With a diagram, we summarize information. With it, we try to organize, classify and put the different ideas in the text in order.
What advantages come from applying this technique?
- Helps active studying
- Favors attention
- Facilitates an easy overview of the hierarchy of ideas
- It forces precision, briefness and clarity of ideas and contents
- Improves content memorization and the expression of it, because it offers a logical sequence
- It forces mental structuring of content
- It helps in reviews, saving time and effort
Application
To correctly apply this technique, you have to use the previous outlining as the base. It will give you the main ideas in the text.
Besides, it’s really important that, before making the diagram, you choose the type or model that better adjusts to the content of the text.
Don’t forget the following practical ideas:
- It’s really important that the material you use can be filed, this way it will help you get better organized.
- Remember that this is about expressing the main ideas, so you need to write using the fewest number of words. This way, when you are using the diagram to study, you won’t get overwhelmed with all the words, giving the impression that the entire piece of paper is full of text. It’s better if you can see lots of blank spaces with no writing. There should be more blank space than text.
- It’s really useful to use your notes for help.
- Lastly, check to see your diagram does have the main ideas, and that they are well-organized by their order of importance and/or relationship.