Contributed by Emily Golightly
Are you one of those people who finds yourself doodling in the margins of a notepad while on a phone call or in a meeting to help you stay alert and focused? Do you find that visuals help you remember things more than simply reading a written text on the topic? Have you seen the power of visuals and their impact on student learning within your classroom? If so, sketchnoting is for YOU!
Sketchnoting is a phenomenon that is growing in popularity, not just in classrooms, but also in professional meetings and workspaces, as more and more people are realizing that when words are combined with visuals, there is a greater impact on memory, thinking, and learning. As Tanny McGregor has stated, “Visible note-taking unleashes thinking in words and images: students’ thoughts gush forth to flood the page…Sketchnoting says to us, ‘Someone spent time thinking here.’” (McGregor, 2019, p. 7) Valentina Gonzalez states in her blog post “5 Ways to Use Visuals in the Classroom” this: “Research indicates that our brains process visuals 60,000X faster than text.” (2017) Knowing that, it makes sense that educators would use visuals as often as possible to help students, especially English learners, process and retain important information. While it is a common practice to make mathematical learning concrete and visible, it is less common when teaching academic vocabulary and other content material, but there seems to be an emerging trend that is working to change this.
Sketchnotes have the power to take complex, abstract ideas and make them concrete, all while promoting creative thinking. Here are a few highlights from McGregor’s article on how sketchnotes help not only English learners, but all students:
- Sketchnotes allow linguistic AND nonlinguistic representation.
- Sketchnotes give students CHOICE.
- Sketchnotes strengthen MEMORY.
- Sketchnotes make annotating thinking-intensive.
- Sketchnotes increase focus and decrease stress.
- Sketchnotes embrace design.
- Sketchnotes are for ALL grades/people. (McGregor, 2019, pp. 7-9)
Some of the greatest thinkers across generations of scientists, writers, artists, and inventors were avid sketchnoters before it was an educational trend. The sketchnote below shares just a few of history’s famous sketchnoters.
(Image from p. xv in Ink & Ideas: Sketchnotes for Engagement, Comprehension, and Thinking by Tanny McGregor.)
Digital Sketchnoting App for iPad:
While paper-and-pencil sketchnoting works just fine, digital sketchnoting is another option that you may want to consider, particularly if you have the technology available in your classroom. Procreate is my preferred app for sketchnoting on an iPad. This is a paid app (currently $9.99 in the Apple App Store), but it gives you the freedom to digitally sketch and save notes. If you have iPads in the classroom, or if you like to sketchnote meetings or workshops, this may be a good investment for you. Doug Neill has many resources and YouTube videos related to digital sketchnoting that may help you get started. (Link: https://www.verbaltovisual.com/sketchnoting-on-the-ipad-with-procreate/)
For a wonderful page full of sketchnoting examples from EL guru Valentina Gonzalez, visit her website (https://elementaryenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/infographics.html). You may also want to check out her blog post entitled “5 Ways to Use Visuals in the Classroom” (https://elementaryenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/blog/5-ways-to-use-visuals-in-the-classroom) for additional information. Good luck on your sketchnoting journey!
Sketchnote Gurus to Follow on Twitter:
Valentina Gonzalez: @ValentinaESL
Tanny McGregor: @TannyMcG
Doug Neill: @douglaspneill
Clare Mills: @listenthinkdraw
#sketchnotes
Works Cited
Gonzalez, V. (n.d.). Visuals. Retrieved from https://elementaryenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/blog/5-ways-to-use-visuals-in-the-classroom
Gonzalez, V. (n.d.). Infographics. Retrieved from https://elementaryenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/infographics.html
McGregor, T. (2019). Ink & Ideas: Sketchnotes for Engagement, Comprehension, and Thinking. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
McGregor, T. (2019). Sketchnoting K-12: Abstract Thinking Made Concrete. Heinemann 2019-2020 Catalog-Journal, 6–9 (https://www.heinemann.com/PD/journal/2019/PDCJ_Article_McGregor_SketchnotingK-12.pdf).
Neill, D. (2018, June 6). Sketchnoting on the iPad with Procreate. Retrieved from https://www.verbaltovisual.com/sketchnoting-on-the-ipad-with-procreate/
Together4ELs 