Why Doodle Notes are a Powerful Learning Tool

Have you heard of doodle notes??? As a teacher, I’m sure you have. They’re hard to escape at this point.

But what makes them so special?

Pretty colors? Clever layouts? Relevant images?

Yep, but there is so much brain research behind these aesthetically pleasing notes that keep our students focused and actively learning.

What are Doodle Notes?

Doodle notes are a visual note-taking method that utilizes techniques to promote focus, memory, comprehension, and recall. Scientific studies of the brain show that information is processed along two channels: analog and symbolic. Applying these channels simultaneously allows for more effective learning.

Doodle notes to support learning!

Students are actively engaged in the content. From a teacher’s perspective, this is like the golden ring. Engaged means neurons are firing, students are focused on the topic, AND our classroom management has just improved. Try that with your next observation!

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Dual-Coding Theory

There is science behind these “pretty notes.” In 1971, Allan Paivio, a psychology professor at The University of Western Ontario, proposed that the brain processes information along two channels. By using these channels together, learners can better memorize and retrieve information.

• Analogue: Visual information. For example, you see a blue ball. The image is remembered/processed visually based on physical stimuli.

• Symbolic: Symbolic code; written or spoken language. The brain processes symbolic code as a familiar image. For example, the color blue. We don’t typically think of the letters in the word, but instead the color or what it represents, allowing the brain to make connections and form mental images to represent the words read or heard.

What does the brain do during learning?

According to the Dual-Coding Theory, three mental processing types occur during learning and instruction.

1. Representational: This occurs when the brain activates both analog and symbolic representations during the learning process.

2. Referential: This occurs when the analog processing system is activated by the symbolic processing system and vice versa. One activates the other.

3. Associative: This occurs when symbolic representations and images are activated from within the brain's analog processing system.

What are the benefits of Doodle Notes?

The science makes sense. By activating both coding channels, the brain is able to “connect the dots” creating connections between verbal and symbolic information. But how do doodle notes benefit MY students in a real-world classroom?

I’m sure there are many more benefits, but here’s what I notice most with my own students:

• deeper understanding of content

• more connections made within content and with prior knowledge

• allows for a creative outlet

• supports learning

• focuses on the most important parts of the content

To name a few.

Let me be bold with my next statement. If doodle notes promote learning, increase focus, improve retention and recall, and even improve classroom management, one would have to theorize that this method must lead to better assessment scores.

I think that is a valid theory.

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Let me know if you’ve tried Doodle Notes in your class. What benefits did you notice with your group of students? What advice would you give someone trying to doodle notes for the first time?

Leave a comment below!