Creativity & Innovation Toolkit

Some teaching and learning strategies to develop creativity

1. Brainstorming
2. Fishbone Diagram
3. Free Association
4. Mind Mapping
5. Other People's Viewpoint
6. Six Thinking Hats
7. Visual Brainstorming
8. Synectic Strategies

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping represents ideas, notes, information, etc., in far-reaching tree-diagrams. To draw a mind-map:

• Lay out a large sheet of paper in landscape format and write a concise heading for the overall theme in the centre of the page.
• For each major sub-topic or cluster of material, start a new major branch from the central theme, and label it.
• Each sub-sub-topic or sub-cluster forms a subordinate branch to the appropriate main branch.
• Carry on in this way in ever finer sub-branches.

It may be appropriate to put an item in more than one place, cross-link it to several other items or show relationships between items on different branches. Coding the colour, type of writing, etc., can do this. Alternatively, drawings in place of writing may help bring the diagram to life. Software packages are available that offer support with mind-maps, making it easier to amend and reshuffle the map. They often hold notes and documents, etc., associated with the labels (so acting as a filing system).

Adapted from: Creativity Techniques
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 23 October, 2006.
http://www.mycoted.com/creativity/techniques/mindmap.php

[ top ]