2.1.2 The role of mind map in learning 文献综述

There are three theoretical foundations and the role that mind map play in learning will be discussed.

1) Knowledge Visualization. Knowledge visualization refers to the graphical means that can be used to construct, express and represent complex knowledge, and it conveys the complex and abstract knowledge information, experience, attitude, and point of view in the form of graphic, which can help people to understand, reconstruct, memorize and apply knowledge (Eppler & Burkard, 2004). One notable feature of it is that information is presented in the form of visual form and language, which makes it easier for people to recognize and remember information (Paivio, 1986). The idea of knowledge visualization is changing people's cognitive style, promoting meaningful learning, teaching design, promoting teacher's reflection and progress.

With the continuous progress of society and the more in-depth development of knowledge visualization, more and more tools of knowledge visualization have been designed and developed, and the mind map is one of them. The process of memorizing vocabulary by mind map is also the process of mobilizing the left and right hemisphere of the brain. In this way, students can activate the existing knowledge, and combine the new and old knowledge. Then, the link between the vocabularies can be found and the thinking process of the brain will show up. This will not only enable students to understand clearly, but also to analyze and improve their logical thinking. Mind mapping enables complex vocabulary to be more intuitive and fast to be mastered by students.

2) Spreading Activation Model. Cillins and Loftus (1975) proposed the Spreading Activation Model which links the known concepts in the form of nodes and other related concepts, and emphasizes the relationship between the nodes . According to the semantic relations and semantic similarity, it organizes the conceptions to form a network, in which each concept is a node, the shorter of the connecting line, the closer of the relationship. People can arrange the concept in the relationship network by the relation of coordinate, cause and effect, and it is not a simple upper and lower order or hierarchical storage. Likened to the strong current network, as long as a concept is activated, the current will spread to other connected concepts quickly.来!自-优.尔,论:文+网www.youerw.com

Learning is a process of information processing of the brain. Through transmission, it processes the new and old information to the knowledge that can be understood by people, and then stores them. In this process, the higher the level of cognitive network, the learning effect is more obvious. And mind map is an effective tool to construct a reasonable cognitive structure and to improve the level of cognitive network. Mind map can spread around with the core word and each part of the concept of knowledge is organically linked, which is actually a processed version of the Spreading Activation Model. With the help of mind map, students can explore the relationship between words, and redefine and integrate the new words according to the existing knowledge. Furthermore, people can associate the new knowledge and the old knowledge, structure new knowledge by the existing knowledge, and deepen the understanding and memory of vocabulary.

3) The Constructivist Theory. The constructivist theory believes that learning is a process in which the learner constructs meaning based on his/her own experiences and what he/she already knows, and the learners are not the passive recipients of stimulus from external information (Piaget, 1984). Learning is the process of learners’ active selection and processing of external information according to their needs, interests, interests, knowledge and experience.

The content of constructivism theory is very rich, but the most fundamental point is to take the students as the center, emphasizing the students' active exploration and construction of knowledge. The creating of mind mapping is the process of knowledge processing on the basis of the original cognitive structure, which emphasizes the initiative of learners and the active construction of knowledge. Mind mapping can connect the new knowledge and old knowledge, and ultimately form a relatively complete knowledge system. Therefore, the constructivist theory is a powerful support for the combination of mind map and English vocabulary teaching.