Edit a crowded mind map.
Five editing decisions that turn a crowded page into a useful explanation.
How to mind map
Five steps from a blank page to a map you can revise or teach from. It takes a few minutes to learn and one real topic to get comfortable.
The five steps
Put the topic in the centre
Write the subject in the middle of the page in a few words: “Photosynthesis”, “First week”, “An Inspector Calls”. Everything else will grow outwards from here.
Add the main branches
Ask what the three to six biggest parts of the topic are, and give each one a branch. Do not worry about the order yet. You can move branches around later.
Break each branch into detail
Add smaller branches for examples, causes, steps or terms. Use key words, not sentences. Keep labels short enough to scan while you revise.
Use colour to separate ideas
Give each main branch its own colour and carry it through to the detail underneath. When you look back, colour tells you which part of the topic you are in before you read a word.
Step back, connect and tidy
Look at the whole map. Move anything that sits under the wrong branch, merge repeats, and notice what is missing. Then try explaining the topic aloud from the map alone.
Related reading
Use mind maps to write better essays.
Build the structure of an essay as a mind map, then write along its branches.
Use it in practice
Students
Foramind for students. Turn a chapter or your notes into one map for revision, and open the maps your teacher or tutor shares with you.
Tutoring
Mind mapping software for private tutors: plan lessons from notes, teach online or in person, and share revision maps with students. Start free with Foramind.
