Im looking for); Use RUBRICS
prepared with the learners as evidence that learning objectives are
achieved and for them to provide constructive feedback to each other
 demonstrates the "ways" or lenses of looking at
things (example: what, when, where, why, how)
These are the level 1 nodes of the mindmap; let the class proceed with level
2 and 3 on their own
 Provides a formative assessment opportunity
during supervision of individual or group
mindmapping.
Facilitator can "see" individual and group thinking processes as they
construct their mindmaps using all available references and can provide
more clues or encouragement to the learners as they "LEARN FOR
THEMSELVES"
 Can clearly communicate that LEARNER’s are
responsible for gaining the most out of the
learning activities and for them to purposely
make proper use of time, available resources and
group dynamics (leadership, listening with
respect to each other, participation but at the
same time, focus on the learning goals and
objectives)
Instead of reading to the class and merely telling them what they can read
themselves from the textbook, allow them to construct their mindmaps
using all available resources they can find; especially real
objects/samples/situations;
Clarify that they must learn to ask good questions and strategize how best
they can DISCOVER the best configuration for their mindmaps.
They are not merely learning about the topic or lesson but LEARNING HOW
to learn in real life; how to collaborate; contribute and also acquire own
insights and ideas.
after the
lesson
 provides an artifact or evidence of individual and
group learning progress that can be included in
Use mindmaps as “Galleries” or exhibits so that the groups can compare,
analyze and evaluate; other teachers or classes can also see; the creators

4. the class or individual "learning portfolio" can be proud and more confident; even parents can come and visit and
appreciate the works.
 provides a fair, grounded summative evidence of
learning in terms of group processes/ dynamics;
individual's participation, leadership, and actual
subject matter competence
Refer to RUBRICS; include in final score the feedback of group-mates, other
groups so they know their feedback really counts and are important.
 can measure not just what the learners
remember, understand and apply (lower order
thinking skills) but also how they can analyze,
evaluate and create new learning for themselves
Evident by the levels of nodes in the mindmap, the way the ideas are
classified and content prioritized.