We know that a picture paints a thousand words, but why should words and visuals be mutually exclusive? Hence, of course, many teachers’ love of graphic organisers in the form of mind maps.

This book is by no means an easy read, but it’s worth persevering with. It explains why graphic organisers or, more accurately, word diagrams work, drawing on various cognitive-related theories to do so. (This is something of a drawback if you find some of these theories unconvincing.)

Usefully, it explains why it’s important to use the right kind of word diagram in your teaching, and how to do so. There are copious examples of different kinds of word diagrams, and how teachers have been using them, meaning you’ll discover new ways of presenting information. This is definitely a book to reach for when you wish to convey some difficult concepts and, in particular, the relationships between them.

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