“A picture is worth a thousand words” English language–idiom.

 

The first week of academic calendar is dedicated for freshman to have academic orientation (AO) in the campus. BINA NUSANTARA (BINUS) University conduct the AO during a week aimed for freshman’s awareness to recognize and understand their life in higher education environment such as the campus landscape and system, school’s teaching and learning activities, curriculum, study skills, basic knowledge of their discipline study and introducing the lecturer. Freshman understood as a first-year student at a higher education institution (HEI).

 

After going through several changes and modification, finally, the world’s citizen is widely using the world’s Gregorian calendar to identify 365 days in a year and dividing months into twelve starting from January and finish in December (see the history of Gregorian Calendar on Wikipedia). Approaching the half of the year, it is actually the beginning of an academic calendar for freshman. Although it varies, HEI adopts the beginning of academic calendar in September that falls as the ninth of the Gregorian calendar, particularly for Tourism study at BINUS University at Anggrek Campus Jakarta.

Mind mapping topic is delivered as part of tourism school’s study skill topic. Mind mapping introduce a graphic technique or visualization of one’s brain to unlock the thinking. Scientifically, academia agrees that concept of mind mapping is a creativity and enhancement-productivity technique that might improve the learning for individual and organization, particularly at higher education (HE) setting. Tony Buzan, the inventor of mind mapping in 1960’s, helps the world by providing a universal key to unlock both potential of the left brain (associated with linear and analytical thought) and right cortical skill (intuitive, thoughtful, and subjective). Thus, it expects to have visualized by either one or two or even more of word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness. Tony Buzan’ s 7 steps guide the performance of one’s brain numbers of thoughts, ideas and connections between them in orderly manner.

7 Steps to Making a Mind Map

  1. Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways.
    (Why? Because starting in the centre gives your Brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express itself more freely and naturally)
  2. Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea.
    (Why? Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps you use your Imagination. A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your Brain more of a buzz!)
  3. Use COLOURS throughout.
    (Why? Because colours are as exciting to your Brain as are images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to your Creative Thinking, and is fun!)
  4. CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your second- and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc.
    (Why? Because your Brain works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a lot more easily)
  5. Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined.
    (Why? Because having nothing but straight lines is boring to your Brain.)
  6. Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE.
    (Why? Because single key words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility.)
  7. Use IMAGES throughout.
    (Why Because each image, like the central image, is also worth a thousand words. So, if you have only 10 images in your Mind Map, it’s already the equal of 10,000 words of notes!)

Contemporary, a technology device makes the mind map concept becoming easy for brain to make sense a complicated subject as well as interconnected a big data within a larger social aspect of the traditional knowledge that useful for an individual and/ or organization management usually find a difficulty to do. The top ten mind mapping software identified by PC Magazine, provide the BINUS tourism’s fresher and the larger audience to choose e.g. Mindomo, which selected as the editor’s choice as well as the popular one such Mindjet and Xmind.

In this sense, when the BINUSIAN tourism fresher is given the officially information from UU 10/2009, Chapter VI, articles 14 concerning Indonesia tourism field. Thus, they are asked to work in a group to brainstorm and capture their goals of learning outcomes towards their career profile.

 

 

Although there are a limitation of time and the absence of technology application, thus, regardless of the basic understanding of the whole range of tourism occupation, BINUSIAN tourism fresher successfully proof the mind mapping concept as the tool to explore their initial route to pursue their chosen future tourism career. Moreover, it is very surprisingly pleased to know and see their visualization thinking on tourism profession in demonstrating their impulse knowledge. Remember, they are still fresher. But, the result as appeared in the picture on this beginning article, display tourism fresher knowledge and skill beyond the beginner level of tourism knowledge discipline. In addition to their considerate of presentation skill, again, with manual and traditional handling, all groups successfully manage to articulate and communicate their innovative mind mapping thinking in front of their peers. Besides, the whole member of the group completes the 5’s tips for a good presentation’s check list such as smile, speak clearly, speak enthusiastically, show respect and say thanks.

Above of all, remarkably, these events open and offer a more innovative learning activities for both lecturer and learner to accelerate the innovative teaching and learning practices in this 21st century HE system at BINUS. In particular, with or without technology software, mind mapping concept and application as an instrument, could assist a combination one’s left and right brain activity to serve as well as clarify the complex thinking of Indonesia tourism business area to help the fresher to speak their perception and expectation related to the discipline study and career. One as fulfil the study skill’s task within AO topics. While the other function to stimulate the freshman creative thinking in the beginning of HE learning atmosphere at BINUS University.Good luck for Tourism BINUSIAN 2022!

Good luck for Tourism BINUSIAN 2022!