Omotayo Shaibu may appear as a typical 15-year-old student on the surface, adhering to a daily routine that mirrors many of his contemporaries. His days are filled with schooling, diligent attention to class assignments, and maintaining a respectful demeanor within his family. But what sets him apart from his peers is an element unique for someone at his age - an astonishing experience in mind mapping, a skill he has honed for the past 5 years. This expertise makes him stand out from his peers, which makes it difficult to believe but impossible to deny - he is far more mature than many individuals in this field!

More incredibly, he has been a mind mapping teacher for years!

A 5-year Xmindist Aged Only 15

“My name is Omotayo Shaibu. I'm 15 years old, and I started mind mapping at the age of 10.”

Omotayo's introduction to the concept of mind mapping was primarily attributed to his father, Suleiman Shaibu, a highly accomplished author, business consultant, and leadership expert. He exhibits a deep-seated passion for employing mind-mapping techniques to augment his work. His dedication extends beyond personal use, as he consistently conducts comprehensive training courses on mind mapping, sharing his invaluable knowledge and skills with others. As such, the influence and teachings of his father played an integral role in shaping Omotayo's understanding and usage of mind mapping.

“Once my dad was back from travel, I saw him drawing these almost weird-looking images. And I asked him what he was doing. And he said he was mind mapping something that he wanted us to see. And he gave me a book about mind mapping. I read it and thought the idea was good. So I started to practice mind mapping around that time.”

Much as a top-tier seed thrives in a richly nourished field, Omotayo emerged the first child to earn certification from the Biggerplate Mind Mapping Certification Program when he was only 12 years old.

His Enjoyness in the Process

When questioned why he likes mind mapping so much, Omotayo's response unveiled his childlike nature. His joy was not merely derived from the practical outcomes of mind mapping, but more profoundly from the exploratory journey and act of creation. The thrill lies not in the destination for Omotayo but in the journey itself - a characteristic that uncovers the essence of his youthful spirit.

“I enjoy mind mapping because I think It's something that every child and teenager needs. Because it's an easier and more fun way of retaining knowledge, not just what you are drawing with a mind map, but the process of making a mind map. Looking for the right features, looking for the colors, the different aspects. You remember the process. So basically, the reason why mind mapping is good is that it helps you remember a lot of things and it’s a necessary skill for every child and teenager.”

Incorporate Xmind into Life

Since discovering Xmind, Omotayo has progressively incorporated it into all aspects of his life and studies. Whether planning day-to-day tasks, preparing for upcoming events, organizing holiday trips, accomplishing school responsibilities, or developing personal hobbies, he continually finds Xmind to be an instrumental tool in his endeavors.

Using Xmind in his school tasks:

Using Xmind to present one of his favorite games:

Through these pragmatic applications of Xmind, Omotayo has noted a significant enhancement in his skills for organization and execution.

“It helps me to stay organized. It helps me to condense everything within one page. Before I didn’t have that level of organization.”

Teach with Xmind.works

Up till now, you may regard Omotayo as a thoughtful and excellent child with limitless potential and a bright future ahead. However, that doesn't paint the full picture! The final bonus he gave us was that he has been teaching children and teenagers mind mapping and helping their creative thinking for years! In fact, he is now the teacher of 50 students!

“Prior to COVID, we were having in-person classes. So those kids were expected to download the mind map onto their laptops, or their parents were supposed to help them download it. Most of the time they had a laptop so they could follow along when they were in the class that taught how to create my map or how to use all the features. And the reason why Xmind was chosen was because Xmind has a free version of their mind mapping software. So, it was at no cost.”

More recently, there has been a significant improvement in the teaching methodology of Omotayo's course, largely due to the introduction of Xmind.works, the collaborative version of Xmind. This platform has transformed the way Omotayo interacts with his students and delivers his lessons. With the platform's collaborative feature, he can create and modify a mind map with his students in real-time.

The outline for his training courses:

This feature not only enables active engagement with all the students but also makes understanding and knowledge sharing more interactive and efficient. By facilitating simultaneous participation, Xmind.works promotes a sense of community among the students, thereby fostering an enriching and dynamic learning environment.

“For the remote one, it was MindMeister that we used for the collaboration in one of those lessons. Xmind now has its own version called Xmind.works.”

Presenting Xmind features like boundaries during the courses:

We were delightfully surprised to meet Omotayo and learn about his inspiring journey with Xmind. Hearing his experiences with our platform has truly been encouraging. We would beam with immense pride if Xmind could contribute even a fraction, perhaps one in a thousand, to his future success!

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