mind mapping on English reading
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做思维导图英语作文Title: The Art of Mind Mapping: Enhancing English Writing Skills。
In today's dynamic world, mastering English writing skills is essential for effective communication and academic success. One innovative technique that aids in organizing thoughts and generating ideas is mind mapping. This method not only enhances creativity but alsofacilitates the development of coherent and structured compositions. In this essay, we delve into the intricacies of mind mapping and explore how it can significantly improve English writing proficiency.First and foremost, let's elucidate what a mind map is.A mind map is a visual representation of ideas, concepts, and information arranged around a central theme. It typically consists of branches radiating from the central idea, with each branch representing a key concept or subtopic. This visual layout stimulates associativethinking and encourages the brain to make connections, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand.The process of creating a mind map begins with identifying the main topic or subject matter. Once the central idea is established, branching out occurs asrelated concepts and subtopics are added. These branches can further expand into more detailed sub-branches, creating a hierarchical structure of interconnected ideas. The flexibility of mind mapping allows for nonlinear thinking, enabling writers to explore multiple angles and perspectives on a given topic.One of the primary benefits of using mind maps in English writing is its ability to foster creativity. By visually representing ideas and relationships, mind mapping encourages free-flowing brainstorming sessions where unconventional thoughts and associations can emerge. This creative exploration often leads to innovative approaches to writing, injecting freshness and originality into compositions.Moreover, mind mapping serves as an effective tool for organizing thoughts and maintaining coherence in writing. As writers populate the branches of their mind maps with relevant information, they naturally begin to discern patterns and logical sequences. This structured framework guides the flow of writing, ensuring that ideas are presented in a clear and organized manner. Consequently, the final composition is more cohesive and reader-friendly.Another advantage of mind mapping in English writing is its role in overcoming writer's block. Many writers encounter periods of stagnation where ideas seem elusive and inspiration wanes. Mind mapping offers a solution by providing a visual roadmap that jumpstarts the creative process. By visually mapping out the topic and its associated concepts, writers can overcome mental barriers and reignite their creativity, allowing the words to flow more freely onto the page.Furthermore, mind mapping promotes active engagement with the writing process. Unlike traditional outliningmethods, which can feel rigid and restrictive, mind mapping encourages writers to actively engage with their ideas, manipulating and rearranging them as needed. This dynamic interaction fosters a sense of ownership and investment in the writing project, motivating writers to produce their best work.In addition to its benefits for individual writers, mind mapping can also be a valuable collaborative tool in educational settings. Group mind mapping exercises promote teamwork and communication skills while encouraging participants to explore diverse perspectives. Bycollectively constructing mind maps, students can pooltheir knowledge and insights, leading to richer and more nuanced discussions.In conclusion, mind mapping is a powerful technique for enhancing English writing skills. By visually organizing ideas, stimulating creativity, and promoting coherence, mind maps empower writers to produce more compelling and structured compositions. Whether used individually or collaboratively, mind mapping offers myriad benefits forwriters of all levels. Embracing this innovative approach can unlock new realms of creativity and proficiency in English writing.。
英语六年级思维导图周末计划Here is an English essay on the topic "English Sixth Grade Mind Map Weekend Plan" with a word count over 1000 words:The English Sixth Grade Mind Map Weekend Plan is an innovative approach to organizing and optimizing the learning process for students in the sixth grade. This comprehensive plan leverages the power of mind mapping to enhance comprehension, retention, and application of key concepts and skills in the English language.At the heart of this plan is the recognition that traditional learning methods often fall short in capturing the complexity and interconnectedness of the English language. By incorporating mind mapping, students are empowered to visualize the relationships between various linguistic elements, enabling them to develop a more holistic understanding of the subject matter.The first step in this plan is to establish a dedicated time for mind map creation and review during the weekend. This designated period allows students to step back from the hustle and bustle of the weekday schedule and focus solely on strengthening their English language proficiency. During this time, students will engage inguided exercises that encourage them to construct intricate mind maps, covering a wide range of topics, from grammar and vocabulary to literary analysis and creative writing.The process of creating a mind map begins with identifying the core concept or topic that will serve as the central focus. Students are then guided to expand upon this central idea by adding related subtopics, vocabulary words, grammar rules, and other relevant information. The visual representation of these connections helps students to recognize patterns, identify areas of strength and weakness, and develop a deeper comprehension of the subject matter.One of the key advantages of the English Sixth Grade Mind Map Weekend Plan is its ability to cater to different learning styles. Some students thrive in a more visual and kinesthetic environment, while others prefer a more linear and analytical approach. By incorporating mind mapping, the plan accommodates these diverse learning preferences, enabling each student to engage with the material in a way that is most effective for them.Additionally, the weekend plan encourages collaborative learning, where students can work in small groups to share their mind maps, exchange ideas, and provide constructive feedback to one another. This collaborative element fosters a sense of community among thestudents, promotes critical thinking, and enhances their communication skills, all of which are essential for success in the English language.To further support the learning process, the plan includes access to a variety of resources, such as interactive online mind mapping tools, curated reading materials, and expert-led workshops. These resources not only strengthen the students' understanding of the English language but also expose them to diverse perspectives and innovative teaching methods.Throughout the weekend, students will embark on a journey of self-discovery, as they delve deeper into the intricacies of the English language and develop a greater appreciation for its nuances. By actively engaging in the mind mapping process, students will hone their analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking, all of which are invaluable assets in their academic and personal pursuits.The English Sixth Grade Mind Map Weekend Plan is not merely a learning tool but a transformative experience that empowers students to take ownership of their educational journey. By cultivating a love for the English language and fostering a growth mindset, this plan lays the foundation for a lifetime of academic and personal success.As students progress through the weekend plan, they will witness tangible improvements in their English proficiency, from enhanced writing skills to increased confidence in public speaking. The sense of accomplishment and pride that accompanies these achievements will further motivate students to continue their pursuit of language mastery, creating a positive feedback loop that drives continued growth and development.In conclusion, the English Sixth Grade Mind Map Weekend Plan is a comprehensive and innovative approach to English language learning that harnesses the power of mind mapping to unlock the full potential of sixth-grade students. By fostering a deep understanding of the language, developing critical thinking skills, and nurturing a love for learning, this plan sets students on a path towards academic excellence and personal fulfillment. As they embark on this transformative journey, students will not only strengthen their English language abilities but also cultivate essential life skills that will serve them well throughout their educational and professional careers.。
思维导图与小学英语教学读后感English:Mind mapping is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance the teaching of elementary English. By visually organizing key concepts, vocabulary, and grammar structures, mind maps provide a clear framework for students to understand and remember information. For example, when introducing new vocabulary, teachers can create a mind map with the target word at the center and related words branching out, along with visual cues or examples to aid comprehension. This visual representation helps students grasp the connections between words and reinforces their retention. Moreover, mind maps encourage active participation and collaboration among students. During group activities, students can collectively create mind maps, discussing and organizing ideas together, which fosters communication skills and teamwork. Additionally, mind mapping stimulates creativity and critical thinking as students are encouraged to make connections, identify patterns, and generate new ideas. By incorporating mind maps into English lessons, educators can create engaging and interactive learning experiences that cater to diverse learning styles and promote deeper understanding.中文翻译:思维导图是一种强大的工具,可以极大地增强小学英语教学。
