We come to it at last, the grand finale to the Innovation Nation challenge! By now your country should be taking shape nicely, with its own geography, language, wildlife and national dish. If you are just joining us, check out the whole series here. For the rest of you, it is now time to complete your nation by creating your very own national sport.

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Welcome to Part 3 of the challenge where we have a double-whammy of activities for you today. You already have your nations, name, flag, map and language – now it’s time to invent a memorable national dish and discover what wildlife frolics freely in and around your country’s borders. If you’ve fallen a bit behind, no need to worry, take a look at Exercise 1: Geography or Exercise 2: Languages

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So we move on to part two of the challenge. You’ve already created a name, flag and map for your country, and now it is time to ignite your innovation by making your very own language. The memory boosting skills of word and image association are the name of the game in this activity.If you missed part one, click here for Exercise 1: Geography

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Brain boosting activities for your children

Here in the UK it’s the half term holiday, and if you’re a schoolchild this means a week of fun, freedom, and hopefully, some family time. So here at ThinkBuzan we’ve come up with some holiday tips to keep your kids occupied, thinking big and getting their imaginations flowing. By the end of the week they will have built up a Mind Map of their very own country; including its geography, food, wildlife, national sport and very own language.

Ever heard of the expression ‘a man’s home is his castle’? Well with the Innovation Nation Challenge, ‘a child’s home is their country’. Through using imagination and creativity this week, you and your children will be transforming your house into your very own “Utopia” through five Mind Mapping activities.
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Justin Miles – Professional Explorer

Recently, we received an email from Justin Miles, Professional Explorer and Educator, who was eager to show his appreciation not only for the ‘Mind Maps for Business’ book but the technique itself.  In this extraordinary blog post, Justin reveals how Mind Mapping has taken him to where he is now and shows how the technique can be used for just about anything. Read more to find out how he’s done it…

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Read on to find out how ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor, Thum Cheng Cheong, has been inspiring students, lecturers and the community in Singapore…

I am an Associate Lecturer for Business Law in the School of Business at UniSIM and the Subject Head of Business Law in the Diploma in Management Studies programme in SIM Global Education. I have been using Mind Maps and memory techniques to help students learn.

Recently, I was engaged as a programme writer to incorporate Study Skills into a new programme: Business Skills and Management. My appointment was due partly to my certification as a ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor and my Mind Mapping experience. I was the lead lecturer and coordinator in this module which includes speed reading, memory and Mind Mapping.

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This week we got an inside look at how those with dyslexia can benefit from Mind Mapping, thanks to iMindMap user, David Matkin. Read on for some first-hand experience of the power of visual thinking…

My name is David Matkin and I am the dyslexia tutor at Portland College. I have worked with dyslexic people of all ages for the last 7 years. As well as working with dyslexic people, I am myself dyslexic. It may seem like the blind leading the blind, however it does give me an “inside view” of dyslexia.
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Kate Eagar got in touch with us recently to tell us about the remarkable work her team are doing at the Tongabezi school in Zambia. She requested iMindMap licenses to help them continue improving study skills and we were delighted to be able to contribute! Read on to find out more about this inspiring school in Kate’s own words…

I am a teacher trainer and development co-ordiantor for Tongabezi Trust School in Zambia. We are an independent primary school for rural underprivileged children aged 3 to 14, the majority of whom live in mud houses with no electricity. The school is entirely funded by sponsorship and donations and receives no government support.

Our children do very well whilst at school and we have a 100% pass rate at the school leaving exams. However, after they leave us and go on to secondary school, our children’s performance slips, especially in Maths and Science. This is due to challenging teaching conditions (lack of teachers, books) and a lack of support.

Our current drive is to equip them with the independent learning skills that will enable them to succeed in the secondary education despite huge challenges. Mind Mapping and ICT skills are central to this.

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Record Breaking

July saw three world records being smashed at the fifth annual UK Schools Memory Championships held in prestigious Keyworth Centre in London, proudly sponsored by ThinkBuzan.  The city of Sunderland dominated the top spots this year with five of the top ten competitors being from this area. The winner Mark Towers was the overall winner, recalling an amazing 155 words, 106 numbers, 21 fictional dates and 16 playing cards, giving him an overall score of 1448.  Mark was also the first ever male to win, another achievement!

The School Memory Championships are always an extremely popular event and this year was no exception! The event engages students in the sport of memory, developing their mental skills and encouraging advancement in their studies.

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Last month Tony Buzan visited Kirkby Sports College in the Knowsley school district of North-West England for a day of Mind Mapping with the pupils.

This followed many months of conversation between ThinkBuzan and Knowsley as we have been watching them turn assumptions about what education should be on their head.

I spoke to Sue Baker, the Learning and Attainment Manager. She gave me the lowdown on Tony’s visit, what they’ve been doing to improve their academic status and what a ‘mentally literate’ school might look like.

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