Embolden Your Inner Sketch-noter

Creativity, Comprehension, Communication & Connections

How might notetaking become more active, personal, brain-compatible and shareable? How might we incorporate symbols and doodles to improve listening, better express ideas, summarize/synthesize learning and make connections? Join in conversations and practice sessions to explore how we might grow ourselves and our learners through doodling and visual thinking.

This is a “do and dialogue” course. Together, we will experiment and prototype graphical, non-linear, low-res notes to listen deeply, capture big ideas, make creative connections, and strengthen comprehension and retention of important moments, learnings, and lessons.

We will begin with a quick convo about the "why and what" of sketch noting, share a bit about its impact at school and on our own thinking and learning, then practice and learn together. We will doodle and share. We will bravely share our work (#ShowYourWork AND your school hashtag: #TrinityLearns) and discuss how doodling can change the way we listen and learn.

We will use Brain Doodles from Thomas Michaud (@mybraindoodles) as our guided instruction for the first four lessons. For the remaining lessons, we will doodle in a variety of settings and reflect on what we learn.

At the end of these 8 75-minute sessions, participants should be able to say:

  • I can sketch the basic elements of visual language.
  • I can use letters and numbers as images
  • I can doodle stick figures, faces, and represent emotions.
  • I can use memory boosting techniques including color and mind maps.
  • I can listen effectively.
  • I can show my work in public to share what I'm learning, to add to the learning of others, and to seek feedback to grow.

Learn and Share...

  • Tweet your doodles (aka sketch notes) using the hashtags #ShowYourWork and #TrinityLearns (or your school's hashtag).
  • Archive your doodles and sketches on a Google doc or Pinterest to see how you improve over time. (Please share it with me, so I can celebrate your successes with you. Here are mine: MyLearning Journey for #ShowYourWork Doodles and Sketch Notes.