思维导图英语作文Introduction:The art of crafting an English essay can be daunting for many students. However, the use of a mind map can significantly streamline the process. This essay will explore the benefits of using mind maps for English composition and provide astep-by-step guide on how to create an effective mind map for essay writing.Body:1. Understanding Mind Maps:- Definition: A visual representation of information, ideas, and tasks.- Structure: Central idea with branches representing related subtopics.- Purpose: To organize thoughts and concepts in a clear, hierarchical manner.2. Benefits of Mind Mapping in Essay Writing:- Clarity: Helps to clarify the main idea and supporting points.- Organization: Organizes information in a logical and structured way.- Creativity: Stimulates brainstorming and generates new ideas.- Memory: Aids in the retention and recall of information. - Efficiency: Saves time by providing a clear roadmap forwriting.3. Steps to Create a Mind Map for English Composition:a. Choose a Central Topic: Select the main theme of your essay.b. Brainstorm: List down all related ideas, concepts, and keywords.c. Create Branches: Draw lines extending from the center to represent subtopics.d. Add Details: Under each branch, note down specific points or examples.e. Review and Refine: Ensure all branches are relevant and well-connected.f. Color Code: Use different colors to distinguish between different types of information.g. Use Images: Incorporate symbols, icons, or drawings to represent ideas visually.4. Applying Mind Maps to Different Types of Essays:- Narrative Essays: Use a story-like structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end.- Persuasive Essays: Organize arguments and counterarguments systematically.- Descriptive Essays: Map out sensory details and descriptive language.- Expository Essays: Outline the main points and supporting evidence.Conclusion:Mind mapping is a powerful tool for English composition that can enhance the writing process. By visually organizing ideasand structuring the essay before writing, students can produce well-organized, coherent, and compelling essays with greater ease. Incorporating mind maps into your writing routine can lead to improved academic performance and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.。
沪教牛津版四年级英语下册思维导图作文Mind mapping is a powerful tool that can help students organize and visualize information in a clear and concise manner. In this article, we will explore how to create a mind map for the fourth grade English textbook "Oxford English" in Shanghai.First and foremost, it is important to understand the structure of the textbook. The "Oxford English" textbook for fourth grade consists of several units, each focusing on different topics such as daily life, family, food, and animals. By breaking down the textbook into these units, students can create a main branch for each unit in their mind map.Next, students can further organize each unit by creating sub-branches for specific topics within each unit. For example, within the unit on daily life, students can create sub-branches for activities, routines, and hobbies. This hierarchical structure helps students compartmentalize information and make connections between related topics.In addition to organizing content, mind mapping can also be used to visually represent vocabulary words and grammar points. By including key words and examples in their mind map,students can create a visual reference that helps them remember and understand the meaning of new words and phrases.Furthermore, mind mapping can be used to create a study guide for exams and quizzes. By reviewing their mind map before a test, students can quickly review key concepts and identify areas where they may need to spend more time studying. This can help students improve their retention of information and perform better on assessments.Overall, creating a mind map for the "Oxford English" textbook in Shanghai can help students organize information, visualize connections between topics, and improve their retention of key concepts. By incorporating mind mapping into their study routine, students can enhance their learning experience and achieve greater success in their English studies.。
基于英语学习活动观的小学英语阅读教学流程The teaching of English reading in elementary schools is a crucial aspect of language acquisition and development. The traditional approach to English reading instruction often emphasizes the memorization of vocabulary, grammar rules, and the mechanical practice of reading comprehension. However, in recent years, the focus has shifted towards a more student-centered and activity-based approach, known as the English learning activity approach. This approach emphasizes the importance of engaging students in meaningful and interactive learning experiences, which can enhance their understanding and enjoyment of the English language.The English learning activity approach is grounded in the belief that language learning is a dynamic and interactive process, where students actively construct their knowledge and skills through various learning activities. This approach encourages teachers to design lessons that incorporate a variety of activities, such as group discussions, role-playing, problem-solving tasks, and project-basedlearning. By engaging students in these activities, teachers can foster a sense of ownership and investment in the learning process, ultimately leading to better retention and application of the acquired knowledge.In the context of elementary English reading instruction, the English learning activity approach can be implemented through a well-structured teaching process. This process typically involves the following stages:1. Preparation and Activation of Prior Knowledge:The first stage of the teaching process involves preparing students for the reading activity by activating their prior knowledge and experiences related to the topic. Teachers can use various strategies, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or discussing related vocabulary and concepts. This stage helps students make connections between the new information and their existing knowledge, which can enhance their comprehension and engagement during the reading activity.2. Pre-reading Activities:Before students engage in the actual reading, teachers can introduce pre-reading activities that help them develop a deeper understanding of the text. These activities may include making predictions about the content, analyzing the text structure, ordiscussing the author's purpose and perspective. By engaging in these pre-reading activities, students can develop a sense of curiosity and anticipation, which can motivate them to read more actively and attentively.3. Reading Comprehension Strategies:During the reading stage, teachers can guide students in the application of various reading comprehension strategies, such as identifying the main idea, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. These strategies can be taught explicitly through modeling and scaffolding, and then reinforced through collaborative and individual practice. By equipping students with a repertoire of reading comprehension strategies, teachers can help them become more independent and proficient readers.4. Post-reading Activities:After the reading activity, teachers can engage students in a variety of post-reading activities that encourage them to reflect on and apply the information they have learned. These activities may include group discussions, written responses, creative projects, or problem-solving tasks. By engaging in these post-reading activities, students can deepen their understanding, make connections to their own lives, and develop critical thinking skills.5. Feedback and Assessment:Throughout the teaching process, teachers should provide regular feedback and assessment to monitor students' progress and identify areas for improvement. This can include formative assessments, such as classroom observations, quizzes, and exit tickets, as well as summative assessments, such as performance-based tasks or written exams. By providing timely and constructive feedback, teachers can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses, and adjust their learning strategies accordingly.The implementation of the English learning activity approach in elementary English reading instruction can have several benefits for students. Firstly, it can foster a more engaging and enjoyable learning experience, as students are actively involved in the learning process. This can lead to increased motivation, participation, and retention of the acquired knowledge. Secondly, the emphasis on reading comprehension strategies can help students develop essential skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning. Finally, the integration of various learning activities can cater to the diverse learning styles and needs of students, ensuring that all learners have the opportunity to succeed.In conclusion, the teaching process of elementary English reading based on the English learning activity approach is a comprehensive and student-centered approach that can enhance the learning experience and outcomes for students. By incorporating a variety ofengaging activities, promoting the development of reading comprehension strategies, and providing regular feedback and assessment, teachers can create a dynamic and effective learning environment that supports the growth and development of their students' English language skills.。
