How do we construct knowledge?
I was reading about a concept called called dual coding theory which was created by Allan Paivio of the University of Western Ontario. This theory postulates that when you take in information your brain processes content separately. Information and the way it is presented either visually, verbally or both is processed separately and as you continue to understand the subject matter your brain is trying to integrate analogue codes which are mental images and symbolic codes which are verbal representations. For example, if someone were holding a hamburger in their hand and you'd never seen one your brain would try to make sense of the shape colors and other visual cues so that the image could be stored in your long time memory. At the same time if the person is also saying, "This is a hamburger" your brain trying to make sense of the word hamburger and semantically connect to any prior knowledge that you might already have. In order for you to retrieve this information your brain must use working memory that is processing this information separately to connect the hamburger image to the word hamburger.
His theory suggests that when learners are presented with information that is only of one format they may have a more difficult time making connections to the content and storing the new information in their long term memory. Adding pictures or graphical data to text and verbal information can reduced the amount of working memory required by learners aiding in their ability to make connections and store the information in long term memory. Of course their factors that impact this theory have been studied and should be taken into consideration like how much prior knowledge the learner has and their level of spatial ability. These conditions when studied made a difference in the ability of the learner ability to make referential connections with subject matter. For example, if learners have prior knowledge of a subject they stand a better chance at grasping content that is only delivered by text with no graphical representations or pictures.
Mindmapping tools........... Are they effective?
Going back to mindmapping tools; can they be effective in helping learners that have studied subject matter construct knowledge, communicate information that has been transferred, and make intentional decisions or take actions based on fundamental concepts within delivered material? Mindmapping tools are visual models that combine text. They also require the learner to recall information and make sense of what they've learned through connecting concepts and developing reasons to why they made certain the connections.
Modeling with Technology
Although mindmaps can be hand drawn or sketched, technology can quickly and easily create algorithms that students can manipulate to externalize their internal perceptions. It's more efficient in many cases and can be easily accessed by others when groups creating mindmaps collaborate.
Another aspect of mindtools is the "enforce" a sort of building block approach. For example, let say that students are working to understand a physics formula and are creating it in a spreadsheet. The teacher could give them test data to validate it. Once the formula is done (along with the associated knowledge & understanding), the students could be challenged by more difficult and deeper questions that use the basic model. It's similar to a lab experiment. Once you understand how to perform the experiment reliably, then you can do all sorts of applications using it.
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