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Strategy Submission

Mind Mapping: An Active Classroom Learning Strategy

Author:

Annemarie Rosciano

DNP, MSN, MPA, APRN, ANP-C

Title:

Clinical Assistant Professor

Coauthors:

Frances Cherkis DHSc, RN, CNE Farmingdale State College

Institution:

Stony Brook University

Email:

Competency Categories:

Evidence-Based Practice, Teamwork and Collaboration

Learner Level(s):

Graduate Students, Pre-Licensure ADN/Diploma, Pre-Licensure BSN, RN to BSN

Learner Setting(s):

Classroom, Clinical Setting

Strategy Type:

General Strategy

Learning Objectives:

The student will: 1. Apply the use of a variety of nursing practices as components of the mind map. 2. Synthesizes a mind map using the Student’s Self-Assessment Instructional Rubric. 3. Establish effective collaborative relationships in a teamwork environment. 4. Acknowledge their own potential to contribute to effective team functioning.

Strategy Overview:

The purpose of this in-class mind mapping activity is to introduce nursing students in a nursing course to explore a variety of concepts of nurses’ ways of knowing in professional practice in a collaborative learning and teamwork environment. Students come to class prepared to synthesize a mind map after completing assigned readings, viewing a mind map You-Tube video, and reviewing the student self-assessment instructional rubric for the activity. Discussion of what mind mapping is and its implementation is facilitated by the instructor at the beginning of the class to ensure students understand this creative activity. A three step collaborative structure is used to illustrate the concept of critical thinking (or substitute any assigned course concept): (1) formulating groups, (2) sharing ideas related to critical thinking, and (3) developing a mind map. (Note: Critical Thinking was chosen as an exemplar from one of many concepts used by nurses as a way of knowing in clinical practice). Students work in teams of 5-6 to create a mind map reflective of what thoughts and actions are essential components of critical thinking used by nurses during their daily clinical practice. Each team is instructed to reflect silently about the posed query. Next, the students exchange thoughts, shared responses within their groups, and lastly share the synthesis of their mind maps with the class. Each team synthesizes a mind map on a 36x48 Post-it paper. The central concept, critical thinking is placed in the center of the Post-it paper and the team works outward from this focus to create a mind map incorporating safe evidence-based practices. Forty-five minutes is provided for the activity and 10 minutes for each group’s presentation and summative assessment by the instructor. The use of mind mapping activity allows varying levels of nursing students to develop an understanding of critical thinking (or the assigned nursing concept) using a collaborative team approach. This activity allows students to reflect and share effective safe quality clinical practices. Bulleted steps for the Mind Map Activity • •Students are to complete the reading assignment and video prior to coming to class (link below). • A brief discussion occurs about the assigned topic for concept of choice (exemplar: uses critical thinking). • The day of creating the mind map, students review the following video as a class. This is to reinforce the process of mind mapping. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWV0XN7K1g • The instructor initiates a short discussion about mind mapping, encouraging feedback from the students to determine their understanding of the activity. • Formative (while in groups) and summative (class discussion) classroom assessment techniques are implemented for this strategy. • Upon completion of the activity the instructor facilitates team(s) discussion. The teams share the chosen concept related to ways of knowing used in their mind map based. • Materials for activity: markers, crayons, Post-it paper. • After completion discuss the mind maps as a group and identify commonalities based upon the central nursing concept. • Materials for activity: markers, crayons, Post-it paper. How Mind Mapping Contributes to Patient Safety: Although the effect of mind mapping is indirect, it has the potential to have significant value on the patient’s wellbeing and safety executed by nursing students. The synthesis of a mind map using the concept of critical thinking promotes the nursing student to problem solve, to reason, to think in a systematic way when making clinical decisions. Thinking critically and in a logical manner, which can be illustrated in a mind map, enables the nursing student to reflect how to appropriately use the reasoning process and what should be considered in this process to ensure the delivery of safe nursing practice and quality care.

Submitted Materials:

1-s2.0-S1557308715000050-main-Mind-Mapping-4.15.pdf - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EnuS4KywbSsSoi0-igh5UJZf0HEQ1P2Z&usp=drive_copy

Mind-Mapping-Student-Evaluation-Questionnaire-Revised-4.14-Rosciano.pdf - https://drive.google.com/open?id=17zEoqVlT5WZbQiyeTtag7zJQYy0MnxJB&usp=drive_copy

Additional Materials:

1. Mind map article/readings related to concept- reading assignment
2. You-Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWV0XN7K1g
3. Student Self-Assessment Instructional Rubric
Adapted from: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
This is a free website that allows teachers to create and edit rubrics.
4. Mind mapping Student Questionnaire

Evaluation Description:

(A) Instructional rubric. The instructional rubric has three purposes: (1) to guide the team in their synthesis of the mind map, (2) to provide the team with the opportunity to achieve a level of proficiency for this activity, (3) to evaluate how well the team implemented the activity. The rubric can be used by faculty to grade the activity. (B) Formative assessment conducted by faculty as the team engages in creating the mind map. (C) Mind Mapping Student Questionnaire is voluntary, anonymous and used to evaluate the teams learning experience and faculty can realize the value of the activity. (D) Summative assessment provides the opportunity for the teams to share their mind maps and the identified evidence-based clinical practices with their peers.
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