A mind map can help organize your thoughts and brainstorm for some great ideas. Ideal tool for those with a visual memory, it allows you to see the connections between a variety of processes and topics. A concept map is created by inserting words in rectangles and ovals connected to each other by lines and darts, showing the relationship between these themes. Among the most common, the hierarchical, the spider web and the flow one. Here's how to create one to organize your thoughts.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: First Method: Hierarchical Concept Map
Step 1. Brainstorm with a list of important topics related to your project or the assignment you have been marked
If, for example, you know you are going to be talking about trees, then this word should be the one around which the concept map will develop. But, if you have to write about various natural elements, then you will have to broaden your perspective. To get started, write down all the concepts related to the general subject:
- Trees.
- Oxygen.
- Woods.
- Human.
- Plant.
- Animals.
- Houses.
- Paper.
- Mobile.
Step 2. Choose the most important concept after writing the list
You can spot it right away or think about it for a while. Remember, this is a hierarchical map, so the central word should connect to all the others. In this case, the word is "Trees".
- This word will appear in the rectangle or oval at the top of the map.
- In some cases, you can skip this step. If you already know that you will have to talk about trees, you can write the word directly in the main rectangle or oval of the map.
Step 3. Link the keyword to the other two or three most important terms in the list using arrows
Taking up the list of the first step, we will write “Ossigeno” and “Boschi”.
Step 4. Connect these keywords to the others in the same way, that is through the arrows
- Human.
- Plant.
- Animals.
- Houses.
- Paper.
- Mobile.
Step 5. Explain the relationship between the terms
Add lines to connect the terms and explain their relationship using a word or two. The relationship can vary; one concept can belong to another, it can be crucial to another, it can be used to produce another, or different connections can occur. Here are the relationships between the concepts on this map:
- Trees provide oxygen and allow wood to be produced.
- Oxygen is important for humans, plants and animals.
- Wood is used to build houses and furniture and to make paper.
Method 2 of 3: Second Method: Conceptual Spider Web Map
Step 1. Write the main topic in the center of the sheet and create the branches of the subtopics
This format will make the map look like a spider's web and is ideal for writing an essay, as it allows you to take the tests and to understand the primary and secondary details of the subject.
- This concept map is also useful for understanding which topics are richer than others, as you will be able to branch out more concepts from the larger themes.
- For example, if the main theme is “Health”, write the word in the center of the sheet and circle it. The circle should be larger and more prominent than the others to emphasize the word.
Step 2. Write the subtopics around the main theme by placing them in smaller circles connected to the larger one using lines and darts
You can make a list of subtopics before choosing three or four. They will have to allow you to write at least three details on their account.
- Let's pretend that you have linked the following words to the word "Health": "Lifestyle", "Relax", "No Stress", "Sleep", "Healthy Relationships", "Happiness", "Diet", "Fruit and Vegetables "," Exercise "," Avocado "," Massage "," Walking "," Running "," Stretching "," Bike "," Three Balanced Meals "and" Protein ".
- Choose the three most important subtopics, which can incorporate various concepts. In this list, the most productive terms are "Exercise", "Lifestyle" and "Diet". Write them around the central theme using a smaller font, circle them and determine sub-topics related to them, just like you did with the main one, which you will write around each word.
- Around the "Exercise" subtopic, you can write the following terms: "Walk", "Yoga", "Variety", "How Often", "How Often" and "Bicycle Instead of Car".
- Around the subtopic "Lifestyle", you can write the following terms: "Sleep", "Healthy Relationships", "Relax", "Massage", "Routine", "Variety" and "Love".
- Around the subtopic "Diet", you can write the following terms: "Fruit", "Vegetables", "Protein", "Balance", "Carbohydrates" and "Hydration".
Step 3. If you want the web concept map to be really specific, continue by adding more subtopics and creating several layers of branching
Respect the requirements of the assignment that you have been marked to expand it better.
- Around the supporting theme "Sleep", you can write "8 hours a night", "Do not consume caffeine before bed" and "Same amount every night".
- Around the supporting theme "Yoga", you can write "Meditation", "Power Yoga" or "Vinyasa Yoga".
- Around the supporting theme "Balance", you can write "Three meals a day", "Protein with each meal" and "Healthy snacks".
Method 3 of 3: Third Method: Conceptual Flow Map
Step 1. Choose a starting point or a problem
This map allows you to examine a process and see the multiple options for concluding it. It can be linear or flow from one concept to another, but it can also have multiple elements to examine a variety of outcomes. The starting point can be a process or a problem that needs a solution. Example: “The lamp does not turn on”. Write the sentence in a rectangle at the top of the page.
Step 2. Write the simplest solution
In this case, it may be that the lamp socket has not been plugged into the power supply. Simply write "Is the socket plugged into the mains?" in a rectangle and connect it to the one in which you wrote "The lamp does not turn on". Draw two lines towards two rectangles; write "Yes" in the first and "No" in the second. From “No”, start another arrow and connect it to another rectangle, inside which you will write “Plug the socket into the electricity”. In this way, you have completed a flow of the concept, and thus you have solved the problem.
Instead, if the answer is "Yes", you will have to move on to another option: "Did the light bulb burn out?". This is a logical solution to write in another rectangle and connect to the rectangle containing the "Yes"
Step 3. Write the results for the next solution
After drawing the rectangle in which you wrote “Did the light bulb burn out?”, You will have to connect to it two others, one containing the word “Yes” and another containing the word “No”. If the answer is yes, then you will get the “Replace the light bulb” solution. So, you complete another conceptual flow, because you know how to solve the problem. If the answer is no, insert a rectangle writing “Repair the lamp” inside it.
