Are
sketchy things going on in your classroom? I’m talking about
paper-and-pen-or-pencil or even stylus-and-tablet kind of sketching. That
doodling that got us in trouble when we were in school can be channeled to
produce some powerful instructional outcomes.
In
Classroom Instruction That Works, Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock identify
the use of nonlinguistic representations as a powerful, research-based
strategies for increasing student achievement. Marzano expands on the topic in The
New Art and Science of Teaching, where he discusses the importance of
“providing students with opportunities to record and represent the content that
has been the focus of the lesson” (32) linguistically and nonlinguistically.
It’s
important to make a distinction between academic sketching and art projects.
The point of having students sketch during lessons is to enhance learning by
engaging the nonlinguistic parts of their brains, not to produce a masterpiece.
Much like so many “projects” and “creative” activities we have subjected
students to in school, the important part of the project—the actual
thinking—occurs during the gestation period and planning, not in the extended
execution. Once the thinking ends, the coloring, shading, detailing, and
prettying up is wasted time if your goals are enhanced learning, increased retention,
and expanded understanding.
Scholastic
sketching should be quick, nongraded, and, in most cases, explained to someone
else. De-emphasize the importance of artistic quality by keeping the time for
sketching brief, so brief that even the skilled artists create
less-than-perfect products. Teachers can introduce the task by saying something
like, “I’m going to time you for two [or some other small number of] minutes
only. During that time, I’d like you to sketch [whatever it is you want them to
sketch] using pictures, numbers, symbols, and words.“ When the time is up, ask
students to explain the sketch to a partner, timing each member of the pair to
ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to explain. Allowing students the
chance to explain their drawing has three benefits: First, it connects
the nonlinguistic to the linguistic parts of the brain. Second, it provides one
more chance for the student to review and reiterate the information, increasing
the likelihood of long-term recall. Finally, it allows the partner to hear how
another student processed the content, which offers additional perspectives and
insights on the subject.
The
purposes for sketching in a content-area classroom are varied. Here is just a
sampling of ideas teachers might want to consider:
Sketch
to clarify:
When I encounter a difficult piece of text or a complex, multifaceted idea, I
find it helpful to clarify by sketching. Kylene Beers and Bob Probst, in their
book Reading Nonfiction, call this reading strategy “Sketch to Stretch.”
Whether it’s a series of events in a history book, a complicated set of
familial relationships in a novel, a plot-packed narrative, or something rather
abstract that I need to make concrete, drawing a picture or diagram can help me
solidify my understanding. When I notice I’m lost while reading, watching, or
listening to something, I often think it’s time for a clarifying sketch.
Explaining my drawing to someone else helps me make sure it all makes sense.
Sometimes, my explanation sounds like this: “So, this guy wanted to
marry this girl, but she was in love with this other guy, whose
father owned the company this girl’s father worked for. Another guy,
this one here (I put a bowtie on him because he’s wealthy), who worked for the
girl’s father, too, was the one the father wanted the girl to marry so that he
could take over the business, so. . . .” Other times, it’s more detailed, with
actual names and more previse details. If I can explain it using my visuals and
my explanation is in sync with my partner’s understanding, I feel more
confident that I know what is going on.
Sketch
to summarize: If the goal is not about comprehension of complex material or
difficult text but instead to reinforce overall understanding, sketching can be
used to summarize content. At the end of a chapter or lecture, at the close of
a novel, at the conclusion of a lesson, teachers can ask students to sketch to
summarize. “Create a quick drawing that captures the most important points of
the story/lecture/concept/lesson.” Explaining the sketch to a partner is an
outstanding way to review main points, and because each sketch is personally
created, it’s more likely to stick in the mind of the creator.
Sketch
to notice:
Say you’re studying something that’s visual and you’d like your students to pay
more attention to it, focus on some details, and to commit the image to
memory. Asking them to sketch the image in their notes in as much detail as
possible in the brief time allotted encourages learners to give the image more
than a cursory glance. Students who sketch the layout of the front page of the New
York Times, David’s painting Oath of the Horatii, an onion cell they
are observing through a microscope, the Taj Mahal, or a diagram from a football
playbook are sharpening their visual skills, noticing details they might
otherwise have ignored, gathering ideas to discuss or analyze, and making the
image more memorable.
Sketch
to synthesize: Pulling everything together at the end of a unit is a challenge,
but what we know about learning is that the more connections learners make, the
better the outcome. Consider asking students to brainstorm—perhaps as a class
or in small groups—the key concepts or components of a text, a unit, or a
series of lessons and then create a sketch that shows how those elements are
related. Explaining the sketches to others in small groups provides an
effective review as students listen to the ways others have connected all the
dots.
Sketch
to create:
While writing a story, authors might need to sketch the layout of a building or
map out a neighborhood. When planning a project, teammates might sketch out a
blueprint of the final product, map out the workflow to accomplish the task, or
brainstorm several prototypes to pitch ideas to others. When considering how to
reorganize a room, to organize a presentation, or to lay out a PowerPoint
slide, a quick sketch can help make ideas tangible so the creator can consider
pros and cons of various approaches. Sketching is a great idea generator. Show
students how it can work for them.
Making
your classroom a sketchy place will not only increase student learning but also
their enjoyment. After all, sketching is fun and freeing. It exercises
often-untapped parts of the brain. And we can all use a little exercise, right?
An
additional note: I wrote this blog last night and happened to visit some
seventh grade English classes this morning that were reading an account of the
creation of the world according to the Greeks. The text was dense, with a new
character or an important event (and sometimes both) in every sentence. The
teacher asked the students to sketch out what happened in the story and gave
them 8 minutes to do so. While the students were creating the sketches, the
teacher asked students to explain the story using their diagram, which was an
effective tool for formatively assessing student understanding and identifying
gaps or points of confusion. Students also shared their sketches with the
others at their table and were able to retell the narrative for one another and
listen to others’ explanations. Students benefited from seeing the approaches
of their classmates and were able to add missing information to clarify their
own sketches. This serendipitous visit reinforced my belief that sketching is a
valuable and engaging comprehension tool, one worth adding to every student’s
toolbox.
