Mind Mapping - Tony Burzan - anyone come across him?

[Beetroot]

One of my children learns differntly to the rest.
He is bright but struggles with exams and now that he has GCSE's looming I want to try and see if there is an alternative.

I have bought Mind Mapping for kids which he is reading and also Burzan's Use Your Head which I will read.

Anyone else found this a good way to learn? Revise?

I am hoping that he will start year 10 and mind map most days everything he has learnt so eventually revising happens as he goes along rather than ineffectual cramming which does him no good what so ever.

[elliepac]

IME barely any revise as they are going along. In most subjects at GCSE, certainly in mine, we have a test after each topic so revise in class after each topic and they are encouraged/told to revise at home for those tests. If DS revises thoroughly for all end of topic tests he should be fine. FOr him to be constantly revising as well as his usual load of homework/coursework etc. may be asking too much. They should then start thorough revision for the final exams somewhere around christmas. I always say to mine even an hour a week from Jan onwards can help and by the time they get to feb half term should have a revision timetable. Be aware though I live in utopia where all my pupils have listened to every word I say over the last two years....in reality they are probably now only thinking about starting to revise .

[Karam]

"Do any kids revise as they go along?"

Or rather, 'do kids revise at all??' Large numbers of students at our sixt form college did no revision at all for their GCSEs before they got to us - ant many seem to think that they don't need to do any revision for their AS / A levels either

[Karam]

Oops sorry for the typos!

[Carmody]

Please could someone list useful references for study/revision techniques that complement the mind mapping technique?

Elliepac has already mentioned that bullet point essay plans and revision cards supplement the areas where mindmapping is insufficient.

Thanks!

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

My father told me about this technique twenty years ago, before it became widespread as it is today. I think that, along with spotting the most common questions from past papers, mindmapping revision notes was what got me a First for my degree. I am a very visual learner, and I got to the point where I could represent pretty much any information or concept as a mindmap or diagram.

I am now teaching DS1 (13, also a visual learner) to do the same.

[ronaldoscattered]

When I was a young lad ( around 15) I watched the very first series that Tony Buzan made on his system. It was on the BBC. I got the book. Yes, his methods work ime but they are no short cut for applied study in the first place. I also teach this method to my own students now.

I might add that there are a few nice blokes I have had the privilege of working with in my life, Tony Buzan is one. (Laurie Taylor is another).