Using Mind Maps to Develop Our Writing Besides reading m

Using Mind Maps to Develop Our Writing
    Good morning, everyone. Today we’ll continue our discussion on improving writing. Last week we examined such methods of developing writing as reading more, thinking much, seeking much, etc. In this lecture, we’ll look at another important way of writing improvement, that is, using mind maps. We may know mind maps can be used for a multitude of purposes. My lecture outlines how they can effectively be used to help support and develop our writing skills.
     (1)A mind map, or spidergram, is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to writing. It is a structured strategy, which shows the hierarchical relationship of ideas, as opposed to an unstructured strategy, such as brainstorming, in which we produce notes at random on paper.
     (2)Having an organized display of information from the outset of the writing process may help us, as it is more easily converted into a draft, whereas in brainstorming, the random recording of ideas might lead to problems with the structure of our texts.
     (3)Making a mind map should be a spontaneous pre-writing activity. We start with a topic at the center and then generate a web of ideas from that, developing and relating these ideas as our mind makes associations.
    Mind maps work well as our visual design enables us to see the relationship between ideas, and encourages us to group certain ideas together as we proceed. Mind maps work especially well when created in groups, since the discussion this engenders aids the production of ideas, and makes the task livelier and more enjoyable.
    Traditionally, we are given a topic to write on by the teacher.(4)However, with certain classes, we may prefer to nominate the topic ourselves. This can lead to greater interest in the task on the part of us, as well as, perhaps, greater knowledge of the topic under study.
     (5)The mind map strategy can be used to explore almost any topic, though discursive essays and narrative work particularly well as we front our ideas and lend ourselves to discussing ideas in groups.
    I usually start by writing the topic on the board. In the last writing class I taught, with a group of upper-intermediate students, I chose a discursive essay with the title "Why do people start smoking?" I chose this genre as we had recently been looking at the language used to give reasons and explanations. The discursive text is useful in highlighting this feature of English, and in raising awareness of the noun phrase, a particularly tricky area for intermediate students.
    Once the topic has been introduced, we can close our eyes and think about it for a minute or two, in silence. We then have two minutes in which to note down our ideas. If we do not know a word in English, we can write it in L1 at this stage, as dictionaries or too much teacher intervention tend to halt and inhibit the creative flow.
    Then, working in groups, we can compare and discuss our ideas, perhaps adding to our mind maps as we go.(6)This stage also provides the opportunity for peer teaching, as others may be available to provide the English word for the idea that was noted down in L1.
    The next stage, in which the teacher may make a collective mind map on the board, is optional, but is useful for us who are new to the idea of mind maps, or for weak classes.(7)It is also in this feedback stage that any remaining language problems can be ironed out. As our teacher elicits our ideas, and reformulates expressions or corrects, we will learn how to express our ideas in English. Such personalization is said to aid vocabulary learning.
    The map is fluid and changeable, and new connections or subgroups can be made, or branches added, as we make suggestions. The end result should be an organized display of information, showing the central topic, and a number of subtopics and further points that stem from it.
    In the next stage we can organize our mind maps into a linear format to decide the best way in which to present our points. We should first think about the overall structure, i.e. the order in which to relay the information, and then focus on the precise function each paragraph will have in our final text, as this helps to clarify our writing. This can be done in groups, or as a class with our teacher leading the discussion.
     (8)However it is carried out, it is important to provide a context and audience. I told my class, who were writing about drugs, that they were writing for their college magazine. Having an audience in mind helps us to decide which ideas are most important, and also helps us to choose the appropriate style.
    We should then begin to write our compositions, working in pairs if we wish. After two paragraphs, we should exchange our compositions, so we become readers of each other’s work.(9)This allows for feedback, and possible re-writing. Once we have finished, we should again exchange our texts.(10)This gives our texts a communicative purpose, as well as developing an awareness of the fact that a writer is always producing something to be read by someone else, rather than for the display of writing alone.
    Once we are familiar with the idea of making mind maps, we can be encouraged to use this skill for further writing activities. It is a useful technique and often improves the clarity and organization of our texts.
    OK, that’s all today’s lecture. In this lecture, we look into an efficient way to improve writing-using mind maps, and introduce to you what a mind map is and how to use it. Thank you for your attention!