That's sketchnoting? YES!

For the past few years, I have been super excited to see educators and other adults talking about the power of visual notetaking! This was definitely important for me as a student (even though not all my teachers cared for my drawings on notes). Allowing learners, whether in grade school, university or in the workplace, to add drawings to their work helps them harness the power of dual coding theory and the picture superiority effect, the magic of sketchnoting's power. So, when someone says "That's a sketchnote?" it's music to my ears. I love to help clear up the confusion so that we can get more learners using visuals to AMPLIFY their learning.

I want you to consider this analogy to writing. Is a shopping list WRITING? Yes! Is a single sentence WRITING? Yes! Is a paragraph WRITING? Yes! A book? YES, of course! Sometimes people in the sketchnote community, or those who are interested in giving sketchnoting a try, only look at the really pretty, final products that some sketchnoters share online. Yes, those nicely polished, completed graphics are sketchnotes. Compare those to a "published book". BUT, don't underestimate the less polished uses of sketchnotes that REALLY help the doodler retain or demonstrate learning. Some are created quickly and barely legible, like a shopping list. Some are more planned and have some structure, like an essay. All have value.

Just like the smaller elements of writing that come together to make up various forms of writing, sketchnoting has smaller elements that you can use together or separately. The question is "What do I need right now?" So, if you're a sketchnoter, or are interested in trying out this amazing learning tool for yourself or with students, remember that a sketchnote comes in many forms. It takes a lot of practice to get your doodles to be second nature.

Give it a try! Not sure how. Get help from YouTube or on Twitter. Practice. Share. Please share with me if you try this for yourself or with your class, or BOTH! You won't be sorry! Here are a few sketchnoting resources I've put together: https://sites.google.com/view/heresmyspill/passthesketchnote/sketchnoting-resources

Thanks for reading! Now go sketch something! 😀