Introduction and HistoryMind mapping is a very old technique which has been used for centuries for brainstorming, visual thinking and problem solving in all subject areas. Some of the earliest examples date back to the 3rd century where these techniques have been used by the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. However, it was not until the 1950’s that the link between mind mapping and effective human learning was discovered (seminal work was carried out by Dr Allan Collins and Ross Quillian in the 1960’s). This method has been further develop by Tony Buzan who argues that traditional learning methods force the student into scanning left to right or top to bottom. Mind mapping get the student to scan the whole page in a non-linear fashion. While this maybe be true, I see mind maps as a complimentary method not a substitute to traditional learning methods (reading (books/articles etc), listening (lectures), seeing (video and observation) taking notes and interactive learning (Internet, Blackboard)) MethodMind mapping is the graphic use of short text, lines, colours, boxes, arrows, branches, and symbols to graphically display information in an easy to understand way. They are normally on one page and start in the centre and work outwards. Mind maps can be very complex or fairly simple but the aim is the same ‘to structure, remember and show linkages between information and ideas both quickly and easily’. Mind maps can also be used to show how different lectures in a module/course link together (however this is much more advanced use of mind mapping tools). By personalising the mind map with your own symbols and designs it makes it easier to remember and recall. You should always leave lots of space on your mind map.Good books and articles on this subject are:-∙Buzan, Tony (1991) ‘The Mind Map Book’, New York: Penguin∙Buzan, Tony (2002) ‘How to Mind Map. The Ultimate Thinking Tool That Will Change Your Life’, Thorsons [Particularly good for students] cost £6.99∙Novak, J.D. (1993) How we learn our lessons? Taking students through the process’, The Science Teacher, Vol. 60. (3), p 50-55.∙Nast J. (2006) ‘Idea Mapping; How to Access Hidden Power, Learn Faster, Remember More and Achieve Success in Business’, John Wiley & SonsN.B. The term Mind Maps has been trade marked by Tony Buzan ‘The Buzan Organisation Ltd’ in both the UK and USAHow To Use It In ClassI use mind mapping in three major ways in my teaching/lecturingi)Sign posting at the beginning of a lecture (route map)ii)Review and summary of the topic at the end of the lecture(review map)iii)As a revision and learning tool for examination preparation(revision map)I also encourage my students to construct their own mind maps as the lectureprogresses which they then staple to the front of their lecture notes.I always use 10 to 15 minutes of the first lecture with new students or a new module to introduce the concern of mind mapping or spider diagrams as some students like to refer to them. Many students are visualisers i.e. they like pictures, diagrams and videos instead of text. I have also found this useful with dyslexic students. When constructing a mind map I start with a central core concept in the middle of the paper (this could be the title of the lecture) around the central core I tend to place critical assumptions, if there are any (this could be in a list or just placed by the central core).I then build-up concentric circles of ideas, theory key journal articles and real world examples (both good and bad practice). Students tend to be very interested in how large multi-nationals often make huge mistakes in marketing (three examples –floor wax, German beer and cookers in Japan). I also recommend that students always put the date in the top right or left hand corner.The great advantage of mind mapping is you don’t need to think in a linear way and as ideas are presented you can easily link key ideas or topics together and due to the nature of the mind mapping you can jump from one area/idea to another. Furthermore they can show historical development and hierarchical structures (example Oliver’s loyalty chain Cognitive, Affective, Conative and Action). I have found students who actively use mind mapping tend to increase their average mark by a few percentage points, retain information for longer and can see the big picture.Eight Step MethodEight step progress for mind mapping/brain storming – Exercise 1. I get students to do this for how would you go about write an essay in University, as a five minute exercise after I have introduced mind mapping to them. Along with the topic/subject in the centre the deadline date is also put to start time management skill.Remember if you need to re-draw the mind map this is easily achieved and is not a waste of time.Four ExamplesExample 1: How to construct a mind mapExample two: Mind mapping notes taken during a lecture on well beingExample three: A mind map about a museumExample 4: Mind map about different forms of energyConclusion and SummarySo I would strongly recommend mind mapping is more actively used, particularly with foreign postgraduate students (different language, different culture, oftenthousand of mile from home) and they may only be with the University for one year. Mind mapping may be one of the key which is the different between success and failure. I also highly recommend that dyslexic students learn how to use this technique.Remember the ‘difference between success and failure is wafer thin’something that my postgraduate student from Jordan learnt very quickly.Also seeArgument mapCognitive MapConcept mapMind websSpider DiagramWebbingWebs。
介绍中国英语作文思维导图加作文全文共6篇示例,供读者参考篇1Mind Mapping: The Fun Way to Write Great English Essays!Hi there, friends! Have you ever felt stuck when trying to write an English essay? Maybe the blank page stares back at you, and you can't figure out where to start. Or perhaps you have too many ideas bouncing around in your head, and you can't organize them properly. Well, I've got an awesome tool to share with you that can make essay writing a breeze – it's called mind mapping!What is a mind map, you ask? Imagine a colorful tree with branches sprouting out in all directions. At the center is the main topic or idea, like the trunk of the tree. Then, you add related subtopics and details as branches stemming from the center. You can use words, symbols, and even little doodles to represent your thoughts and make connections between them. It's a visual way to brainstorm and organize your ideas before you start writing.Let me give you an example. Let's say you need to write an essay about your favorite animal. You would put "My Favorite Animal" in the center of your mind map. Then, you could add branches for things like "appearance," "habitat," "diet," "behavior," and "why I like it." Under each of those branches, you would jot down more specific details and examples. For "appearance," you might write "furry," "big eyes," and "long tail." For "behavior," you could note "playful," "curious," and "intelligent." See how the mind map helps you capture all your thoughts in one place?Now, I know what you're thinking: "But Chelsea, I'm not a great artist! How can I make a mind map if I can't draw well?" No worries, my friends! Mind maps don't have to be works of art. You can use simple shapes, lines, and basic doodles to represent your ideas. The most important thing is to let your thoughts flow freely and make connections between them.Here's another cool thing about mind maps: they can be as creative and colorful as you want! Use different colored pens or pencils to make your map more visually appealing. You can even add little pictures or symbols to represent certain ideas. The more engaging and personalized your mind map is, the easier it will be for you to remember and understand the information.Once you've created your mind map, writing the actual essay becomes much simpler. You already have all your ideas organized and connected, so you can follow the branches of your map to structure your essay. The main topic forms your introduction, the subtopics become your body paragraphs, and the details provide the supporting evidence and examples.But mind maps aren't just useful for essay writing – they can help you study for tests, plan projects, and even organize your daily tasks. Whenever you need to manage information or solve a problem, creating a mind map can help you visualize the big picture and break it down into manageable pieces.So, what are you waiting for? Grab some paper, colored pens, and let your creativity flow! Start mind mapping today, and watch as your English essays (and maybe even your grades) soar to new heights. Trust me, this tool is a game-changer – and it's also a lot of fun! Happy mind mapping, friends!篇2Title: Unleash Your Mind with Chinese English Essay Mind Maps!Are you a young student who loves exploring the English language? Are you sometimes stuck when trying to write anawesome essay? Well, let me introduce you to a super cool and powerful tool – the Chinese English essay mind map!What is a Mind Map?A mind map is like a colorful, branching tree that helps you organize and visualize your thoughts and ideas. It starts with a central topic or subject in the middle, and then branches out into related subtopics, details, and examples. You can use words, drawings, symbols, and different colors to make your mind map more vibrant and engaging.Why Use Mind Maps for English Essays?Mind maps are like magical helpers when it comes to writing English essays. They make the whole process easier, more fun, and more organized. Here are some reasons why mind maps rock for essay writing:Brainstorming IdeasSometimes, the hardest part of writing an essay is figuring out what to write about. With a mind map, you can jot down all your thoughts and ideas as they come to you, without worrying about structure or order. This helps you explore different angles and perspectives on the essay topic.Organizing ThoughtsOnce you've gathered all your ideas, a mind map helps you sort and arrange them in a logical and coherent way. You can group related ideas together, prioritize important points, and see connections between different parts of your essay.Better StructureMind maps naturally create a clear structure for your essay. The main branches become your main points or body paragraphs, and the sub-branches contain the supporting details and examples. This makes it easier to create a well-organized and flow.Visual LearningMany students, especially younger ones, are visual learners. Mind maps appeal to this learning style by presenting information in a colorful, pictorial