Doodle on!

“And when you take the square root of 2547 and multiply it by the fourth...”

There have been times when I am sitting in class and suddenly the square root of 2547 turns into a Thanksgiving turkey. At first it’s all numbers and square roots. Then I hear “roots” and I think of the outdoors. My hand veers to the left margin of my notes and begins drawing squiggles that resemble the roots of a tree. Trees. Forrest. Brother. Hunting. Turkey Hunting. Thanksgiving dinner. Yum! Those squiggles have now evolved into some broccoli, stick figures, and a turkey on a plate that’s been interrupted numerous times when my hand refocuses on numbers and equations. This is not a new phenomenon for me. If you could see my notes from high school, you would see that if the notes were not detailed that day, the left margin would be filled with random doodles. I used to feel bad because I had so many scribbles - didn’t that show I was uninterested and disengaged with what was being taught in class? I learned that these doodles were a result of my visual learning style. There are three major ways people learn: visually, auditory, and kinesthetically, but for now I will focus on the visual learning style.

Visual learners, like myself, learn best by seeing things. Doodling is a way for students to “see” and give their brain a little extra stimulation in the classroom. I often find myself remembering where something is in my notes by what was drawn beside it, even if it had nothing to do with the lesson. Why? Because when I close my eyes, I can see it in my mind. Visual learners tend to picture concepts in their minds and pictures, charts, diagrams, and outlines can help them better visualize those concepts. Color is a vital tool for visual learners. It helps them organize and recall information in their notes because they can “see” which word went with which color. Here are some learning techniques from about.com that can assist visual learners in the classroom:    

·         Draw a map of events in history or draw scientific process. 

·         Make outlines of everything! 

·         Copy what’s on the board. 

·         Ask the teacher to diagram. 

·         Diagram sentences! 

·         Take notes, make lists. 

·         Watch videos. 

·         Color code words, research notes.

·         Outline reading.

·         Use flashcards.

·         Use highlighters, circle words, underline.

  

Even if you are not a visual learner doodling can still be beneficial. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece-simple shapes and shading can help you retain information because not only are you hearing the information, but you are engaging your mind and body as you interact with what is being said. In fact, researchers have found doodlers retained 30% more of the information they heard than the non-doodlers. So doodle on doodlers!

Not a visual learner but interested in finding out what your learning style is and enhancing your classroom experience? Take this quiz and let me know what techniques help you learn best!