What are my sketchnotes
Think in pictures and transform your notes
Visually documenting information in any direction on the page, using images and words to create meaning.
Sketchnotes can be referred to by many names such as: sketchnotes, visual note taking, visual recording, graphic notes, graphic processing, sketches, doodles and so on. Engage in the rich process of sketching what’s in your head. Link ideas and concepts to create layers of meaning to your story telling. Thinking visually will help memory retention, comprehension and provide an outlet for your creative self-expression to shine.
Sketchnoting for memory retention
Documenting what you’ve discovered through a lecture can be beneficial to your learning. If you were to take notes using a laptop, studies show that you are more likely to regurgitate the information. Less processing is happening in your brain when typing compared to when taking notes by hand. This process influences how well you comprehend the content and how well you will remember it.
When listening to the lecture content, it’s important to make visual connections in your mind. These are new memories that you’re making and by combining these new memories with what you already know is like knitting together the old with the new. Studies show that just 4 seconds of visually thinking about the content is important for memory retention. Just attempting to visually communicate these new connections will make a huge difference to your overall learning.
When taking notes with a keyboard, contents are transcribed verbatim (word for word)—more notes may be transcribed but with less comprehension.
When using the sketchnoting process the mind needs to be more selective, you won’t be able to write and draw every word of the lecture. But what you do decide to note will be hard wired into long term memory. It sticks better if you’ve had to select, organise, process, and comprehend the information rather than merely typing what you hear or see.
The aim is to introduce a visual processing method to your note-taking. You can then use sketchnotes with any discipline where the focus is on comprehension and retaining memory.
Targeted Drawing vs Doodling
The main point here is targeted drawing will improve memory. Mindful drawing creates a connection to the content that you want to remember. There is a difference between targeted drawing and doodling. Doodling can refer to mindless drawing where our mind may go for a stroll down another lane, that was not intended. Think of scribbling patterns down the side of your book while concentrating on a phone call. Targeted drawing is where you are purposely making visual connections to the content. Sketchnotes uses targeted drawing and not mindless doodling.
Dual coding theory
Sketchnotes include both words and images. These work together to create more meaning to the content. When attaching words to your images, you are providing prompts or clues that create clarity of what you have drawn. Without the images you will have an overwhelming page of uninviting text that you may never read again.
Dual coding theory introduced by Allan Pavio in 1971 suggests that by processing information using both visual and auditory we are increasing our chances to remember. This two-part processing system comprises of the ability to code information both verbally and visually.
A simple example: writing the word dog and drawing the image of a dog together. By sketchnoting you are combining separate representations that results in multiple ways to learning and remembering the content. By drawing the dog, you are also able to add many layers of representation. Such as, what type of dog it is, is the dog happy or sad, what is the dog doing. The way in which you represent the information also stores added meaning. Drawing the image and labelling it can act as a zip file storing a lot of information pertaining to one image.
How you draw is a reflection of how you feel about the world. You’re not capturing it, you’re interpreting it. Juliette Aristides
