Rachel Burnham writes: I think paper & pen can enhance the effectiveness of digital learning and particularly virtual learning sessions. I have been experimenting with the use of drawing-based activities over the last few months, as most formal learning, whether in the workplace or in education, has moved into the digital sphere.
Whilst many in
Learning & Development were already using webinar technology, elearning and
other digital technologies such as video and podcasts (or at least some of
these); for others in L&D, it has been a major shift. I have been using a range of webinar
technologies for live online learning, as part of my practice, for many
years. As fellow professionals have
been discovering, there is a whole skill set to designing and delivering
effective learning using webinar based technology. As a Sketchnoter myself, I have been testing out how we can use drawing for more than just a fun element to enable effective
learning within live online sessions.
I am, of course,
always keen to encourage the creation of Sketchnotes by individuals to aid
their own learning and thinking (see previous blogs on this subject and I offer
workshops to help people get started in doing this). However, I also wanted to explore the how and
why of using very simple drawing based activities that any L&D professional
could incorporate into their sessions.
I think drawing-based
activities offer the following five benefits for learning designers and
facilitators:
·
They
can add a wider range of options for learning activities beyond the standard polls,
chat and whiteboard activities and thus enable online learning to be more
tailored for the particular topic and impact required.
·
They
bring a hands-on tactile element to a session that can enable a session to
standout as more memorable from multiple online sessions, plus give time away
from the screen within a session, both of which can contribute to reducing the
digital screen or ‘Zoom’ fatigue that many experience.
·
They
provide an opportunities for activities that are learner-centred rather than
instructional eg asking participants to map out their own understanding of a process
or illustrate a concept. This can be
used to create more challenging recap activities, or activities that tease out deep
understanding and enable more personal sense-making.
·
They
often have the effect of slowing things down and getting participants to think
more deeply, which is great for encouraging reflection and application of
learning. Drawing often makes use of observation in order to draw a physical
object, process, or even our own behaviour – it requires us to slow down and pay
attention to ‘what is’, rather than what we think there is. It can help us to
notice how things are working currently and provide space to look at what we
can do differently.
·
They
can enable different voices to be expressed and new insights gained. Often
drawing something out, will help us to see something differently and give us a
fresh insight. Drawing-based activities can enable some individuals to express
themselves more clearly than other more traditional online activities. Whilst there is a concern that not all
participants may feel comfortable drawing or may feel excluded by a lack of
skill, I think that often we don’t recognise that some voices are silenced or
muted by the tools we currently use – not everyone is comfortable speaking up
over the microphone in the free for all of a Zoom, not everyone is comfortable
typing comments into a chat panel eg because of dyslexia.
For example, imagine encouraging
a verbal discussion of what ‘leadership’ involves or facilitating a whiteboard
activity to record points on the same topic or inviting people to each draw a
picture using metaphors of what ‘leadership’ involves, which are then shared
and discussed. The latter often enables
different people to express a range of more thoughtful and nuanced ideas,
providing the basis for richer learning.
Considerations
I want to be very
clear – this is not about learning styles.
Whilst individuals do seem to have preferences for how they learn, there
is no evidence to support the idea that using different types of activities to
match individual preferences improves the effectiveness of the learning.
In contrast there is
evidence from studies into Dual Coding (see my earlier blog) that the
combination of words and pictures used effectively can be a helpful tool in
learning for all people.
Secondly, many people
feel that they can’t draw or simply haven’t drawn since they were a child and
feel uncomfortable drawing. You don’t
need to be an artist to either facilitate these sorts of activities or
participate in them – the sorts of activities I have in mind are based upon the
simplest of drawing – neither art nor even illustration. You can reassure
participants that it is definitely not about the quality of the pictures.
The best way to
encourage participants to have a go at a drawing-based activity is to be
comfortable with it yourself. Practice drawing in preparation. Keep the activities simple, be positive &
encouraging and focus on facilitating the learning from the activity.
I think getting
comfortable with using drawing-based activities within online learning sessions
is a great addition to any L&D professionals’ toolkit. Why not give it a go yourself?
Rachel Burnham
29 January 2021
For further support
If you would like to
explore the use of drawing-based activities but would like some support in
getting started, why not sign up for my new short programme ‘The Power of Paper
& Pen in Digital Learning’? I have
designed a series of ‘pick-up and use’ drawing-based activities that can be
adapted for use in many different contexts – this session will enable you to
have a go at them and explore how they can be used. Follow this link to find out more & book
a place.
I help individuals and organisations to work and learn more effectively, particularly though using the tools of Sketchnoting and the curation of resources. I make use of Sketchnoting to introduce people to using visuals to aid thinking, working and learning.
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