Swapnil started his sessions on Mindmapping with Thamarai’s children on January 28th. He conducts his sessions online from Mumbai and simplifies the complexity to make learning fun!
What is mindmapping?
Swapnil : Mind mapping is a visual tool that helps one organise their thoughts, information and ideas relevant to a particular topic. Usually, such information and ideas are silenced.
Establishing a connection between them becomes vital to have a successful outcome to the project at hand. A mindmap helps fill this gap by giving insights into the hierarchy and connections between various pieces of information that one might have, about a project or topic at hand.
How can mindmapping be useful for the children?
Swapnil: I view mindmap as a tool that helps enhance critical thinking and creativity. Children are inherently creative, but conventional methods for collecting and visualising information (ie. Making lists, bullet points, information matrices, etc.) restrict this creativity. A mindmap gives them the freedom to exercise this creativity without creating barriers.
Establishing connections within various pieces of information demands the children to think critically. The current schooling system doesn’t necessarily emphasise on the development of these two qualities. Through our sessions, we are trying to bridge this gap.
What did you learn from the children during the sessions?
Swapnil: The excitement and curiosity with which the children approached these sessions, something that was completely alien to them, inspires me to learn new things myself. Taking on a new activity, something out of our comfort zones can be daunting, however, the response that I received from children reminded me that I have nothing to worry about!!
At the end of the first session, I was greeted by the children with a Thamarai song. This incident made me feel like a part of their community, and it motivates me to increase my efforts for this cause. In a world that’s increasingly shutting off its borders to outsiders, it’s good to be felt welcome at a new place. Due credit for this goes to the team working on the ground at Thamarai, they are instrumental in bridging language barriers, facilitating the sessions, and keeping the sessions interactive and fun.
I am grateful to be working with such a set of motivated and dedicated individuals!