Reflections:
Initially, I had 'hoped to arm my students with the tools they needed to be powerful problem solvers' and 'celebrate their visible learning with them', and that I have. As I would visit students to take notes as part of my formative assessments, I noticed a shift in my students' math work, and in all their work across all subject areas. They where including more detail in pictures and in words. My students are now taking a level of care that maybe they wanted to achieve but possibly couldn’t execute before, or maybe they didn't know what was possible. In the past, I had demonstrated how to draw simple stick figures, ways to express action, cursive, etc., but showing them some new techniques and some reference materials for sketchnoting, inspired their work. It not only gave them a few new skills, but it gave them permission to make it meaningful to them; it was a positive shift. I noticed students improvising and creating the structure to help clarify their problem-solving. Each student’s notes were unique. Some featured more drawing, while others were predominately words in containers, but all showed attention to detail and care.
It has been more than four weeks since I introduced sketchnotes and my lessons from my curriculum package to my students, and their work is transforming. Seeing this made me recall the quality of Ron Berger’s students work, the typography, and attention to detail I admired. I emphasized sketchnoting as a tool, it’s not a final product when you are capturing concepts. “If you are focused on your drawing too much your not thinking and listening and using sketchnoting to remember material, you are listening to your self say, 'that it doesn’t look like a unicorn' and losing the thread of what's being taught," I would tell them. When students go back into their notes and add drawings or clarity that's when it's okay to fuss over the details. Everyone’s work had a personal style and some topics were messy, and others were meticulous, but the unifying thread was evidence of the effort to use marks to show all the numbers explored. The results filled the pages with delicious math. Students ask, "can I sketchnote?" when we are going to respond to reading or listen to a read aloud. Yes.
Personally:
Throughout my research, I not only learned the value of sketchnotes, but I also saw myself in Rachel Smith and Sunni Brown’s TED videos. They also got in trouble for drawing in class, and this was my main source of friction with my teachers until college. I longed to have my teachers know the value of sketching in class, instead of giving my detention(s). I have changed and how I approach taking notes for anything now. I have always drawn in my notes, but this project invigorated my pages. I look forward to meetings because I can take notes this way. I want to listen to TED talks or plan for unit lessons so that I can sketchnote. Some of my sketchnotes have been retweeted by Jo Boaler and George Couros, to name a few, which makes me giddy to think about.
Sketchnoting has also revitalized my planning time. I feel more creative and rejuvenated, and I like to make quick and easy visual examples for my students. This is my first year at this grade level, but I see that once this year’s students emulate my examples, I have mentor texts/samples for next year that put mine to shame.
If you want to try sketchnotes there are resources in the appendices link for inspiration, and begin adding tools to your visual library to teach:
Enjoy.
Initially, I had 'hoped to arm my students with the tools they needed to be powerful problem solvers' and 'celebrate their visible learning with them', and that I have. As I would visit students to take notes as part of my formative assessments, I noticed a shift in my students' math work, and in all their work across all subject areas. They where including more detail in pictures and in words. My students are now taking a level of care that maybe they wanted to achieve but possibly couldn’t execute before, or maybe they didn't know what was possible. In the past, I had demonstrated how to draw simple stick figures, ways to express action, cursive, etc., but showing them some new techniques and some reference materials for sketchnoting, inspired their work. It not only gave them a few new skills, but it gave them permission to make it meaningful to them; it was a positive shift. I noticed students improvising and creating the structure to help clarify their problem-solving. Each student’s notes were unique. Some featured more drawing, while others were predominately words in containers, but all showed attention to detail and care.
It has been more than four weeks since I introduced sketchnotes and my lessons from my curriculum package to my students, and their work is transforming. Seeing this made me recall the quality of Ron Berger’s students work, the typography, and attention to detail I admired. I emphasized sketchnoting as a tool, it’s not a final product when you are capturing concepts. “If you are focused on your drawing too much your not thinking and listening and using sketchnoting to remember material, you are listening to your self say, 'that it doesn’t look like a unicorn' and losing the thread of what's being taught," I would tell them. When students go back into their notes and add drawings or clarity that's when it's okay to fuss over the details. Everyone’s work had a personal style and some topics were messy, and others were meticulous, but the unifying thread was evidence of the effort to use marks to show all the numbers explored. The results filled the pages with delicious math. Students ask, "can I sketchnote?" when we are going to respond to reading or listen to a read aloud. Yes.
Personally:
Throughout my research, I not only learned the value of sketchnotes, but I also saw myself in Rachel Smith and Sunni Brown’s TED videos. They also got in trouble for drawing in class, and this was my main source of friction with my teachers until college. I longed to have my teachers know the value of sketching in class, instead of giving my detention(s). I have changed and how I approach taking notes for anything now. I have always drawn in my notes, but this project invigorated my pages. I look forward to meetings because I can take notes this way. I want to listen to TED talks or plan for unit lessons so that I can sketchnote. Some of my sketchnotes have been retweeted by Jo Boaler and George Couros, to name a few, which makes me giddy to think about.
Sketchnoting has also revitalized my planning time. I feel more creative and rejuvenated, and I like to make quick and easy visual examples for my students. This is my first year at this grade level, but I see that once this year’s students emulate my examples, I have mentor texts/samples for next year that put mine to shame.
If you want to try sketchnotes there are resources in the appendices link for inspiration, and begin adding tools to your visual library to teach:
- copy, keep it simple
- remember content matters more than prefection
- advanced practice of icons or containers or structure/separators will free-up mental energy for synthesizing
Enjoy.