Abstract:

The changing learning environment has made it impossible to follow just traditional ways of teaching. Moreover, the usage of presentations or other smart tools have become an essential part of learning process. The author of the article analyses the mind maps as an effective tool in modern learning environment. According to the survey realized by the author mind mapping is not a common tool in a second language classroom in Russia, moreover, the students seem to avoid the tasks requiring more time and effort and including the work on platforms, they are not used to. The objectives of this article are to find the ways of introduction of mind mapping into a learning process so that it doesn’t make the educational process tiring or boring. The deductive method used in analyzing the scientific works on the matter showed that the lack of real practical use of modern technology (not only presentations or interactive boards) in classroom of foreign language may be easily solved by proper introduction of this tool and making it familiar to the students. Thus, the study of mind maps in the sphere of language study is undoubtedly up-to-date.
The article covers the main concept, its history and development, its structure and the basic features. In the process of learning of foreign language students usually have lots of problems with remembering words and making lists of unknown words form the texts they read. Some of them present difficulties while making summaries of the texts or tracing the main idea. Taking into account that nowadays we deal with the IT generation children and teenagers, the search of new effective tools is demanded. Mind maps to some extent help teachers to introduce new words or even topic in the educational process. The author offers some practical ways of usage of mind maps both in usual foreign language classroom and in theoretical lectures. The author shows that the students themselves may use mind maps, in order to classify the material which they think is necessary for them.
The author considers different ways of using of mind maps while working with texts in foreign language classroom and also gives an overview of different web resources that offer the service of mind maps creation. The method of continuous sampling of mind mapping platforms helped to make a thorough analysis of this tool. The comparative analysis of these platforms provided the choice of the easiest in use and more efficient for a Russian learner. The article includes some practical recommendations on how to make the process of work on the text more effective and dynamic and also turn the teaching process into something motivating and creative.

Keywords:

Mind maps, interpretation, text, foreign language learning.