


At this age there is a steep increase in the amount of information children are expected to access and children with dyslexia often find it hard to listen/read and take notes. I would suggest that mind maps come into their own when children are 7 or 8 years old. Other than the essays I had to summit I did not write a single paragraph of notes in the three years of my degree. By the time I was doing me degree I only used mind maps. I didn’t take notes as I couldn’t write fast enough and re-reading notes never helped me remember them anyway. They became the most useful way for me to record information. When I began my A levels my ‘spider diagrams’ became 'mind maps'. The evolution of my mind maps - my personal approach If we are going to give all children the tools they need to succeed, then mind mapping is a skill that needs to be taught too.
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Often a child is taught how to draw a basic spider diagram in primary school and that is about it. We teach children how to write an essay and how to take notes, but tend not to explicitly teach mind mapping. I firmly believe that knowing how to mind map effectively can make the difference between academic success and failure. As their use becomes more common I am meeting more and more adults with dyslexia who also swear by a good mind map.

I have used mind mapping both as a student and as a teacher working with students with literacy difficulties and find them an invaluable support. However, mind maps can play a much more fundamental role in learning and revision. It is a great way of reducing the number of words a child has to read and write to access and record information. It is often suggested as a way to help with planning longer written work or sketching out ideas. Mind mapping is often recommended as a way to support children with dyslexia.
