 Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to learn from some amazing authors and educators on the art of visual notetaking aka sketchnoting in education. The following sketchnoting rockstars: Carrie Baughcum, Sylvia Duckworth, Vicki Davis, Sylvia Tolisano, Sunni Brown, and Matt Miller opened my eyes to this new way of capturing text and visuals digitally & on paper to connect and retain information. When I discovered the incredible potential that this could have on learning, I knew I had to give it a try so I could share it with my students! Let me share with you how I began my sketchnoting journey! Digital or Paper? When I first began sketchnoting I tried an app called Paper53. This is a wonderful tool to use for visual notetaking. There are a variety of pen choices and colors that allow for creativity and flexibility. It is user friendly and I love how it allows you to fix mistakes and publish to Google Classroom or other platforms with ease. Though I loved the features and user-friendliness that Paper53 had to offer, I found that old-fashioned paper worked best for me. I purchased a square spiral sketchpad, a fine tip Sharpie, and a tin o' colored pencils and I was ready to roll! I loved that I could bring these tools anywhere I went and didn't have to worry about my battery dying. There is something about coloring that I have always loved and I really like being able to personalize my font as well as write and draw in finer detail. However, you may find digitally capturing your notes is best for you! Experiment with a variety of apps and tools and find the best fit! What should I sketch? Last summer, I had the opportunity to attend some amazing sketchnoting sessions at ISTE. After these sessions, I decided I needed to get started on my sketchnoting journey right away. The flexibility and freedom of summer seemed to be the perfect time to put these newly learned skills to practice! I had a stack of new books I wanted to read and I thought this would be the perfect place to start. As I sketchnoted chapters, I found that I was connecting my learning at a deeper level as well as retaining more of the information. Additionally, it allowed for creative freedom in my notetaking. I was able to organize and personalize my thoughts in a visually appealing way that I enjoyed looking back at later. I quickly fell in love with this new way of capturing my learning, thoughts, and ideas. Since then, I've sketchnoted PD sessions, TedTalks, and thoughts and ideas that have been rolling around in my brain. The possibilities are endless! Things to keep in mind! 1. You don't have to be artistic to sketchnote! If you can draw shapes, lines, and stick figures...you're on your way! 2. Remember...visual notetaking is a way for you to connect and retain information. No one else has to understand your drawing but you! 3. Don't worry if sketchnoting doesn't come easily at first! Start with something fun and easy to capture on paper and expand from there! It does get easier and you will soon find your rhythm and the structure that works best for you. You will also find that each sketchnote takes on a personality of it's own; one of my favorite aspects of visually capturing your thoughts and ideas on paper. Resources I have learned a ton from the sketchnoting rockstars I mentioned above. Click on each of their names to follow their blogs and make sure to follow them on Twitter for inspiration. You will find so many resources and ideas that will help get you started! I am including some of my sketchnotes below so you can visualize what some of mine have looked like. Happy Sketchnoting!
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Last week, we had investors aka teachers, administration, and staff come in to evaluate our student's marketing pitches, and taste their signature dishes. Ultimately, investors decided how to allocate the $1500 they had been given to award teams with the best overall concepts. The Launch was a huge success and I was so impressed by all of the collaboration, thought, and creativity that was demonstrated. With the seed money awarded by investors, food trucks have begun their race across the United States to learn about regional cuisine. Mini Challenges are a game mechanic that I love using to have students learn about regional cuisine. In the Amazing Food Truck Race, mini challenges come in two forms: Speed Bump Challenges and Truck Stop Challenges. In a Truck Stop Challenge, teams are given a recipe for a regional dish and must prepare and present it within the class period to a judging panel. In a Speed Bump Challenge, teams are given a mystery box filled with ingredients common to that region and they must create a dish within the class period that best showcases the ingredients and cuisine of that region and present it to a judging panel. My student's had two options. They could either use clams as their regional ingredient or cranberries. To my surprise all teams chose cranberries however, what impressed me was the speed in which they collaborated and formulated a plan for a dish that could be made and presented within 60 minutes. Even more impressive, each team came up with a unique creation that drew from separate sets of skills and techniques they've learned. I was beaming with pride as they presented their dishes for evaluating. My Culinary 4 students (in same class period as Culinary 3) judged the dishes in groups of 3. This is where the magic really happened. To watch my Culinary 4 students discuss and critically think through evaluating each item almost brought me to tears. They took this role so seriously and gave such wonderful feedback to my Culinary 3 students. Truly, they did a better job than I would have done. It was a perfect example of the power of peer evaluation. For both the Truck Stop and Speed Bump Challenges, teams with the highest scores earn a predetermined amount of grocery money that can be used to purchase ingredients for their first Regional Challenge. In our Regional Challenge, teams are redesigning their signature dishes to meet the flavor profiles, and cuisine of that particular region. Local food truck owners and staff members will be coming in as customers to judge their dishes and hear them describe their dish's connection to the region's cuisine. Each customer will be dividing up $1500 among teams that they feel are most deserving and this money will be added onto their total score. The Amazing Race is getting exciting! Stay tuned as the adventure continues! |
Tisha RichmondCulinary Arts teacher, educational consultant, international speaker, and author of Make Learning Magical, Dragon Smart, and co-author of the EduProtocols Companion Guide for Book 1. I'm passionate about finding innovative ways to transform teaching and create unforgettable experiences in the classroom. |
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