Do you want to activate your thought processes, to absorb and remember information much faster? Turn plain text into mental maps. They include logical and figurative thinking in the work, in the process of their study both hemispheres function.
Invented mental or intellectual cards, Tony Buchan is a well-known writer, lecturer and consultant in the field of psychology of education, intelligence and problems of thinking. While still a student, Tony was faced with such a paradox that the more you put effort to study, the worse the result. In order to somehow solve this problem, Buchan began to study psychology, neurolinguistics, neuropsychology, cybernetics, mnemonics, the theory of creative perception, and a number of other sciences.
The main questions the young student sought answers to were approximately the following: “How to learn to study?”, “What is the path to creative knowledge?”, “What is the nature of thinking?”, “Can new ways of effective thinking be developed?”. Over time, a curious student revealed some interesting information. So, he realized that brain productivity would be more effective if we combine its potential abilities into a single whole, and not apply them individually. For example, the combination of color and speech perception allowed Tony to create a completely new approach to lecture notes.
Thus, according to the definition of Tony Busan, mental cards are nothing more than thoughts set forth on a piece of paper in a graphical way. Representation of thoughts in the form of graphic images helps to launch the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for intuition and figurative thinking. And, as you know, in preparing for tests and exams, the left hemisphere, which is responsible for logical thinking, works much more intensively.
To make a mental map, prepare a blank sheet of paper, in the center in large print write a keyword or a few words indicating the problem that needs to be solved. Now depict this problem graphically. For example, to the thesis "saving", you can draw a piggy bank in the form of a pig or other funny animal.
Then from the main thesis draw arrows in different directions, which will end with new concepts and theses (for one arrow - one thesis). For each thesis you need to draw your own graphic image. Various logical connections should be established between the abstracts by connecting the abstract groups with dashed lines of different colors (one color - one group). From new abstracts, draw arrows to new abstracts, smaller ones, and so on until your entire sheet is filled.
When drawing up a mental map, use bright colors, a beautiful font, and catchy drawings. The card should be liked, remembered. Do not be afraid to include humor, grotesque comparisons, funny pictures in it. Remember that everything unusual is better remembered.
Mental maps much better help the assimilation of the material than tables and graphs, as they are more consistent with the structure of thinking - visual, associative and hierarchical.