Saw this tweet earlier
We need more drawing (especially sketchnotes) to enhance learning. That's not just a message for a few artistic people. We can make drawings far more mainstream: having summary sketchnotes at the beginning of board & committee reports & research papers. Graphic: @impactWales pic.twitter.com/DI3UA5ubxO
— Helen Bevan (@helenbevan) November 29, 2020
They say the best way to learn is to teach. That is because (good) teaching forces you to digest and express what you know. You engage more parts of yourself, compared to passively (and often mindlessly) consuming the information.
The act of drawing means you are actively engaged in three aspects: cognitive elaboration, pictorial, and motoric.
My main mode of information intake is still text. I tend to remember more things once I see it. I need to take notes from podcasts and audiobooks, or take screenshots of highlighted ebooks I’m reading in order to “get” it more effectively.
Having these visually accessible notes also makes it easier to resurface or retrieve later.
I have been trying to incorporate more visual elements into my workflow. From note taking (“sketchnoting“), thinking, and communicating (e.g. writing and presenting). I want to admit I have not been practicing what I learned from the different resources on sketchnoting too diligently or seriously. So I haven’t gotten much better at the skill or made any habit out of it.
One of the best resources out there is Verbal To Visual. I think I stumbled upon Doug’s site 1-2 years ago when I was looking for resources on how to get better at visual thinking and communicating. His YouTube channel is filled with helpful practical guide on the topic.
I considered enrolling in his Intro to Visual Note-Taking, Learn in Public course, and Build an Online Course with Sketchnotes, but got sidetracked. He recently relaunched the courses into subscription based with 1 week free trial. Let’s see if I will pull the trigger this time!
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