Thinking Maps are a great way for children to organise their information and ideas and ultimately make connections that will help to further their understanding within a topic.
The Circle Map
Thinking Process: Defining in context
Used for: Thought showers and for showing prior knowledge about a topic by providing context information.
Thinking Process: Sequencing, identifying stages in a process, identifying the stages and sub stages of an event (or order of numbers, operations, steps)
Used for: Sequencing and ordering information with major stages of an event and sub stages.
The Double Bubble Map
Thinking Process: Comparing and contrasting.
Used for: Identifying unique and common qualities.
The Multi-Flow Map
Thinking Process: Identifying interrelated causes and effects of events.
Used for: Showing and analysing reasons and impacts relationships.
The Brace Map
Thinking Process: Structure analysis. Part-whole reasoning of physical objects and their parts.
Used for: Analysing physical objects.
The Tree Map
Thinking Process: Categorising/ grouping/ classifying.
Used for: Classifying things and ideas.
Bridge Map
Thinking Process: Seeing analogies by identifying similarities between relationships.
Used for: Developing a deep understanding of concepts by selecting a relating factor which fits both sides of an analogy.