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Online StorePower Mind Mapping Lesson 1 – Note Taking
Important update
The videos in this series were created in NovaMind 4. While the Mind Mapping information is still correct, there are slightly different features in NovaMind 5, and also the links point to NovaMind 4 files. In most cases, there are equivalent (or better) Mind Maps available in NovaMind 5 format in the NovaMind gallery.
Different people learn in different ways. Mind Mapping can make a big difference to your understanding, memory and learning because the notes you create suit your personal learning style.
Watch this video to see how to use Mind Maps in this way.
An important part of note taking is to be fully prepared. Most people skip this step…and therefore miss much of the knowledge that they could have gained. To prepare, make a Mind Map that shows everything that you already know about the topic. This creates a framework that you can fit the new information in to. Extend the Mind Map by adding branches for the things that you either know will be, or think may be covered. This forms the basis of focus for the new information. And finally add branches for the things you want to learn, so that your mind is looking out for that information, and can ask the right questions.
While listening to the presentation, or in the study session, add branches for the new branches as you come across interesting information. If you can quickly add the branches where they belong on the Mind Map, do so, but don’t stress if you don’t have time for that – just add the branches wherever you can add them quickly, and arrange the Mind Map later. Remember that the most efficient storage of information on a mind map is through using keywords and the association between the keywords to represent the ideas.
After the presentation or study session, link the new things you learned to the existing knowledge you had, in a way that makes sense to you.
If you need to memorize the information, review the information at progressively increasing intervals like an hour, a day, a week, a month and a year, as well as creating a copy of the Mind Map without looking at the original so that you can make sure that the information has really sunk in – make sure you use the same branch shapes and colors, because this will trigger the memory of the words.
When you use a mind map, note taking feels compact and complete. An entire class or lecture or book summary can be seen at a glance.
It’s an incredibly effective way to study, review, understand and memorize information, as you’ll see once you begin using NovaMind in this way.
