Draft scenario 5

Using mind-map tools to plan a debating strategy on a specific topic, students work in groups and then they compete with each other in a debating contest.

A reminder of the guiding questions:

• How would you actually do this in your classroom?
• What would students actually do?
• What other tools and resources would you use or suggest?
• What would students be learning?
• How would you evaluate and assess what they are learning?
• What else would you do and/or who else would you involve?

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Draft narrative overview (21 June 2012):  Mr K wants students to engage with a complex topic (soil science) while at the same time helping them familiarise with the English terminology widely used in the international scientific community. A trip to a site is arranged and students are divided in groups. They take samples, pictures, videos; some make drawings. Once back to the classroom, students work individually or in couples over a day or two (two lesson periods) on tasks pre-designed by the teacher: in each subgroup, two or more students will analyse the soil using a microscope, two or more will gather additional geographical or geo-chemical information about the site; two ore more will digitally edit the pictures or the videos overlaying their research notes and making a structured taxonomy of all the potentially relevant things that they observed.

Over another class period, a discussion supported by presentations takes place; the aim is to share findings and activities so that students complement each other’s findings without missing out. For example, in each subgroup those who used a microscope are asked to explain to the others what they did, how they did it and what they found, and so forth.

Over the next class period, intense brainstorming sessions in ENGLISH take place. Brainstorming is a critical component of creating a Mind Map, the groups are instructed to brainstorm as their first step. Small post-it notes are used at this stage because the groups can write ideas on the post-it notes and then shuffle them as many times as necessary to create effective categorizations. At this stage, students are required to develop their maps using scientific terminology in English. The teacher provides support with translation; the IWB provides access to the web and specific contents and resources in English.

The Mind Map exercise also allows a dyslexic student in the classroom to fully engage, as the approach helps him structure ideas concretely, while the graphical associations of the Mind Map make it easier for him to process the written text.The creation of Mind Maps in small groups instead of by individual students facilitates a deeper analysis of the topic through dialogue rather than instruction. Developing associations between terms and notions in English helps students understand and memorise words and concepts.

Finally, over a class period, students create digital version of their mind-maps using free web-based software like Popplet. All the findings, the pictures, the videos and the additional information are uploaded, scanned and, in the process, further discussed. New associations are found and this supports even further their understanding and the retention of the scientific terminology in English. 

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