Mind Mapping with Coggle

• Managing information and thinking

• Managing myself

• Communicating

• Being literate

• Being creative

• Working with others

In the Classroom setting

• Coggle account. (Trial version is sufficient & students do not necessarily need an account. Teachers and students can login using Google / ETB account)

• Teacher PC / Laptop

• Data Projector

• Students: Mobile phones, tablets or chrome books.

Online Teaching & Learning

• Coggle account. (Trial version is sufficient & students do not necessarily need an account. Teachers and students can login using Google / ETB account)

• Teacher PC / Laptop

• GoogleMeet

• Students: Mobile phones, tablets or chrome book.

Team Mindmapping / Collaborating in Virtual Groups

• Team MindMapping could be used as a brainstorming exercise to:

  • • summarise prior knowledge at the beginning of a topic,

    • review learning

    • or to plan an answer / essay.

Step 1 - Setting-up

• Before class, login to www.coggle.it and prepare a sample mind-map to show as an example to the students. Show this to the whole class using a data projector and demonstrate its features.

• You could also show the instructional videos shown above to demonstrate the features of Coggle.

• Each student will go to www.coggle.it on their device / smartphone

• They should login / create a Coggle account using their ETB email account. Click "Login with Google" when prompted. Select a free plan.

• Once the students have a Coggle account it can be used in as many subjects as they wish.

Step 2 - Creating a personal Coggle

• Once logged in, students are in the Coggle work space.

• Ask students to click "create" (private diagram)

• Ask students to create a mind-map on the chosen topic.

• Students can add a number of headings / nodes and add points under each heading to create their own mind map.

Step 3 - Collaborating in Virtual Groups.

• Divide students into virtual pairs / groups / teams.

  • (During curent restrictions, paired / grouped students will be in close proximity while maintaining required 1m distance.)

• Appoint a team co-coordinator.

• Students are set a problem, question or topic which they discuss.

  • (Discussions will be noisy with masks!)

• The team coordinator will create a Coggle. He/she will then share the Coggle with other members of the group using the share button (+) on the top right of the Coggle work space.

• Other team members will receive a link in their school e-mail account.

• Once each member has linked to the Coggle, the can now begin inputting their ideas. Other members of the team / group will be able to see this in real-time.

• Once completed, each team member can download the Coggle as a PDF. Alternatively, another team-member could present their Coggle to report findings to the class.

• These answers will form the basis of a more detailed discussion in order to arrive at a solution to the question.

Alternative approaches and uses for Coggle:

• Note-taking during class. Students can use Coggle to create visually memorable notes and focus on making connections between ideas.

• Reading comprehension. Students create a mind-map before class, based on their reading. Coggle also has a presentation mode: students can pull up their maps and share them with the class. Alternatively, make the Coggle map an assignment after several weeks of readings. Students could use it to form connections across readings and ideas.

• Formative Assessment. Gauging emerging awareness of student perspectives. It can be difficult to track such thinking or awareness and it can also be difficult to tease out that thinking from what students articulate. A Coggle map can help visualize thought processes, decisions and connections students make.

• Peer assessment can be used where students could give each other feedback on areas they may have left out or need to be improved in their mind maps. Students are divided into pairs. Each pair shares their Coggle with their partner who will see a live version of the mind-map. He / she may add peer feedback or further ideas.

• Student Presentations. Rather than a traditional PowerPoint presentation, Coggle can be used as a visual aid for student presentations. In a lock-down scenario they can either share through Google Classroom or present & talk about their mind-map using the "Present" function on GoogleMeet.

  • • • For more about presentation mode in Coggle, click HERE.

• Coggle as an Exit Ticket: At the end of class, ask students to map their learning from the day. This can help us to identify points of confusion and understanding.

• Making Cross-Curricular Links: Ask students to create Coggle maps connecting their learning across different subjects. A mindmap can help them make connections across different specifications and syllabi.

  • • • For example - looking at soils across Biology (Ecology), Geography (geological processes, soil formation & Geoecology, agricultural economy etc ) and Agricultural Science ( soil composition, biological & chemical properties, fertility etc).

• Students can also use Coggle to connect learning to real-world applications outside the classroom.

Points to note:

• We can assess student understanding of a topic.

• Peer assessment and feedback can give students the opportunity to improve their mind-maps.