format. This can help you better understand and remember the ideas and concepts you want to include in your essay.Creativity BoostWith their vibrant colors, images, and free-flowing format, mind maps encourage creative thinking and expression. This can help you come up with unique and interesting perspectives, examples, and insights for your English essay.How to Create a Chinese English Essay Mind MapNow that you know how awesome mind maps are, let's learn how to create one for your English essay! Here are some simple steps to follow:Choose Your TopicStart by writing your essay topic or prompt in the center of a blank page or whiteboard. This is the central node or main idea of your mind map.Add Main IdeasNow, branch out from the center with your main points or arguments related to the topic. These will become the body paragraphs of your essay.Add Supporting DetailsFor each main idea, create sub-branches with supporting details, examples, facts, or explanations. You can go as deep as you need to fully explore each point.Use Colors and SymbolsMake your mind map more visually appealing and easier to remember by using different colors for different branches orideas. You can also incorporate simple drawings, icons, or symbols to represent certain concepts.Connect and OrganizeAs you add more details to your mind map, look for connections and relationships between different branches. You can use curved lines or arrows to show these links.Review and ReviseOnce your mind map is complete, take a step back and review it. Are there any gaps or areas that need more development? Any unnecessary or irrelevant branches? Make revisions and adjustments as needed.Now that you've created your Chinese English essay mind map, you have a fantastic blueprint for writing your essay! Simply follow the structure and flow of your mind map, and expand on each point with well-written paragraphs and sentences.Mind Map to Essay ExampleTo help you better understand how to transform a mind map into an essay, let's look at a simple example. Let's say your essay topic is "My Favorite Animal."Your mind map might look something like this:(A simple mind map illustration with the central node "My Favorite Animal," and main branches for "Dog," "Appearance," "Personality," and "Why I Love Them." Each main branch has sub-branches with relevant details and examples.)From this mind map, you can easily create an outline or structure for your essay:Introduction: Hook/attention-grabber about animals, thesis statement (your favorite animal is a dog)Body Paragraph 1: Describe the appearance of dogs(sub-branches like "fur," "size," "features," etc.)Body Paragraph 2: Describe the personality and characteristics of dogs (sub-branches like "friendly," "loyal," "energetic," etc.)Body Paragraph 3: Explain why you love dogs (sub-branches like "companionship," "protective," "fun to play with," etc.)Conclusion: Restate your love for dogs, final thoughts or call to action (e.g., encourage others to adopt a dog)See how the mind map provides a clear roadmap for your essay? You can simply expand on each branch with well-written sentences and paragraphs, and voila – you have a fantastic English essay!So, what are you waiting for? Grab some colored pens or pencils, a blank sheet of paper (or a digital mind mapping tool), and start creating your own Chinese English essay mind maps! With this powerful tool in your arsenal, you'll be writing amazing essays in no time. Happy mind mapping and essay writing!篇3Mind Mapping: The Fun Way to Write Amazing English Essays!Hi there, friends! Are you tired of staring at a blank page, wondering how to start your English essay? Don't worry; I've got a super cool trick to share with you – mind mapping! This nifty tool has been a game-changer for me, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.First, let me explain what a mind map is. Imagine a big, colorful tree with branches spreading out in all directions. The trunk of the tree represents your main idea or topic, and the branches are all the supporting details, examples, and sub-topics that you want to include in your essay. Pretty cool, right?Now, let me take you through the process of creating a mind map for an English essay. Let's say our topic is "My Favorite Season." Here's how we can get started:Grab a blank piece of paper (or use a digital mind mapping tool if you're tech-savvy) and write "My Favorite Season" in the middle.Start brainstorming all the reasons why you love this particular season. Is it because of the weather? The holidays? The activities you can do? Draw branches coming out from the center and write down your ideas on them.For each of those branches, think of more specific details or examples to support your points. These can become smaller branches stemming from the main ones.Don't forget to use colors, symbols, and pictures! Mind maps are meant to be vibrant and visually appealing, which helps you remember everything better.See? It's like creating a big, beautiful tree of thoughts and ideas! And the best part is, you can keep adding to it or rearranging the branches as you go.Now, let me give you an example of what a mind map for "My Favorite Season: Summer" might look like:[A colorful mind map illustration with "My Favorite Season: Summer" in the center, and branches radiating outward withideas like "warm weather," "vacation," "swimming," "ice cream," "beach trips," etc.]Isn't that so much more fun and engaging than just listing out your ideas in a boring outline? With a mind map, you can see all your thoughts at a glance and make connections between different ideas more easily.Once you've got your mind map ready, writing the actual essay becomes a breeze! You can use the main branches as your topic sentences for each paragraph, and the smaller branches as supporting details or examples. It's like having a ready-made outline, but way cooler!Mind mapping has been such a lifesaver for me when it comes to English essays. Not only does it help me organize my thoughts, but it also makes the whole process more enjoyable and creative. Plus, it's a fantastic way to improve your vocabulary and language skills, as you'll be constantly brainstorming new words and phrases to add to your map.So, what are you waiting for? Grab some colored pencils or markers, and let's start mind mapping our way to English essay success! Trust me, once you try it, you'll never want to go back to boring old outlines again. Happy mind mapping, friends!篇4My Journey into Chinese English Essay WritingHi there! My name is Xiao Ming and I'm 10 years old. I go to Peking Elementary School here in Beijing. Today I want to tell you all about how I learned to write really awesome English essays using mindmaps. It was tough at first, but now I love it!When I was in 3rd grade, my English teacher Mrs. Wang started having us write short essays every week. At the very beginning, I didn't know what to write about or how to organize my ideas. My essays were all over the place with no clear point. Mrs. Wang would return them covered in red ink corrections. I felt frustrated and thought I was just bad at English writing.Then one day, Mrs. Wang introduced us to the wonderful world of mindmapping! A mindmap is a diagram that uses branches radiating from a central topic to visually organize ideas, facts, and thoughts. She showed us how to make mindmaps by first writing the main essay topic in a circle in the middle of the page. Then we'd branch out related subtopics, supporting details, and examples from the main circle.The first mindmap I made was for the topic "My Favorite Food." In the center I wrote that phrase in a circle. Then I madebranches for subtopics like "Dishes I Love," "Where to Get It," "When I Eat It," etc. Under each subtopic branch, I drew more branches with specific examples like "Pizza" under "Dishes I Love." Using the mindmap, I could really explore all aspects of the topic in an organized way.After making the mindmap, it became so much easier to turn those thoughts into a multi-paragraph essay. Each main branch became a body paragraph, and all the branching details gave me things to include in those paragraphs. My introduction could summarize the contents of the mindmap, and my conclusion could restate my main points. Essays made so much more sense when my ideas had a visual structure!From then on, I mindmapped for every English essay Mrs. Wang assigned. My writing steadily improved as the mindmaps helped me analyze topics from multiple angles and organize my thoughts logically before writing. I was even able to start adding opinion commentary to my mindmaps on which areas I wanted to argue certain points. Then it became easy to weave those critical thoughts throughout my essay body paragraphs.As my essays in English got longer and covered more sophisticated topics in higher grades, mindmaps were even more valuable. For research-based essays, my mindmap helped mecategorize different facts from multiple sources in a way that flowed logically. I could quickly see which areas needed more evidence and make sure I covered all perspectives on the topic. Mindmaps kept my writing laser-focused instead of all over the map.Not only did mind mapping help me write amazing essays, but it also improved other skills too. The visual thinking and brainstorming involved made me better at analyzing ideas from many angles. The organizing of concepts into branches and hierarchies sharpened my logical reasoning abilities. Looking at the whole mindmap "picture" enhanced my memory of the material. I could even use mindmaps for tasks like planning projects, studying for tests, and taking notes on lectures or books.Now that I'm in 5th grade, I've become quite an expert mindmapper and my English essays are awesome! Whenever Mrs. Wang returns our graded essays, I beam with pride at all the smiling faces and "Great job!" written on mine. I honestly have fun doing the mindmaps and then turning them into focused, insightful, and well-organized writings. Essay exams don't phase me anymore—I can mindmap my way to success every time.My advice to any student wanting to power up their English essay writing is: Get into the mindmap habit! It may take some practice at first to get used to translating your chaotic thoughts into organized branches and bubbles. But stick with it, and soon you'll be a mindmapping master whose essays are clearer, deeper, and more structured than ever before. Trust me, mindmaps helped transform me from a struggling writer into a super essay ninja. With mindmapping skills on your side, you'll be able to slay any writing assignment!