麻豆传媒入口

Unlike conventional note-taking, which can 鈥渂order on the edge of transcription,鈥� allowing students to try more visual, interpretive methods of processing materials helps them 鈥渋dentify connections between topics and themes,鈥� .

One technique known as sketchnoting鈥攕imple, hand-drawn renderings of things like facts, dates, or abstract concepts鈥攁llows students to respond to complex new ideas by engaging multiple parts of the brain simultaneously to deepen learning and retention, says Gobir. Instead of passively writing down everything a speaker is saying, the practice pushes students to actively process and make sense of what they鈥檙e learning.

鈥淪ketchnoting doesn鈥檛 just lead to gains in keeping students鈥� attention, it鈥檚 a useful way for learners to organize and retain information,鈥� she writes. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e actively listening and creating a visual representation of what they're learning while continuing to stay engaged in class.鈥�

back that up: Students who were asked to draw what they鈥檇 learned were nearly twice as likely to remember information than students who wrote the same information down. Drawing wins out because it allows information to be processed in multiple ways, explained 麻豆传媒入口鈥檚 research editor Youki Terada: 鈥淲hen we draw, we encode the memory in a very rich way, layering together the visual memory of the image, the kinesthetic memory of our hand drawing the image, and the semantic memory that is invoked when we engage in meaning-making.鈥�

Here are some ways to introduce visual note-taking to your students:

Rethink Your Paper: Note-taking doesn鈥檛 need to happen between the lines and within the margins of a sheet of notebook paper. The 鈥渕ore rigid structure of lines and lines of text鈥� can bind the minds of some students, while the freedom to reimagine the space can free them, writes Gobir. Encourage students to play with spacing, vary text sizes, and add symbols anywhere on the page 鈥渢o create a hierarchy of information that might be harder to capture in linear text.鈥�

Start With a Little Practice: Not all students will welcome the idea of sketchnoting and other visual note-taking methods at first, so encourage them to start off just scribbling. Artist and educator Todd Berman has students 鈥渟cribble for the duration of a song,鈥� Gobir explains, which gets the creative juices flowing and creates a comfortable setting for the introduction of the concept. Berman then invites students to share what they鈥檝e created with the class.

Develop a Symbolic Language: Educator Wendi Pillars has students 鈥渋dentify 10 key words or concepts鈥� from the current learning materials and begin developing a visual library of shorthand鈥攍ike an icon or character鈥攖o represent them, shares Gobir. Get students鈥� input for the library too, recommends Pillars, so 鈥測ou have a co-created visual vocabulary that everybody can refer to when they take their own notes.鈥� In time, students will develop their own vocabularies and visual note-taking styles independently.

Keep It Low-Fidelity: Communicate to your students that they don鈥檛 have to be accomplished artists to use visual note-taking techniques: The process isn鈥檛 about ensuring that the sketches and drawings look good, but that students find a way to tease out the relationships between topics and concepts. 鈥淚t鈥檚 giving them permission to say, 鈥榊ou know what? Here's the key concept. Here's the key information,鈥� explains Pillars, who says she emphasizes to students that there is no right or wrong way to take visual notes.

Skip the Grading: Sketchnoting, diagrams, freehand drawing, mind-mapping, and similar techniques are vehicles to get student thoughts down on paper鈥攏ot practices meant to demonstrate their mastery of subject material. Educator Sarah Schroeder suggests focusing on grading what is 鈥渃onstruct relevant,鈥� or 鈥渁voiding measuring what is irrelevant or can鈥檛 be measured,鈥� like creativity. Attaching a grade to visual note-taking might inhibit the student as they struggle to make sense of complex material, make them feel self-conscious, or simply be so subjective as to be meaningless鈥攕o provide feedback rather than a grade.

Join In: Modeling visual note-taking techniques for your students can be a great way to inspire them to try something new. Pillars uses her whiteboard and paper to show students how she visualizes her thoughts. 鈥淎s we take the notes together, I will ask students, 鈥楬ow would you represent it?鈥欌�� she shared with Gobir. 鈥淎nd they鈥檒l shout out ideas like, 鈥榊ou could draw this or this!鈥� And sometimes I tell them 鈥業 can't draw that! You want to come on up here and show [the class]?鈥欌��