The thought of note taking can really stress some students out and journaling can seem like a burden. We have all tried to be thoughtful in the way we present our information to our students but sometimes the notes they take reflect less than what we need them to do.
About 4 years ago I attended a workshop at the MAEA Conference by Karen Bosch, an art teacher, who presented on the idea of playing or doodling while note taking and she was sitting next to me at the MACL conference. She used journals, notebooks and handouts to help organize the way students thought or processed the information that was given in class. By offering different ways to do note taking students became more engaged and invested. Her favorite digital note taking app is Tayasui Sketches.
My students investment in their Journals and notes because they have an audience which helps give them a purpose. They are documenting the process of their learning which may look different than their peers. My students tend to create work that reflects their personality and skill level. Each student grows as an artist as well. Not just because of my classes being Art but rather because their is purposeful accountability as well as an automatic audience. My students create virtual as well as tactile journals. Both require a sense of whimsy. I can honestly say the transition from paper to google classroom increased the students' participation in the Journal Assignments. To see the assignments as well as my examples please click on the links for each class: SHS Digital Photography and SHS Graphic Design.
via photocollage.com
Make sure that student have a way to publish their work if possible. My students have Weebly Portfolios as well as GoogleClassroom. Students can visit each others Weeblys but I hope to publish some after each lesson to help scaffold students who were absent or were still struggling with a concept. A use students Journals as a backward design tool as well.
Definition/Notes already typed out. (Students need to draw what is being defined.)
Fill in the blanks. (Students need to draw the words.)
Collages with explanations
Documenting the process (great for group work with students adding labels to photos)
Diagrams
Start the note taking for students by setting up the stye and make requirements on how much info (linear, radial, vertical, path, modular, skyscraper and popcorn)
Think about giving time to color after they have finished their work.
7 Great Apps That Let You Draw On Pictures
Markup on a Mac
tinyurl.com/ipadsketchnotes
Cornell Notes
Photocollage.com
reddit.com
canva
GoogleClassroom
Photoshop (ask for the Adobe Suite)
tinyurl.com/ipadsketchnotes
Cornell Notes
Photocollage.com
reddit.com
canva
GoogleClassroom
Photoshop (ask for the Adobe Suite)
Supplies:
paper (graph, lined and plain)
glue sticks or liquid glue
tape
magazines and newspapers
notebooks
crayons
colored pencils
pencils
mechanical pencils (tell student not to erase just to come back to it)
erasers
markers
pens
scissors
hole puncher
how to draw books for students (think scaffolding) Abesbooks.com
handout with illustrations
Great articles and videos to inspire:
Drawing
in class: Rachel Smith at TEDxUFM
Linear
Radial
Vertical
Path
Modular
Skyscraper
Popcorn
Radial
Vertical
Path
Modular
Skyscraper
Popcorn
Articles:
The Best Note-Taking Strategies for Students: Teachers and Experts Weigh In
Making Learning Visible: Doodling Helps Memories Stick I Like, I Wish and I Wonder
Why doodling is a habit you don’t need to break
Math Teachers
One student at EMU went so far as to depict his fear of standardized tests by making the following video: No Stray Marks. He was really concerned about the way we as teacher have all fallen into some non creative pattern that was leaving us all exhausted and uninspired.