篇5Mind Mapping - The Fun Way to Write Amazing English Essays!Hi there, fellow students! Are you struggling to come up with ideas and organize your thoughts when you have to write an English essay? Well, let me share a super cool technique that has helped me a lot - it's called mind mapping!What is a mind map, you ask? It's like a colorful spider web of ideas, all branching out from a central topic. Instead of writing everything in sentences and paragraphs, you use pictures, symbols, and keywords to represent your ideas. Pretty neat, right?Let me walk you through how I use mind maps to write my English essays. First, I grab a blank piece of paper and write the main topic or essay title in the center. Then, I start drawing curved lines branching out from the center, and on each line, I write down a main idea or point related to the topic.For example, if the essay is about "My Favorite Pet," I might have branches for "type of pet," "personality," "activities we do together," and so on. As more ideas pop into my head, I can add sub-branches stemming from the main ones. It's like letting my brain go on an idea adventure!The best part is that I can get really creative with my mind map. I use different colors for different branches, draw little pictures to represent ideas, and even add fun doodles or stickers. It's like turning my essay planning into an art project!Once I have all my ideas mapped out, it's so much easier to start writing the actual essay. I can simply follow the branches and sub-branches, turning each point into a proper sentence or paragraph. It's like having a road map for my essay, guiding me from one idea to the next.But mind maps aren't just for planning essays – they can also help with brainstorming ideas, studying for tests, or evenorganizing your daily tasks and goals. It's a versatile tool that lets you visualize your thoughts in a fun and engaging way.I remember when my English teacher first introduced us to mind mapping in class. Some of my classmates were a bit skeptical at first, saying it looked too childish or time-consuming. But once we tried it out, everyone was hooked!We had so much fun creating colorful and creative mind maps, and our essays turned out way better than before. It was like unlocking a secret superpower for writing and organizing our thoughts.Of course, mind mapping takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it. But trust me, it's totally worth it! Not only will your essays be more structured and cohesive, but you'll also have a blast creating those mind map masterpieces.So, what are you waiting for? Grab some colored pens, let your creativity flow, and start mind mapping your way to essay success! Your future self will thank you for embracing this fun and effective technique.Who knows, you might even inspire your classmates and teachers to join the mind mapping craze. Before you know it,your whole school could be a hub of colorful, idea-filled mind maps! How cool would that be?Remember, writing doesn't have to be a chore – with mind mapping, it can be an exciting adventure full of possibilities. So, get ready to let your ideas run wild and create some truly amazing English essays!Happy mind mapping, fellow students! Let the creativity begin!篇6Mind Maps - A Brilliant Way to Write Better English EssaysHi everyone! My name is Lily and I'm a 5th grader here in China. Today I want to share with you one of my favorite tools for writing English essays - mind maps! Mind maps have really helped me improve my English writing skills.What is a Mind Map?A mind map is like a cool, colorful diagram that uses pictures, symbols, and keywords to represent ideas and information. It looks kind of like a tree with branches spreading out from a central topic or main idea. The branches then split off into smaller branches for subtopics and details.Mind maps let you visually organize and connect your thoughts in a way that is fun and easy to understand. They help you brainstorm and explore ideas, while also keeping your writing focused and structured around the main theme.Why Use Mind Maps for Writing?There are lots of great reasons why mind mapping is awesome for English writing:Boosts Creativity and ImaginationThe use of colors, doodles, and images in mind maps sparks your creativity and gets your imaginative juices flowing. It's like a warm-up exercise for your brain before writing.Organizes Ideas ClearlyRather than having thoughts jumbled up in your head, mind maps let you map out concepts in an orderly, logical way. The structure helps you see how ideas connect and flow together.Improves MemoryThe visual nature of mind maps, along with the use of keywords, makes it easier to memorize and recall information when you need it for your essay.Generates More IdeasMind mapping encourages you to explore subtopics and think of related details you may not have considered initially. This leads to richer content for your writing.Identifies Gaps in ThinkingCreating a mind map exposes any holes or missing links in your understanding of the essay topic, allowing you to research and fill those gaps.How to Create an Awesome Mind MapNow for the fun part - making your own mind map! Here are some tips:Start with a clear main topic or title for your essay in the center of a blank page or computer screen.Create branches stemming from the center for your main ideas or subtopics related to the title. Use keywords or short phrases to label these branches.Keep adding smaller branches off the main branches for more specific details and examples.Use different colors, symbols, pictures, and codes on your branches - get creative! This makes memorization easier and maps more engaging.Draw quick links between related branches to show connections.Don't worry about making it perfect. Mind maps are informal visual outlines to capture your thoughts.Once you've filled your mind map with all your brilliant ideas, you'll have an excellent guide to refer to when structuring and writing your full essay draft.An Example Mind MapTo give you an example, let's say I wanted to write an essay about my favorite summer vacation activities. Here's how a simple mind map might look:[A colorful mind map is shown, with the main title "My Favorite Summer Vacation Activities" in the center. Stemming from the center are main branches labeled: "Going to the Beach", "Visiting Grandparents", "Summer Camp", and "Reading Books".Off the "Going to the Beach" branch, smaller branches show details like "swimming", "making sandcastles", "eating ice cream", etc. Likewise, other main branches split off into subbranches with relevant details, symbols, and little doodles depicting the ideas.]With a mind map like this, I can clearly see all the topics, supporting details, and examples I want to discuss in my essayorganized in a way that shows how everything fits together. Pretty neat, right?Give It a Try!So there you have it - mind maps are an incredibly useful tool for planning and writing English essays. The next time you have to write an essay, I highly encourage you to try creating a mind map first. Use your amazing creativity and make your map as colorful and visual as possible! Trust me, it will make the whole writing process feel like a fun adventure rather than a chore.I hope mind mapping helps take your English writing skills to new heights, just like it has for me. Happy mind mapping and writing, everyone!。
巧用心智图法绽放思维之花——谈Mind Mapping在初中英语读写课中的尝试【摘要】基础教育阶段英语课程的总体目标是培养学生综合语言运用能力。
读写课的任务是通过阅读让学生积累较为丰富的语言材料,形成理解语言的能力,并及时将这种能力转换成运用语言的能力。
读写课的教学正是英语教学中实施和培养学生综合语言运用能力的关键一环。
本文从课堂实践出发,着重阐述如何运用Mind Mapping(心智图法)理论,激发并绽放学生的思维之花,提高课堂效率。
【关键词】初中英语;读写课;Mind Mapping(心智图法)一、理论基础与背景在20世纪七十年代初期,有“Mr. Brain”之称的英国著名学者Tony Buzan 提出了Mind Mapping(心智图法或思维导图)理论。
Mind Mapping是一种放射性思考具体化的方法,利用文字、数字、符码、食物、香气、线条、颜色、意象、节奏、音符等和谐地运用人类头脑的每一个细胞以及大脑的各种技能,将进入大脑的资料制作成一幅心智图。
这种方法将数据依据彼此之间的关联性分层分类管理,使资料的储存,管理以及应用更系统,增加大脑的运作效率。
它能提升学生的思考技巧,大幅增进学生的记忆力、组织力和创造力。
Mind Mapping 简单易学,不受年龄和学历的限制,对于知识储备量较少的初中生而言,Mind Mapping可能比图示理论具有更强的可操作性。
它的构图简单的说,就是将醒目的主题放在中间,将各个联系点以箭头等形式在主题外构成框架,然后将细节(通常是几个名词和动词)加以补充。
它在现实生活中的应用十分广泛,可用于工作、学习和生活,如个人的计划、演讲、论文、记忆、培训、评估等等。
心智图(Mind Map)是全世界特别是欧美国家广为流行的思维工具和管理工具,帮助组织和个人提高绩效。
在英语学习领域,用Mind Mapping来记忆单词很受世人关注,但Mind Mapping在初中英语课堂教学中的运用并未受到相应的重视。
