Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas

When talking to someone or a group of someones have you ever said "picture this"? Nancy Margulies and Christine Valenza do just that in their book Visual Thinking. Visual Thinking introduces you to the world of mindscaping. It is designed like your old grade school workbooks and is as simple to use. Don't let its simplicity put you off though as it is this simplicity which allows you to open your mind to a different communications style. In this workbook you trace, draw and practise the language of mindscapes, and mindmaps. Once learned this process will allow everyone you communicate with "picture this".

Visual Thinking is a book made for teachers who want to help their students use images and words to record ideas in a creative and memorable way. That is why I, as a middle school teacher, find it so appealing. The "symbolary" gives you hundreds of easy to draw images and there are many templates, too, that encourage visual thinking -- that is using visual metaphors to think through challenges, make plans and more. I think you will find many uses for this book! I certainly did.

In this excellent new handbook on mind-mapping as an instructional tool, the authors include how to create mindscapes, easy ways to learn drawing skills, how to create and use symbols, and how to create mindscape templates for developing higher order thinking skills, problem-solving, studying, and goal-setting. Even those who believe they have never been able to draw, will find it easy to develop this skill. Included in this useful book is a "symbolary" of easy-to-draw iconographs that can be used to enrich communication and facilitate the understanding and learning of almost any subject. What a fine tool to have on hand for both teachers and students.

"I was brought up believing that "I cant draw" and I was hesitant to get this book, but I am so glad that I did! Reading and practicing with "Visual Thinking," I began to feel more confident in my ability to teach others using "pictures" that are worth more than a thousand words! There are so many students these days who have difficulties with language and comprehension when only the written word is used, but who are able to comprehend and express themselves very clearly and in detail when using symbols. So many wonderful templates are provided in the book that students and teachers can use to teach, learn,record information and review. Mapping with symbols as suggested in this book allows us to see connections that we might otherwise overlook. It is a fun text, easy to use and well done in every way! Thanks to the authors!"

B

I am quite disappointed by this new book & with the two authors, whose past work I am most familiar with. Having read (& reviewed with gusto!) the principal author's two earlier pieces of work i.e. Mapping InnerSpace, I find this book to be somewhat of a letdown.

It is natural that I would compare this book with `Mapping InnerSpace.' Much of the material in the new book has apparently been rehashed from the earlier work. The only new stuff I can find is the `symbolary' of easy-to-draw iconographs, which is now been re-organized from A to Z, & a handful of new `Mindscaping' application templates in the last chapter. That's it.

Surprisingly, the authors even continue to make use of the same Foreword, which goes back to the late 80's & which appeared in the first book.

I get this funny feeling that the new book has been based on perfunctory desk research & no attempt has been exerted to conduct some real field research to cover new developments or advancements. Worst of all, & sad to say, the material is still restricted to the authors' own limited field of work.

Based on my own exploration, the field of visual thinking has obviously made tremendous progress in the last few years, in both the educational & business arenas. A quick search & browse across the net will give readers a good appreciation of what has happened/is happening out there.

I actually expect the authors to provide a quick round-up (or snapshot) of developments & happenings with regard to new & exciting visual thinking applications across the educational as well as business realms. There have been abundant application variations as well as radical enhancements in the field of visual thinking for business professionals. I am well aware that field research is no easy task in the light of many proprietary methods, but with a little ingenuity & persistent legwork, it would have been rewarding for both authors to go the extra mile. The new book, taking into consideration the prevailing developments outside their own sphere, would have been great for all the readers, especially the professionals.

For examples, the creative work of heavy weights in the field of visual thinking as applied to business & industry, like Jim Channon (large system imagineering with Advanced Visual Language), David Sibbet (graphical visualisation of organisational change with template-based methodology) & Matt Taylor (creative augmentation, with artful integration of visual space technologies, collaborative environments, & knowledge-intensive work processes), to name a few, have not been captured &/or exemplified. Not even in the Resources page. I am also very intrigued as to why the innovative work of Christine Allen Ewy (Teaching with Visual Frameworks) & Elizabeth H Wig (Map It Out: Visual Tools for Thinking, Organizing & Communicating) is not even captured in the Resources. There are many others.

In today's technology-savvy world, there is no mention of using technology to augment one's visual thinking approach. The Mind-manager software quickly comes to mind. Xplanations is another innovative one. There are many others, too.

In these respects, the book does not stand up to its title, Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas.

For the beginner, particularly a teacher or a parent or a student, who is currently looking for plain visual thinking approaches, this book still stands as great work. I would attribute this to the wonderful symbolary.

To sum up my review, I reluctantly rate this book a 3 in the light of my foregoing comments, although it deserves a 5 in terms of useful & practical learning for the beginner in the field of visual thinking.