In high school, I never used to doodle in the margins of textbooks because I had the experience of receiving books muddled with doodle disasters. Trying to follow social norms, I had countless years of sitting upright in my chair, hands still, and eyes on the lecturer in the front of the room.
In 2014, at the onset of a 3-hour workshop, a facilitator verbally gave us permission to play with pipe cleaners and draw. That day changed my life forever. I shamelessly spread out my markers in board meetings, unapologetically doodled while I sat at the very front of a lecture hall, and even encouraged my future workshop participants to doodle while I talked.
Did you know that doodlers and fidgeters recall
(especially DULL information) in comparison to those who keep their hands idle? Day dreaming takes up lots of brain power. Drawing, sketching, and doodling require significantly less cognitive effort. This is also true of pen twirling and other fidgety actions!
I use the phrase "Graphic Listening" to explain the pairing of my kinesthetic learning preference with a passionate hobby of attending conferences.
Example of Graphic Listening
Graphic listening brings in tons of aspects such as stick figures, arrows, emoji faces, and colours, in order to reflect what is being said or shared. So screw those attention-seeking teachers who ask, "Am I not interesting enough for you?" My response to them is "Honey, I'm listening. Probably more attentively than others, so calm down."
What is your learning style? Are you also a graphic listener? I'd love to see your images!