As a high school student, Ive always been fascinated by the power of language and the way it can connect people from all corners of the globe. English, being the most widely spoken second language, has been a significant part of my academic journey. One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of learning English has been writing essays. Ive found that using mind maps to organize my thoughts and ideas has been incredibly beneficial in improving my essay writing skills.When I first started learning to write English essays, I was overwhelmed by the complexity of structuring a coherent argument, developing a thesis, and supporting it with relevant evidence. Thats when I discovered the concept of mind mapping. A mind map is a visual tool that helps to organize information, allowing you to see the connections between different ideas. Its like a tree with branches that grow outwards, each branch representing a different aspect of the topic.The first step in using a mind map for essay writing is to identify the central theme or topic of the essay. This becomes the core of the mind map. For example, if I were writing an essay on the importance of environmental conservation, the central node of my mind map would be Environmental Conservation.From there, I would create branches that represent the main points or arguments I want to make in my essay. Each of these branches would then have its own subbranches, which could include supporting evidence, examples, or counterarguments. For instance, a branch might be Impact of Deforestation, and its subbranches could include Loss of Biodiversity,Climate Change, and Soil Erosion.One of the key benefits of using a mind map is that it helps to ensure that all aspects of the topic are covered and that the essay has a logical flow. Its easy to see which areas need more development and which points are wellsupported. This visual representation of the essays structure makes it much easier to plan and organize the content.Moreover, mind mapping encourages creative thinking. When Im brainstorming ideas for an essay, I often find that I come up with more innovative and unique arguments when Im using a mind map. The process of drawing and connecting ideas visually seems to stimulate the imagination and help me to see connections that I might not have noticed otherwise.Another advantage of mind mapping is that it can be used at any stage of the writing process. Whether Im in the planning stages, working on a draft, or revising my essay, a mind map can provide a helpful overview of the content and structure. Its a flexible tool that can be adapted to suit the needs of the writer.In addition to helping with the organization of ideas, mind maps can also be a useful tool for improving vocabulary and language skills. When Im creating a mind map, I often look for synonyms or related words to use as subbranches, which helps to expand my vocabulary and improve my ability to express complex ideas in English.Furthermore, mind mapping can be a collaborative tool. When working on group projects or discussing essay topics with classmates, a mind map can be a great way to share ideas and ensure that everyones input is considered. Its a dynamic and interactive way to engage with the material and with others.In conclusion, using mind maps to learn English essay writing has been a gamechanger for me. It has helped me to organize my thoughts, develop more creative and compelling arguments, and improve my overall language skills. Whether youre a visual learner or simply looking for a new way to approach essay writing, I would highly recommend giving mind mapping a try. Its a versatile and effective tool that can enhance your English writing abilities and make the process more enjoyable and less daunting.。
Empirical Study of Effectiveness of Mind Mappingon College English ReadingAbstractMind Mapping as an effective thinking model and a method which can visualize the process of thinking, is originated by Tony Buzan in 1970s. It makes full use of left and right brains, through images, colors and symbols to enhance people’s understanding and memory, improve spatial intelligence and creative thinking. This study tries to apply Mind Mapping into English reading, aiming at testing its effectiveness as a teaching means and learning way and revealing that whether it can stimulate students’ learning interests, improve the interaction between the teacher and students, develop students’ creative thinking,and increase the efficiency of college English reading.Key Words: Mind Mapping; effectiveness; college English reading1 Introduction1.1 Research backgroundIn the foreign language teaching, reading occupies a very important position in the five skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating. Pang et al (2003:6) states that “learning to read is an important educational goal. For both children and adults, the ability to read opens up new worlds and opportunities. It enables them to gain new knowledge, enjoy literature, and do everyday things that are part and parcel of modern life, such as, reading the newspapers, job listings, instruction manuals, maps and so on.” What’s more, reading ability has often been taken as an important criterion for evaluating the language proficiency. College English Band 4 or 6 Test (CET-4/6) highlights the importance of reading ability. In the whole test, the part of Reading Comprehension scores 249 points; while the part of Cloze, which can be seen as another type of reading comprehension, scores 70 points, which accounts together for nearly 45% of the whole test, not to speak of Translation, which is also based on reading ability. Actually reading is the foundation of mastering language knowledge, accessing to information, and improving language competence. It is very important and valuable for students to be an independent and efficient English reader which may increase their language curiosity and sense, and their communicative competence, so as to be a more qualified and competent graduate to overcome the challenges in the future.However, today’s education of college English reading has not achieved the desired goal. The traditional reading class commonly goes like this: background knowledge, language points, and then paraphrasing. Working on structural analysis of the word usage in sentence and explaining sentences one by one makes the lively and interesting text boring so that finally students lose their curiosity in English learning. Studen ts’ affection, interests and feelings were neglected. Reading became a mechanical and regular process. T he students’ performance in the classroom were passive, because they were always silent during the class and lack of face-to-face interaction with the teacher.The current situation mentioned above shows us the importance and urgency ofreforming of the English reading teaching. It needs urgent change to solve these problems, to enhance students’ interests in English learning, and to reach the goal that students will learn English voluntarily and consciously in their future study. Actually Mind Mapping is not only an effective means for students to improve their English reading ability, but also an effective tool for teachers to enhance the educational effects.Mind Mapping originated by Tony Buzan in 1970s is believed that it can use all of our brains to absorb and present information in a visual way, and has been applied for many years in different areas such as education, engineering, psychology in note taking, learning, brainstorming individually or in groups, planning, memorization, visual thinking, problem solving, presenting information, gaining insight on complex subjects. Based on these previous studies, Mind Mapping is regarded as a visual thinking tool which can use a graphical way to represent people’s ideas and concepts, and help better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall, generate new ideas and develop creativity.1.2 Significance of the researchThis research tries to provide a new, efficient tool for both the students and the teachers in English reading. From the students’ aspect, the study will take on great significance in providing a new reading model which can enhance students’ initiative and motivation in English reading and cultivate their creative capacity and divergent thinking. Their initiative and interest can be aroused in joining in drawing activities, which is helpful in cultivating their reading motivation. From the teacher’s aspect, this research tries to provide the teachers an effective teaching means and help to build a dynamic and interactive classroom environment by using Mind Mapping in English teaching.Furthermore, this research enriches Mind Mapping theory in the application of college English reading in China. Mind Mapping has been used by many people in many areas. But the studies in China are still at the primary stage. Considering the insufficiency of the researches on Mind Mapping in English teaching in our country,this research tries to do some basic work for the extension and promotion of Mind Mapping theory, so as to enrich the studies of Mind Mapping and provide reference for the future research, thus made this research has theoretical significance.1.3 Purpose of the researchThe objective of this research is to study the effectiveness of Mind Mapping in college English reading. Through exploration of Mind Mapping in literature, presentation of its application to college English reading, report of the research methodology in detail, and analysis and discussion the results of the experiment, the researcher intends to answer the following research questions:Could Mind Mapping in English reading stimulate students’ learning interests and improve the interaction between the teacher and students?Could Mind Mapping in English reading develop creative thinking, and make students to communicate effectively?Is there any significant difference in students’ reading efficiency between the experimental group who use Mind Mapping in English reading and the control group who are taught by traditional method?2 Literature Review2.1 Previous researches on Mind Mapping both at home and abroad2.1.1 Previous foreign researches on Mind MappingMind Mapping has been widely used by many researchers in many fields, but when it comes to the researches of Mind Mapping on language learning, a Japanese scholar has got the conclusion that “this mind map based teaching might be put into practice, but it has been rarely reported.” (Shiina et al, 2008:158). Meanwh ile, according to the researcher’s knowledge, we should truly admit that the directly relevant previous foreign researches are few, while most of the previous foreign researches the researcher had actually could be summarized and listed chronologically as follows.Mento et al (1999:1-25) combined Mind Mapping and storyboarding into theteaching of EMBA program, and concluded that it significantly enhanced learning, memory, and creativity. Farrand et al (2002:426–431) through an experiment examined the effectiveness of using Mind Mapping to improve factual recall from written information. Mueller et al (2002:24-27) found it was very effective to marry Mind Mapping with care planning in nursing care. Brinkmann (2003:35-48) compared the differences of background, rules for making maps, uses in mathematics education and limitations between Concept Mapping and Mind Mapping in details. Budd (2004:35-46) examined Concept