Mind Mapping Concept Mind Mapping and Language Learning

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2.1.3.1 Mind Mapping Concept

Mind mapping is the technique used to develop ideas of a certain content. In this study, mind mapping refers to help the students to develop their organization of ideas in speaking skill. Mind mapping is the technique used to develop ideas by writing the key of the idea in the central and it uses powerful graphic technique. It uses the ability from the brain and it also helps the students to use both left and right brain skills. It is proven by the theory of Buzan. Buzan 2003 states that “Mind Map is a natural function of the human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain” p.55. According to Hofland 2007: 12, mind mapping is a friendly technique of the brain to study, memorize, and take notes. It also uses the skills of left and right brain in the purpose of the best use of the brains. Mind mapping has its own characteristics. It is the special characteristics of mind mapping that are not possessed by other techniques. According to Buzan 2003: 55, there are four essential characteristics of mind mapping, they are: a. The subject or the central idea is put in the central image. b. The sub topic of the subject radiates from the central image as branches. c. Branches consist of a key image or key word that is written on an associated line. The sub topic of lesser importance are also represented as branches attached to higher level branches. d. The branches form a connected nodal structure. 23

2.1.3.2 Making Mind Mapping to Organize Ideas

In making mind mapping, the students need to be able to undersand the concept of mind mapping and the laws of mind mapping. According to Buzan 2003: 87, there are two laws of mind mapping; the laws of technique and the laws of layout. In the following part is stated the summary of the Mind Map laws. Figure 2.1: The Summary of the Mind Map Laws Summary of the Mind Map Laws Techniques

1. Use emphasis

• Always use a central image. • Use images throughout your Mind Map. • Use three or more colours per central image. • Use dimension in images and around words. • Use synaesthesia the blending of the physical senses. • Use variations of size of printing, line and image. • Use organized spacing. • Use appropriate spacing. 2. Use Association • Use arrows when you want to make connections within and across the branch pattern. • Use colours. • Use codes. 3. Be Clear • Use only one Key Word per line • Print all words. • Print Key Words on lines. • Make line length equal to word length. 24 Continued from page 23 While according to Hofland 2007: 20, the steps to make mind mapping to develop ideas are: a. Use blank paper to start making mind mapping. Place your paper sideways so that it will not be bumped into the margins quickly. b. Draw a picture in the middle of the page. It represents the main topic of your thought. c. Draw some thick, curved, connected lines from the picture in the middle of the page and make the branches from the picture. These branches represent the main sub-topics. d. Always start to write the idea from the same point and work in the same direction. Summary of the Mind Map Laws • Make major branches connect to central image. • Connect lines to other lines. • Make the central lines thicker • Make your boundaries ‘embrace’ your branch outline • Make your images as clear as possible • Keep your paper placed horizontally in front of you. • Keep your printing as upright as possible 4. Develop a Personal Style Layout

1. Use Hierarchy

2. Use Numerical Order

Source: Buzan, Barry., Buzan, Tony. 2003. The Mind Map Book. England: Educational Publisher LLP Trading BBC Active 25 e. Give name for each of these ideas and if possible add a little picture of each idea. Use only keywords for giving the name of each idea. f. From each of these ideas you can draw other connected lines, spreading like the branches of a tree. Connected lines create associations and structure. Add your thoughts on each of these ideas. These additional branches represent the details. After the students’ mind mapping has been made, there will be many colors and pictures in the students’ mind mapping. The theories of how to make mind mapping based on the theories of Buzan 2003: 87 and Hofland 2007: 20 can be combined with the theory of Koch 1995: 15-20 in order to make a mind mapping which is related to develop the students’ organization of ideas in speaking. The form of the speaking will be on extensive monologue type. The steps on how to make the mind mapping are: a. First, determine the purpose of your speaking, whether your purpose is to entertain, to inform, or to persuade the audiences. b. Determine your central or main idea on what you are going to say in front of the class. Put your central idea by writing or drawing a picture in the middle of the page. c. Draw some thick, curved, connected lines from the picture or point in the middle of the page and make the branches from the picture or point. These branches represent the main sub-topics. 26 d. Always start to write the idea from the same point and work in the same direction. e. Use arrows when you want to make connections within and across the branch pattern. f. Try to write the keywords only at any branches of the main sub – topics or sub – sub topics. g. You can add any colors based on your creativity. On the following page, the writer will show an example of mind mapping. After knowing the theory about how to make mind mapping, the principal and the laws of mind-mapping, the researcher can get enough basic knowledge to conduct the research. The researcher uses those theories to teach the students in implementing mind mapping in the speaking activity. Figure 2.2: The Example of Mind Mapping Source: one of the eighth grade students’ works at SMP N 2 Sedayu 27

2.1.3.3 Benefits of Mind Mapping

Using mind mapping technique can give some benefits. In this study, students can reap a lot of benefits from using mind mapping to develop their organization of ideas in speaking. The students can save their time to prepare their speech, they can get a systematic organization of idea, and they can add or improve their idea easily by using mind mapping. According to Hofland 2007:

30, the benefits of mind mapping are:

a. Mind mapping can save time. b. Make revision become faster and easier because they are compact and brain-friendly. c. It is possible to look over and think over the different relations between key topics. d. It is easy to add the new information to the mind map. While according to Buzan 2008: 6 that “ Mind Map dapat membantu kita untuk merencana, berkomunikasi, menjadi lebih kreatif, menghemat waktu, dan memusatkan perhatian.” It means that mind mapping can help the students to plan, communicate, be more creative, save time, and centralize the concentration.

2.1.3.4 Mind Mapping and Language Learning

Mind mapping technique can be used in all of the skill in language learning. In reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, mind mapping is a good technique used to help the students developing, arranging, and organizing ideas. As stated by Hofland 2007:38, mind mapping is the memory tools which 28 use personal associations to make and is easy to remember the new information obtained by the students and also to visualize in the thinking process. It is proven that mind mapping is a useful technique to master a foreign language, especially English. In this study, the focus of mind mapping is the use of speaking skill. In the speaking skill, mind mapping can be used in order to develop students’ organization of ideas. Mind mapping is usually used in the preparation to make and develop the students’ speaking. Moreover, in the speaking performance, mind mapping is used for reminder of their content. As stated by Hofland 2007: 38, students can use mind mapping to prepare a topic of a speech. In addition, during the task, mind mapping can only be used for reminder for them. In mind mapping there is no sentence, it should be only keywords and symbols.

2.2 Theoritical Framework

Before knowing further about the students’ perceptions on the use of mind mapping to develop their organization of ideas in speaking skill, the students should be taught how to make mind mapping, determine the purpose and the ideas of speaking, and organize their speaking systematically. Moreover the theories proposed by Hofland 2007 and Buzan 2003 are used as the basic foundation of how to make mind mapping. The theories proposed by Koch 1995 also used as the basic foundation how to determine the purpose and the ideas of speech or speaking, and how to organize the students’ speech content systematically.