Mind Map: Medical Student’s Views.

ABSTRACT

The Mind Map is an expression of Radiant Thinking, the associative thought processes that proceed from or connect to a central point, and is therefore a natural function of the human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique that can be applied to improve learning and clearer thinking. In recent years, there have been a growing number of publications on learning strategies used in medical education, which can help students to learn and integrate information. The objective of our study was to know if the students liked or disliked mind map as a study tool and know the reasons for the same.The study was conducted on 56 first year MBBS students after taking their written informed consent. They were taught using mind map of a topic which was previously taught using traditional method. They were asked to write if they liked or disliked mind map and quote the reasons for the same. Out of 56 students who participated in the study, all of them except 2 students liked mind mapping method of teaching. Multiple reasons were quoted by the students for liking mind mapping. The most common reason cited by 34 students(60.71%) was that mind mapping could enable them to study vast topic in short time. With this feedback from the students, we can consider mind map as a good teaching tool for medical students. It is a technique which can be easily taught and learned.