Mapping and Mind Mapping as approaches in classroom exercises; found that they can help incorporate activities for diverse learning styles into economics courses. Swamy&Kulkarni (2006:493-498) explained Mind Mapping from a new aspect—helping make decision. Tucker et al (2009:8) stated Mind Mapping from the aspect that the advantages and disadvantages of creating maps manually versus using Mind Mapping software, and compared several software applications in details. Murley (2007:175-183) introduced the definition, history and software of Mind Mapping and its application to librarians. Dhindsa&Kasim (2007:357-372) through an experiment compared the effects of a constructivist-visual mind map approach and a traditional teaching approach on science-majored students’ achievement, and found out that the mind mapping approach was more effective than the traditional teaching approach in improving student achievement, also got the result of that this method minimized gender differences in science academic achievement. Shiina et al (2008:155-164) focused on Mind Mapping as a method in Japanese students’ vocab ulary learning, and found it was an effective tool for improving intentional vocabulary learning. Also, from that study, we could know that Mind Mapping-based classes had been conducted in English and national language classes as ‘collaborative classes’ in Yokohama International Girls Institute Suiryo High school in Japan. Howitt (2009:42-46) explained Mind Mapping in children’s education that it was better to use real objects to make three-dimensional mind maps to promote children’s sharing of knowledge and the creation of connections.We should notice that there are many countries like South Korea, Japan,Germany and the USA trying to apply Mind Mapping to the practical teaching reform of primary education, secondary education, and even special education. There have been a lot of researches about Mind Mapping produced in Singapore. England has already put it as a required course in the phase of the compulsory education. In the business world, Mind Mapping is popular with many best-known multinational corporations, such as IBM, BP, British Telecom, Boeing Company and so on. They mainly use Mind Mapping to train staff, manage products, and make plans for their corporations.2.1.2 Previous domestic researches on Mind MappingAlthough Mind Mapping is a hot issue in many countries, it is rarely studied in China. According to the researcher’s rough statistics, In China, from 1999 to 2014, the study of Mind Map is booming and has the tendency of increasing. There are altogether 786 theses in magazines and 233theses of master or doctor degree; In 1999, there were two research results, while 231 results in 2009 and 301 in 2010 and in 2011 the study of Mind Map is the most prosperous in terms of the number of the publishing of the theses. From the papers published from 2005 to 2014, the author finds that these papers can be categorized into ontology research, pedagogical application and software study.Researches on the pedagogical application occupy the most which mainly involve the fields of teaching design, pedagogical exploration and knowledge administration. In 2005, Mind Map was used in English class. Through doing experiments, Zhang Dan (2005) held the idea that Mind Map is useful for students to have a deep and evaluative understanding of the English reading passage and it is also helpful for students to memorize the reading contents and thus use them to communicate with others. Besides, the usage of Mind Map in other subjects, such as physics and biology became studied and discussed. Zhao Yingfang also explored the usage of Mind Map in managing knowledge. From 2006, the application of Mind Map in teaching all kinds of subjects appeared. Li Jingwen (2006) studied the application of Mind Map in teaching chemistry in middle schools and Luo Jialiangwrote a passage about the application of Mind Map in teaching English vocabulary. From then on, the study of application of Mind Map in teaching flowered.Besides journals and theses, there are also several researchers as pioneers studying about Mind Mapping and its applications. They are Professor Song Shang (Tsinghua University), who is studying Mind Mapping in business area; Dr Li Jiahou (Shanghai Normal University), whose main direction is Mind Mapping in the education system and applications; Yang Dayu,the teacher from a high school of Jilin province; Qi Wei (Hebei province), Zhang Guozheng and Liu Shouyi (Shanghai); Zhao Guoqing (Beijing Normal University), and so on. There are several companies doing Mind Mapping software, making development and localization work, several training institutions and companies are also trying to take Mind Mapping as atraining course.2.2 Theoretical basis of Mind Mapping2.2.1Radiant thinkingRadiant thinking is the natural way of human brain’s thinking. Each of the data, such as feeling, memory or ideas which including language, numbers, symbols, food, fragrance, line, color, imagery and rhythm, coming into the brain will become a thinking center which can send out thousands of hooks. Each hook is a representative of a link with the central theme, and each link can also be another central theme and sends out another thousand of hooks. These links can be viewed as our memory, our personal database. Human begin to accumulate these large and complex databases from when they were born. The amazing storage capacity of our brain helps us accumulate so large amount of information, furthermore, through radiant thinking which not only speeds up the accumulation of information, but also classifies these data according to their relevance. Because of the more systematic data storage, management and application, the operation of our brain becomes more efficient.Mind Mapping is the external expression of radiant thinking. “A Mind Map always radiates from a central image. Every word an image becomes in itself a sub centre of association, the whole proceeding in a potentially infinite chain of branching patterns away from or towards the common centre. Although the Mind Map is drawnon a two-dimensional page it represents a multi-dimensional reality, encompassing space, time and color.” (Buzan, 1993:57)2.2.2Theory about Left/Right-brainIn the 1960s Dr Sperry announced the major findings about his survey on cortex of the brain that functions of the two halves of the upper cortex tended to be apart from each other. It seemed that the right brain was responsible for rhythm, spatial awareness, gestalt, imagination, day dreaming, color and dimension. And the left brain’s function was different from the right one’s, which was responsible for words, logic, numbers, sequence, linearity, analysis and lists. While based on the theory of life and right brain, Mind Mapping makes people take advantage of every half of the brain fully. For instant, students could use the left brain to memorize words and at the same time use the right brain to imagine to help they keep words in mind effectively.2.2.3 Schema TheorySchema was first put forward by psychologist Frederic Charles Bartlett. Bartlett (1932) maintains that schema could organize the previous experience and reflection actively, and have impact on people’s cogitation. He states that schema, actually, is some events and concepts which are connected with each other, and is a network which is stored in peopl’s long term memory.The primary principle of schema theory is that if the new information could be absorbed by the existing schema properly, this information could be understood, learnt and kept better than the information which cannot be absorbed. In other words, if a learner used his or her existing knowledge and previous experience to integrate the new knowledge, such new knowledge could be learnt better, and easy to be integrated into his or her existing schema. On the contrary, if a learner was short of proper schema, or, he or she couldn’t grasp the schema firmly, then the new knowledge wouldn’t be integrated and his or her study would be blocked.With a clear structure, Mind Mapping, as a graphic expressing tool of knowledge, is helpful to both broaden and deepen learners’thinking and make the inner-relationship among knowledge clearer so that to help learners to digest and integrate knowledge well.3 Mind Mapping and Mind Mapping in English reading3.1 Definition of Mind MappingMind Mapping is originated in 1970s by the world-famous brain-power expert Tony Buzan, who is a British educator and psychologist as well as the Chairman of the Brain Foundation.Mind Mapping is “an expression of Radiant Thinking and is therefore a natural function of the human mind. Mind Mapping is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance.” (Buzan, 1993:59-60) Buzan (1993:59-60) suggests its four essential characteristics: “The subject of attention is crystallized in a central image; The main themes of the subject radiate from the central image as branches; Branches comprise a key image or key word printed on an associated line, topics of lesser importance are also represented as branches attached to higher level branches; The branches form a connected nodal structure.” Therefore, a radiant diagram where the associations and hierarchies flow out from its central theme in a coherent manner forms the mind map.Mind mapping presents the individual’s thinking process with the purpose to visualize knowledge structure. People utilize elements like key word, number, color, symbol, and picture to express their own or lecturer’s information and ideas vividly uniquely. In this process, logic, vocabulary, number, analysis, order in the left brain and imagination, rhyme, color, spaciousness, dimensionality and completion in the right brain together will be mobilized to participate in translating a long sequence of boring message into a highly-organized colorful graph in multi-dimensional radiant thinking mode. Simultaneously the brain will present a radiant network accordingly. Therefore, mind map exactly gives the real expression to human mind. However, readers mainly use the left