The use of mind maps as support in medical education

Abstract

Virgílio Vasconcelos Vilela, Lilian Carla Pereira Barbosa , Ana Luisa Miranda-Vilela,Leopoldo Luiz dos Santos Neto

During their undergraduate years, medical students are exposed to a large amount of information. In this context, students often become passive recipients of information. In recent years there have been a growing number of publications on learning strategies used in medical education, which can help students to learn and integrate information. This situation requires a change in the role of teachers and their methods: they will be less responsible for the content and will be increasingly involved in the guidance of research and knowledge discovery processes. In this scenario, the possibility arises of using a graphical technique called Mind Maps, systematized by Tony Buzan, in the process of knowledge representation. It is a visual technique where information and knowledge are converted to a hierarchical, formatted and illustrated diagram, with structural key terms associated with a subject. This paper aims to describe the main characteristics of mind maps and show how students and teachers can use it in teaching and learning processes, contributing to better quality and performance in medical education.