The Magic Visual Notetaking and Doodle Notes: Breathing Life into Classrooms

Learn how to use visual notetaking and doodle notes to breathe life back into your classroom. Keep reading; there is a FREE visual notetaking resource below.

Visual Notetaking is FUN for Students

If you find your students doodling on the sides of their notes during lessons, hold that thought. These whimsical sketches might seem like distractions, but they can actually be powerful learning tools. Welcome to the fantastic world of doodle notes and graphic notetaking - a fun language that can breathe new life into your classrooms.

Graphic notetaking works for students at all grade levels and all subject areas too!

Whether you call it visual notetaking, doodle notes, sketch notes, graphic notes, etc., creating a visually stimulating classroom environment can be an effective technique for engaging students. Doodle notes and graphic notetaking offer an innovative approach to learning that combines traditional notetaking with creativity, stimulating both hemispheres of the brain.

Why Doodle Notes and Visual Notetaking?

The answer is surprisingly straightforward. When students are encouraged to create visuals to represent concepts, it helps their understanding and retention. A study by Pfenninger and Shubik (2017) concluded that students who learn by doodling remember more information and show higher levels of engagement than those who don’t.

So, doodle notes and graphic notetaking aren't just fun; they're scientifically sound.

Lights, Colors, Action!

Ready to get started? Hand your students a doodle notes printables and encourage them to sketch as you teach. Students can use different colors, shapes, cartoons, and anything else that fits their imagination and creativity. Whether you are teaching how to find the main idea or Pythagoras' theorem, let your kiddos illustrate the processes in a way that makes sense to them.

One Size Does Not Fit All

We know every student learns differently, so allow your learners the flexibility to illustrate their notes in a way that suits them best. Some may prefer flowcharts, others may lean towards mind maps, and some might sketch comic strips. Let them explore different graphic notetaking and doodling styles until they discover what works best for them.

Information Interpretation

Please encourage students to write short, snappy keyword descriptions or captions next to their images to enhance their language skills. Doodle notes enable students to translate the spoken word into visual language, which aids in comprehension, assimilation, and recall of information.

All in the Name of Fun - FREEBIE Below

Most importantly, keep it light and fun. Graphic note-taking should be an enjoyable creative process, not a chore. Encourage humor, wild imagination, and free expression. Let the doodle notes be a unique reflection of the students’ personalities and understanding.

When incorporated effectively in the classroom, doodle notes and graphic note-taking can make lessons more engaging, interactive, and memorable. Foster this fun language in your teaching magic bag, spark creativity, and watch how your students absorb lessons more effectively.

Remember, every doodle or sketch is a meaningful interpretation of a concept. So, the next time you see a student shading a corner of their paper or sketching a figure, know they are probably onto something extraordinary.

FREE Version of Visual Notetaking Resource.

50 Visual Notetaking Printables.

All the best! - Jen