brain to handle the linear text. Some studies indicate that the utilization of the brain occupies only four to six percent of its whole mechanism. Mind map integrates the functions of the right and left brain and lets them complementarily cooperate with each other.3.2 Mind Mapping in English readingThe most amazing characteristic of Mind Mapping is that it makes full functions of our brain, such as word, number, logic, image, color and spatial awareness work simultaneously, which helps learners think more clearly, stimulates the best performance of our brain, enables learners to develop their creativity, see relationship between various knowledge visually and grasp the key words. Therefore, Mind Mapping can play a significant role in English reading.Firstly, Mind Mapping can stimulate learners’ motivation and imagination for reading. It is known that the learners’ motivation is the key to the success of study; Harmer (2001) also said that “The learner’s motiva tion is a kind of indication to keep learning, and teachers should give students various kinds of interesting and exciting activities in the classroom.” But it is not easy to stimulate learners’ motivation and imagination when they read long and “boring” p assages. Mind Mapping can help to solve this problem. According to Buzan, Mind Mapping is based on the logic of association, which “reaches out in any direction and catches any thought from any angle….Once the human brain realizes that it can associate any thing with anything else, it will almost instantaneously find associations, especially when given the trigger of an additional stimulus.”(Buzan, 1993:87) Mind Mapping uses a visual map to outline the main clues of the reading materials, which can help learners to form a better understanding of the reading materials. When they make mind maps while reading, they can use their boundless imagination as much as possible, which makes their motivation work best as well. For instance, story seems easier for readers because it is full of interests and fun, but when it comes to the other materials, it will be not so easy for readers, where Mind Mapping can do a better job. If the reading material is complicated and relatively logical, learners can draw many lines to express their internal logical relationship or list the logical diagram in accordance to the inner logic, which prompts students to grasp the main points of reading materials accurately. If the reading material is more abstract, learners can discard the nonessential properties from a variety of things, and constitute a mind map with letters, words, data, arrows and other marks, which makes them grasp the content better. Therefore, MindMapping makes students do not only follow teachers’ directions all the ti me, but try their best to utilize their own imagination to process, analyze and summarize the passages all by themselves and even talk about the details with their teachers actively, which shows high motivation for learning.Secondly, Mind Mapping can make learners understand and memorize the reading materials better as well as improve reading efficiency. We all have this experience: reading always relies on the understanding of the word symbols, and actually the original reading materials always consist of long sentences, which makes learners fail to understand clearly and perform worse. The reason is that most of the learners pay the whole attention to reading the long sentences and fail to grasp and memorize the key words of it. If they use Mind Mapping, it will be different. Through the hierarchical structure and colors of mind map, it is easier to find and remember the key words instead of thinking about the whole sentences all the time. The hierarchical structure conforms to the general assumption that the cognitive representation of knowledge is hierarchically structured. (Astrid Brinkman, 2003:39) According to this theory, the information which has been linked together by others or themselves may be memorized and recalled faster. Actually each mind map is a unique picture which has a strong visual appeal, which makes the learning process speeded up and information last longer. That is reason why Mind Mapping is said to be “an effective study technique when used to improve factual recall from written material.” (Farrand, P. et al. 2002: 426-431)Thirdly, Mind Mapping can foster learners’ creativity and divergent thinking ability. Different people may develop a personal style for Mind Mapping, which may have different forms, shapes, colors, symbols or images and even artistic arrangements. Brinkmann (2003:40) pointed out that this leads to a gain in creativity and moreover gives great pleasure. Meanwhile, Mind Mapping help people describe in multi-angle, analyze systematically on their issues, think profoundly and creatively on their studies, so as to help to find the key point to the solution. Swamy&Kulkarni (2006:496) said that “The mind-map does not make the choice. However it dramatically increases our ability to make the choice by highlighting the keytrade-offs.” Let’s take Figure 3.1 as an example. Figure 3.1 below illustrates a real example vividly that how Vanda North (an instructor of Mind Mapping) used a mind map to decide whether to move her business headquarters or remain where she was, through this we can easily find out how the divergent thinking ability is fostered.Fourthly, Mind Mapping can develop learners’ organizing ability in the course of using the given mind maps or making their own mind maps. Actually the reading process is a process to organize various knowledge or information together and the learning results depend on whether it is well organized or not. A given mind map presents information in an organized and easy to follow format, on one page, which is simple for others to read and add their own ideas. Meanwhile, as mind maps have an open structure, learners can add their own mind maps into the given ones so that a new mind map is born. Buzan also said that “Any Mind Map is potentially infinite. In view of its radiant nature, every key word or image added to a Mind Map itself adds the possibility of a new and greater range of associations, which themselves add the possibilities of new and greater ranges, and so on ad infinitum. This demonstrates yet again the infinite associative and creative nature of every normal human brain.”(Buzan, 1993:86) Therefore, during this process of using the given mind maps or making their own mind maps, learners’ organizing skills have gradually been developed, which makes their reading ability improved as well.4 Research Methodology4. 1 Research hypothesesThere are three research hypotheses:The use of Mind Mapping in English reading could stimulate students’ learning interests and improve their interaction with both the teacher and peers.The use of Mind Mapping in English reading could develop creative thinking and divergent thinking, and make students to communicate effectively.There is significant difference in students’ reading efficiency between the experimental group who use Mind Mapping in English reading and the control group who are taught in traditional way.4.2 Methods(1) The preparation phaseBefore the experiment, an interview for college English teachers will be designed to be conducted in the preparation phase. The researcher will interview six English teacher who teach college English from English Department of Shanxi Normal University. The aim is to know the current situation which include methods and problems of college English reading instruction, and teachers’acceptance to new teaching method. The pre-test of English reading comprehension will be conducted between the experimental group and control group under the experimental teachers’observation. Aiming to know whether there is no obvious difference in the reading proficiency of the experimental class and control class.(2)The implementation phaseThe experiment will be carried out in two parallel classes at Shanxi Normal University and last for four months from March 2015 to the end of the semester in June 2015. In the experimental group, the teacher will teach English reading with Mind Mapping, while the teacher still use her former teaching method—the traditional teaching method to teach English reading in the control group. The teaching material of parallel classes learnt will be the same. All the lessons will be carried out according to the original teaching curricula, the teaching content are the same. Both the experimental group and the control group will have English class twice a week. B efore the teacher’s lecture, an introduction of Mind Mapping to the subjects in the experimental group will be give. The aim is making the participants to understand Mind Mapping, and could use it into their English learning. The participants will be introduced to the basic guidelines for creating mind maps, and then they were guided to create mind maps several times.(3)Post-implementation phaseAt the end of the semester, a post-test will be carried out to compare the change of their reading competence after applying the Mind Mapping. An questionnaire for the experimental students will be conducted after the experiment in order to explore students’ perceptions to Mind Mapping in English reading.Reference[1] Brinkmann, A. 2003. Graphical knowledge display—Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping as efficient tools in mathematics education. Mathematics Education Review.(16):35-48.[2] Budd, J. W. 2004. Mind maps as classroom exercises. Journal of Economic Education. 35-46.[3] Buzan, T. 1974. Use Your Head. London: Guild Publishing. 14.[4] Buzan, T., Buzan, B. 1993. The Mind Map Book—How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize YourBrain’s Untapped Potential. Penguin Books USA Inc.[5] Dhindsa, H. S., Kasim, M. 2007. Constructivist-visual Mind Mapping teaching approach and sciencestudents achievement. METSMaC. 357-372.[6] Mento, A. J., Martinelli, P., Jones, R. M. 1999. Mind Mapping in executive education: applications and outcomes. 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