Once again I was inspired to use a mind map in my lesson thanks to all the blogs I have been reading that use mind maps (namely Territoires de Langues and Classemapping). Last week I introduced my students to the classroom expressions we use to keep in the target language. I showed them the video I made with VideoScribe (see my previous post) and we practiced pronouncing the words a little bit, then I had the students sort the words into three categories on a mind map (participation physique/active, participation académique, questions/problèmes) in groups of three. They were not allowed to use English (they could say things like “parlez…ici ? Non, ici !” and some of them even said the names of the categories in French).
This was hardly the most exciting activity we’ll do this year, but I was pleased with how engaged the students were (speaking entirely in French for the most part), and it was a step up on Bloom’s Taxonomy (classifying) from just the normal recall that generally comes with vocabulary when you first introduce it. The fact that some words could sometimes fit into more than one category was the part of the task that I was concerned might confuse students. In fact, it actually made it more interesting, because students had to negotiate in French with their partners in order to decide what one was best.
At the end of the activity, I showed them my version of the mind map, but I told them (in French, bien sûr !) that this was just one version and that theirs might be different.
How do you use mind maps in your classroom? I’ve started a Pinterest board with mind maps I’m finding all over the internet.
