Karin Perry - Sketchnoting in School

Sketchnoting in School

Sketchnoting in School

Discover the Benefits (and Fun) of Visual Note Taking

Karin Perry

Holly Weimar

Mary Ann Bell

Rowman & Littlefield

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2018 by Karin Perry, Holly Weimar, and Mary Ann Bell

All figures courtesy of Karin Perry unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-1-4758-2731-6 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4758-2732-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4758-2733-0 (ebook)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To the late Dr. Mary Ann Bell. Without her, we probably wouldnt have delved so deeply into the world of sketchnoting. Holly and I are forever in her debt for opening our eyes to this wonderful tool, which we both use personally and professionally on a daily basis.

Readers Note

T here is a companion website that includes more examples, ways to practice, and templates that we could not fit in this book. Also, the website will allow you to see all the images in color. Visit http://www.sketchnotinginschool.net/ and bookmark it so you can stay up to date with new information as its added. You can also visit http://karinlibrariansketchnotes.tumblr.com and http://karinsletteringanddoodles.tumblr.com for the latest work from Karin Perry.

What Is Sketchnoting?

P icture if you will a classroom with students at desks or tables with pens or pencils and paper. It can be any time, place, or even level, from grade one through graduate studies. There is a teacher at the front of the room. If you could hover undetected over these students you would notice that, whatever else is going on, at least some of the students are drawing. They are doodling. The pictures they create may or may not have anything to do with the teacher and the activity going on. People have been doodling in classes, meetings, court trials, sermons, and other similar gatherings since, well, forever. Petroglyphsimages created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, or carving as a form of rock artfor example, go back to the earliest times.

Listeners, thinkers, and collaborators have always found that simple drawings help them express themselves and help others understand what they are communicating. The chances that anyone reading this paragraph will profess to never having engaged in doodling are highly unlikely. It seems to be innate, regardless of time, age, or location. If you are a doodler, you are in good company. Many famous writers and historical figures are known for their idle sketches. Jack Kennedy drew in meetings. John Keats drew when writing. Michelangelo is known for his illustrated notes.

Many people who find themselves drawing while sitting in meetings or lectures are creating pictures unrelated to the subject at hand. These sketches are often found in margins and above or below the serious notes being taken. They are similar to idle drawings one might make while talking on the telephone. They help keep the listener occupied, but do not necessarily relate to what is said and heard.

Petroglyph

Back in 2006, a man named Michael Rohde had the idea to harness this energy and use it to create better, clearer, and more memorable notes by calling upon people to incorporate meaningful images into their session notes. This visual note taking was something that Rohde found rewarding for several reasons. First, it helped him concentrate on the topic at hand; second, the notes were visually appealing; and third, he found that notes with illustrations stayed in his memory much better (Rohde, 2013b). From this initial experimentation came the practice he launched and for which he coined the term sketchnoting.

Because Rohdes milieu is the world of business, the origination of this technique of visual note taking rose within that environment. Soon people were picking up the practice through social networking and conference presentations, and more and more devotees emerged.

A simple online search using the term sketchnoting, sketch noting, or visual note taking will bring up a large number of hits, many from the business world. As of 2015, there are a number of books on the topic by Rohde and other authors, again with a business slant. They extol the value and popularity of this activity, even going so far as to refer to it as a revolution.

Increasingly the practice of visual note taking has found its way into the world of education. The purpose of this book is to provide a resource for interested educators and students. While sketchnoting examples and lesson ideas are beginning to show up online, there is a dearth of articles in scholarly journals or books about the topic for use in schools. The rapidity with which sketchnoting is catching on speaks to the present and future need for a book such as this.

What Is Sketchnoting?

First of all, what is sketchnoting? Essentially sketchnoting is a self-descriptive term and refers to taking notes enhanced with sketches, doodles, or simple drawings as well as text. Many educators have spoken out about the errors of taking art out of schools and ceasing to require kids to write by hand, using both printing and cursive, opting instead for having kids write online. Too often we as educators do not practice what we preach and have essentially given up handwritten or hand-drawn creations in favor of artifacts made online.

Many teachers and professors are keen on teaching students to interpret and create infographics, but mostly they like to point to applications for generating these visuals. Having students draw a mind map or a timeline using paper and pencil is less likely than directing them to computer apps that will produce professional-looking products. Sketchnoting is another way to nurture visual literacy in our students. It seems drawing and writing by hand is making a comeback (Long, 2017). People who try using the notes as teaching tools and also encouraging students to join in are often quite passionate about the value of visual note taking.

Time is a precious commodity in schools today where standardized tests and preparation for them takes so many minutes, hours, and days away from other activities. In what ways does sketchnoting have value such that it merits introducing and including it in the busy lives of teachers and students? One thing that is very inviting is the fact that it sounds like... and is... fun! But that is not sufficient reason to spend valuable time if you are a busy professional juggling work, family, and everyday challenges, not to mention trying to prepare students for standardized tests. Thus it is fair to ask why you should be interested in this topic. Here are some positive statements:

• It is good for kids to use those motor skills.