Significance of Colour Usage in Cognitive Mind Maps to Enhance Academic Achievement

Colour is a significant aspect of Cognitive Mind Maps which are visual representations of a subject to enhance recall. Entire lessons form visual images with key words. Scientific studies indicate a basis for relating colour and its effects to memory and recall. Colour plays a pivotal role in successful encoding, storage and retrieval of information.  Extensively used in the corporate world, research studies involving Mind Maps using colours, in U.K. and Australian schools claim successful results. There is little documented/published evidence of the same at high school levels in India. Sound educational systems but changed lifestyles have joint families-now nuclear, with high school ‘latch key’ children succumbing to dangerous distractions like TVs and computerized gadgets. School children not supervised closely may not perform to their intrinsic potential. Dependence on guides/question banks cause students to memorize answers without understanding lesson concepts. Research on Mind Maps with colour, as a teaching/self study aid, will find potential for application in NCERT/SCERT textbooks.