Abstract:

This article discusses the issue of the mind mapping application for teaching mathematics. The mind mapping is the flexible tool and it can be adapted to describe most task and concepts of mathematics. Mathematical knowledge has the character of a network and mathematics should be interpreted for the students in its relationships. The mind maps can be help for problem solving, for exploration, memorizing, concentration, motivation, organization, for improving memory, brainstorming during of the teaching mathematics. This paper explores the suitability of Mind Mapping as new pedagogical method and innovation for mathematics education of the engineering students, discusses its possible applications within the field, as well its advantages and limitations.

A pedagogical experiment, whose results are stated in this article, was realised during the academic year 2014/2015 when Mathematics 1 was taught on the Faculty of Special Engineering, University of Zilina in Zilina. It consisted in the inclusion of mind maps in mathematics teaching, observation of their influence on enhancement of the teaching process efficiency.

The priority functions of the mind maps were the following ones:
1. The function of the “connecting bridge“; the aim of the mind map was to remind students of the facts and knowledge from the secondary school. This knowledge is necessary for the topic understanding.
2. Cognitive maps mediated a summarization overview of the curriculum.

With the help of the implemented mind maps students were pertinently “navigated and guided“ in their own learning process.
After creating and implementing several mathematical mind maps in the teaching process of the subject Mathematics 1 we approached carrying out a pedagogical experiment whose aim was to find out if this implementation would have a positive influence on the study results of students. On the basis of formulation of the pedagogical experiment’s aim the following hypothesis was set:
H1: Students educated with the support of mind and conceptual maps will obtain at the end of an
experimental teaching process at least an equal standard of knowledge in comparison with students educated without mind mapping use.

The results of the described pedagogical experiment convinced us about the positive influence of implementing mind maps in the process of teaching mathematics. Students perceived positively especially the fact that mind maps enabled them to bring a system into the amount of information, facts and terms and receive a detached view of the studied topic. Mind maps enabled them also to observe, revise, control and guide their learning process and thus develop their metacognitive learning strategies.

Keywords:

Mental maps, metacognitive learning strategies, pedagogical experiment, new pedagogical method and innovation for mathematics education.