Spray diagrams show the connections between related elements or concepts associated with a particular issue. They do not show the nature of the relationship between the elements. A spray diagram can be thought of as a conceptual map of a situation or issue.
Spray diagrams are widely used as thinking tools. They can be used in a number of different ways:
You can use a spray diagram to organize material into a basic structure, both to clarify your own understanding, or as the basis for a report or presentation. The spray diagram you create can therefore be used as a tool to give an overview of your understanding of a situation and enable you to share your understanding of a situation as you discuss it with others.
The form of a spray diagram is very simple: it consists of lines, a few blobs and words at the ends of lines or where they branch. There are no arrows. It's a good idea to circle the topic or central idea that the diagram sprays out from. Some people also find it useful to circle other sub-topics on the diagram. You don't have to think about the nature of the connection between two nodes joined by a line. The line simply means that in your mind there is some association. In spray diagrams, you:
In drawing a spray diagram the main steps are:
Spray diagrams can be useful to leave and add to over time as situations or arguments develop or you gain new insights.
Watch the animated tutorial (click on ‘View’ below) to see how I built up my spray diagram of the WWP. If you are still a bit unsure about what a spray diagram is you might like to view the optional animation, What is a spray diagram?, before viewing the WWP example.
Click on spray diagram to see the description of the animated tutorial.
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