Therefore, in order to increase students’ interactivity while reading a book selected from the Leskit box, we propose to create a shared online (but also physical on paper) mindmap called “Journey of book …(book title)…”. The aim of the mindmap is to work with what they know at the beginning and then expand their knowledge about poverty. The mindmap accompanies the 6 reading lessons that the physical form of Leskit has. The “Journey of book …(book title)…” app creates 6 stops where students can choose one of 2 tasks and add a new concept to the concept map based on the task and the text they read.
At the beginning (Lesson 1) pupils are introduced to the Leskit project and mindmap and are given their first key concept- poverty. Pupils will be asked to write 3-4 words in the mindmap- representing their current knowledge and experience. And then they will choose one of two tasks. For example, one of the tasks could be to visit websites that deal with poverty issues (OSN, UNICEF, Amnesty Internacional) and individually research about poverty (interesting facts, statistics, stories, experiences,…) and put in the mindmap as a word, picture, icon, etc…. and present their findings. A second task could be to visit social networks (facebook, instagram, youtube, twich, tiktok,…) and look for content on them, for example. E.g. if the key term is children’s rights, then type #children’srights into the social network and in turn note in the mindmap e.g. what they found, what surprised them, etc.
Further lessons would continue in a similar vein, using materials published on the organization’s website https://www.positive-minds.nl/ (films, podcasts, kahoots, youtube videos,…)
The last sixth lesson is aimed at presenting the group mindmap “Journey of the book..(title of the book)….”. Whereby they would reflect on their learning process and share their newly acquired knowledge on poverty with other groups. At the end, students would open the beginning of a new mindmap.
This idea is great because it encourages critical thinking and helps students to better understand the topic of poverty. The interactive app and mind map allow children to expand their knowledge and get information from a variety of reliable sources. Pupils also learn to collaborate, share their findings and develop practical skills such as analysing and presenting information. Overall, this is an innovative way to educate and engage pupils in important social issues.
