Visual Note Taking

Does Doodling Help You Think?

Is visual note taking beneficial? The simple answer is, for some people, yes. It’s not a new concept that people learn differently. Some people are auditory learners. They learn better by hearing and reciting back what they are being taught. Others are visual, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Visual learners do well with graphs and illustrations. Reading/writing is pretty self-explanatory. And kinesthetic learners are hands-on. They like writing things down, but also experimenting, putting things together, demonstrating, etc.

Since the beginning of time, students have been reprimanded for doodling. (Photo Credit: 123RF.com Copyright: Scott Griessel)

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Since children started being taught in schools, students have been reprimanded for doodling in class. They were accused of not paying attention. But in reality, many students don’t do well even if they took notes verbatim. And in fact many diligent note-takers don’t understand what they’ve written and couldn’t begin to explain what was being taught. The only thing they excelled at was being able to write fast.

Visual note taking, when done right, can be very effective.

I would argue that it is a combination of visual and kinesthetic learning. Visual note takers are not just creating random doodles to fill a page. Rather, they are very focused on what is being taught and are jotting down (via their doodles) the key points of the lecture. The drawings are the kinesthetic aspect. The visual aspect comes upon review of their notes. They will have all the graphs, doodled illustrations, and charts their visual minds desire. If done properly, the doodles can take the student back to that point in the lecture and they can explain the concept being taught. And in fact, studies have shown that visual note takers, aka doodlers, retained 29% more information than non-doodlers.

How do you do it?

Rachel Smith explains the 3 key points to taking effective visual notes.

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TEDx Talk speaker, Rachel Smith explains that there are only three steps to begin visual note taking.

1. Pick a tool – something you are already comfortable with
2. Develop a few basic icons
3. Listen for and capture key points

Picking a tool that you are already comfortable with is essential. You don’t want to take up valuable time trying to master something new while trying to keep up with the lecturer.

Developing a few basic icons is like building a visual library. You don’t have to be an artist and you don’t want to spend extra time with excessive details. A simple stick figure is probably the first icon everyone has in their library and it represents the same thing for everyone…a human being. Be as basic as possible. You can always go back to your notes and add relevant details later.

Listening for key points can take practice, especially if you get too involved in your doodles. Any lecturer would tell you that everything they say is important. But the truth is, there are essential key points and then there are supporting points, examples, and such. Many lecturers frequently go off on irrelevant tangents, which is why writing everything verbatim is a waste of time and energy…and paper. It’s up to you to capture the key points. So even though you’re drawing, you’re still actively listening. You may have to stop one doodle in order to catch the next point.

What if it gets you in trouble?

If your visual note taking has gotten you into trouble, you may need to have a conversation with your teacher. (Photo Credit: 123RF.com Copyright: Denys Prokofyev)

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If you’re a student who gets reprimanded for drawing in class rather than paying attention, you may have to have a conversation with your teacher. Show him/her your notes and explain your visual notes to them. They will more than likely be impressed with just how relevant the drawings are and not hassle you anymore. Of course, you should be able to explain accurately enough to impress.

Studies have shown that visual note takers retain up to 29% more than those who don’t draw.

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If you’re a college student, it may not be an issue if your university lecture hall is big enough that you can get lost in the back. The professor may not even notice. In a smaller classroom, it may behoove you to inform the professor before the class begins that you learn visually and you take more efficient notes by doodling (visual note taking) and that you are absolutely paying attention.

In conclusion…

So don’t feel guilty for drawing in class (unless you really weren’t paying attention!). If you were legitimately taking visual notes, good for you. You were already attuned to how you learn best. Like any other skill, visual note taking requires practice. The more you do it, and the more you refine your library of basic icons, the more efficient your note taking will be.