Mind Mapping: Visualizing Historical Thought

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What is it?

Mind Mapping applications are tools that allow students to develop a physical representation, a blueprint of their thinking that goes from the concrete to the more abstract. Mind Maps provide a clear and organized visual snapshot of how the ideas and information are outlined in one’s head. This way one can see where ideas need to be further developed and how all the information is linked. This snapshot is developed and analyzed by the student. He or she identifies the logical flow of ideas connecting one to the next and building on each in a web-like form. Mind Mapping is truly a revolutionary way of thinking and learning!

One Teacher's Experience:

As an educator I have found the electronic tool of Mind Maps to be pivotal in the success of some of my students, particularly when looking at students who are visual learners and mathematical/logical learners. I have also found that students in the special education classroom benefit from Mind Mapping. The tool allows them to demonstrate their understanding without the rigor of extensive writing. It also allows them to monitor their own understanding, and thus helps them continue to build toward metacognition . . . every educator’s dream.

Getting Started

Below are just a few of the many Mind Mapping sites available. I happen to be partial to Mindjet, but click on the links and check them out for yourself.

Examples

Furthermore Mind Mapping can be used in the following ways. Please note: this list details just a few ways to use this tool. There are countless ways to incorporate it into your classroom.

  • Vocabulary development—detailing what the word is, what it’s not, and examples
  • Outlining an essay or other form of writing
  • Viewing and analyzing differing points of view of two historical figures/events in history
  • Developing a timeline of a historic event
  • Comparing and contrasting events and people in history or present day issues
  • Identifying the main event and detailing the cause/s

Historical Thinking Poster!

Date Published
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Article Body

Note: Thank you for your interest in our posters. We no longer have the Historical Thinking poster in stock, so please visit our interactive poster or print a copy. Please be sure to check out our 2011-12 interactive poster, How Do You Piece Together the History of the Civil War? Are you a K-12 U.S. history or social studies teacher, librarian, or teacher educator? Looking for ways to promote thoughtful, critical reading of primary and secondary sources in the classroom? Teachinghistory.org now offers a poster to help you out! Our double-sided color poster features definitions of primary and secondary sources and guides students through the process of historical inquiry. What questions should you ask when examining a primary source? Where should you look for reliable secondary sources? How do you use the evidence you've gathered to make an argument?

Click image to enlarge

Bright illustrations and snappy captions present history as a mystery for elementary students, while the flip side asks middle and high schoolers how historians know what they know about the past. Both sides feature clear visual examples of primary sources.

Whiteboard Basics

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In this video (14 min.), UK teacher Simon Botten looks at basics in whiteboard use, aimed at elementary-school teachers. He includes exploring and using the software suite that comes with the board, incorporating images and video into lessons, and avoiding overloading students with content and special effects.

Though the presentation was created in the UK and features UK students, the content applies multinationally.

Using Visuals to Build Interest and Understanding

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For more information

Kathryn Lindholm-Leavy and Graciela Borsato, “Academic Achievement,” in F. Genesee (Ed.), Educating English language learners (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 192.

Cruz & Thornton, "Social Studies for English Language Learners: Teaching Social Studies that Matters," Social Education, in press.

See Cruz & Thornton book, 2009; see also, Jennifer Truran Rothwell, History Making and the Plains Indians, Social Education, 61, no. 1, pp., 4-9, 1996.

Teaching history to English Language Learners poses special challenges owing to its conceptual density and assumed cultural knowledge. It seems obvious that ELLS need additional support and materials to understand content, yet many social studies classrooms are ill-stocked in this regard.

Here we outline how visuals can help ELLs build interest and understanding.

Rationale

Life, Liberty and Property: What’s the Big Idea?

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For more information

Ideas for this lesson were inspired by:

  • Jean Fritz, Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution. New York: Putnam, 1987. 64 pp. Illustrated by Tomi dePaola.
  • Center for Civic Education. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, Level I. Calabasas: Center for Civic Education, 2003.
  • “I Signed the Constitution.” An original lesson plan: National Constitution Center. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Visit the website at the National Constitution Center for printable copies of the Constitution, other free primary sources, and lesson ideas. You can also find ideas and resources at the Center for Civic Education.

Quick Overview
This tried and true lesson, a blend of history and civics, guides students through a process of evaluating John Locke’s theory of “living in the natural state” as a basis of our Constitution. Students discuss and learn about the three basic freedoms (rights) in our Constitution: life, liberty and the right to own property. Students will “lock in” these concepts through an exciting mix of brainstorming, framed discussion, and writing techniques designed especially for English Language Learners.

Scaffolding with Graphic Organizers

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Graphic organizers can be effective scaffolds for all history students, but they can be especially helpful for students with limited English proficiency. They allow these students to engage with difficult historical concepts without depending completely upon academic language to convey information.

Graphic organizers are visual tools that allow students to clarify key concepts and understand the relationship between them.

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