Using Mind Mapping –>Text
Software
for
Mathematics
The Story So Far
Glynis Perkin
Mathematics Education Centre
Loughborough University
Dyslexic Engineering Students
and
Mathematics
 Problems
 Extent
 Enhancement
 Learning Support
Case Studies
of
Dyslexic Engineering Students
 Problems with note taking
 Getting ‘lost’ part way
through a lengthy problem
 Difficulty in transferring
subject knowledge into written
work
EXTENT
Academic Year 2002 – 2003
Number of Students Diagnosed as
Dyslexic after commencement of
their studies
TOTAL = 48
Engineering = 8
Science = 10
Design and Technology = 3
Mind Maps

Use of colour-coded mind
maps for Mathematics
The Inverse of a Matrix
Using the determinant method to find the inverse of a 3x3
matrix
INVERSE MATRIX
A-1  1 adj (A)
A

0 1 1 


A  2 3 1

1 2 1 


using the top row and applying
replace each element of A by its cofactor
the array of signs + - +
5 1 7 


adjA   1 1 1

4 2 2

T
A 6
det A  0, thus it has an inverse


-1
A =

1
A
adj(A) =

5 1 4
1 

1 1 2 

6

7 1 2

The First Hurdle
 Investigation of the software
‘Inspiration’
The Stumbling Block
 Lack of mathematical
formulae in ‘Inspiration’
Investigation of Alternative
Software
 Inadequate mathematical
formulae
Another Question Prompted
 Mind map -> text?
Mind map without text
 SmartDraw
The Last Lap
 Do students actually want
to use software to draw
their mind maps?
 Staff useage of this
software to present
material
More research needed!
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Clare Trott from the
Mathematics Learning Supporet
Centre at Loughborough who
designed concept/mind maps to
assist her dyslexic students with
multi stage mathematical
operations.
And
Abi James from Computers and
Technology for People with
Disabilities who investigated the
feasibility of producing
mathematical mind map to text
using the software ‘Inspiration’