Case Study – D&T, Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College
29th August 2007
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Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College, situated in Basingstoke, UK, strives to
provide a relevant education to its pupils, reflecting the needs of the 21st Century.
A specialist school since 2004, Cranbourne has embraced alternative strategies of
teaching and learning as part of its advancement, particularly the Mind Mapping thinking
technique. In order to better extend the benefits of Mind Mapping in the school, Cranbourne
opted to become an early school user of Buzan’s iMindMap software in March 2007. This
move was especially welcome in the Design and Technology (D&T) Department where the software
has been successfully integrated into numerous classroom activities and is utilised by staff
for planning and management.
D&T and Mind Mapping
D&T is a subject that attracts all levels of learners. It requires the more able to be
independent learners and calls for students to be well organised, particularly as the coursework
requirement is 60%. Coursework follows the Design process and entails that students complete a lot
of folder work.
Mrs Claire Jones, Head of D&T at Cranbourne was keen to adopt Buzan’s iMindMap software as
she saw Mind Mapping as an ideal technique for keeping track of what needed to be completed over
the whole course. What’s more, the organic and visual approach of the software presented a unique
and effective way to actively engage students in their work.
Integrating iMindMap in the classroom
Since March 2007, Mrs Jones has incorporated the software into numerous activities and has used
it across a range of pupil groups including year 7 low ability, year 9 whole year group, year 10
GCSE group mixed ability and year 11 GCSE group mixed ability.
By and large, Mrs Jones uses Buzan’s iMindMap every time she wants to introduce a project and to
show pupils what is expected of them over the course of the project. Pupils can therefore see the
‘whole picture’ and are clear about what they need to achieve.
Over the course of the term, the software is applied to support students in various aspects of
their work. It is used:
- With individuals as a way of mapping out their project
- With GCSE students to Analyse their Design Briefs
- With GCSE students for revision note making
- To give examples of GCSE coursework to year 9 students thinking of taking D&T as an option
The reaction from the students to the software has been overwhelming.
Mrs Jones comments: “Students have responded in a positive way, taking the software on like it’s
nothing new and using it like second nature. That is the sign of a good piece of software – not having
to explain how to use it.”
Supporting differentiation
Fundamentally, Mrs Jones found that Buzan’s iMindMap software really lends itself to differentiation
as it adheres closely to true Mind Mapping principles and allows the user to control the process, not
vice versa. Although powerful, it presents a simple interface with lots of visual elements and functional
options for pupils, appealing to a variety of learning styles. The software is easily accessible to less
able pupils and those with weak writing skills but still challenging enough for more able pupils.
As Mrs Jones states: “Buzan’s iMindMap enables all abilities to access one of the easiest tools for learning.
Low ability pupils are often visual learners and with iMindMap you don’t have use labels you can use pictures.”
Time-saving benefits and versatility for staff
The software has brought lots of time and labour saving benefits for teachers at Cranbourne. It is used to
plan lessons and show lesson and learning outcomes quickly and with maximum impact. An invaluable tool for
whole class delivery on an Interactive Whiteboard or projector, staff members also agree that it is equally
effective for supporting individual work when used in the IT suite.
iMindMap offers a fast, streamlined approach for capturing information quickly, ideal for general note-taking
at meetings. What’s more, teachers can easily share their work by exporting images of Mind Maps created with the
software and emailing them for information or adding them to worksheets for their classes.
Pupil benefits and learning outcomes
Some of the key benefits and learning outcomes experienced by Cranbourne pupils through using the
software include:
- Pupils are encouraged to work more independently as thinkers.
- The majority of pupils enjoy using computers and iMindMap represents a way for pupils to complete a piece of intensive work easily.
- Pupils can easily ‘come back’ to a piece of work.
- Pupils are never restricted by the size of the piece of paper.
- Pupils are able to produce their own mind maps easily.
- If pupils make a mistake, it is easy to correct.
- iMindMap helps to plan projects like a tick chart, ensuring that key elements of work are not overlooked.
- It presents opportunities for collaborative work. Working in groups, pupils can share ideas and contribute to a group Mind Map
From mapping out the objectives of lesson and projects to the likes and dislikes of tutor groups, Cranbourne school has discovered
that there is no limit to the tasks that iMindMap can be used for. As Mrs Jones concludes: “Buzan’s iMindMap is certainly another tool in my workshop...."