Hand-drawn is currently very popular in business and workshops

For both, teachers and students, it is important that small drawings influence the learning process positively. Graphic recordings accompany group processes and events and sketchnoting helps each to keep the very own insights.

To get started with that subject you’ll find a very inspiring video from a TED-Talk mit Sunny Brown.

More and more industries discover that communicating complex issues with the help of small drawings is a good thing. Here and there teachers of universities and their students are involved as well.

But where are the little learners from elementary and secondary schools?

“You have to start right here.” More and more teachers, parents and experts say.

When researching this topic, you will primarily find ideas with which the teachers can optimize their own visualizations or panel paintings. That’s a good step. It would be even better to bring the topic to schools so students become active themselves and thus take their own learning process into their own hands.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if students learned imagery to understand better or record learning content? This should help them particularly to better penetrate processes and complex situations.

“Everyone should do it!” Says Nina Neef, who is very active in this field and calls out to try small drawings on knowledge topics on her YouTube channel.

Nina Neef wants to encourage everyone to develop their potential. Especially women and adolescents. She has taught at the University of Economics and Law and has been supporting the ACT e.V., theater projects for self-empowerment in Berlin since 2015.

“Someone who believes in you can have a decisive influence on your life. I was fortunate enough to meet such courage-making people and would like to pass this on from my heart.”
Read more: Nina Neef

“Everyone should have access to find out how visualizaton works, so I started making these little videos. First of all the ideas from graphic recording and sketchnoting that I put together should help my students to get an overview for themselves in order to acquire the material better. “

Visualization is the translation of complex topics. It helps to make elitist knowledge accessible to all. Authorization takes place over the drawing. Doing leads to understanding.

“Drawing also releases emotions,” she continues, “it’s mindful to the soul and touches people. All people. THAT to me means inclusion, because imagery integrates with all. Imagery is universal.”

She brings in her own childhood experience: “To me painting is a way to fix the world!”

For Nina that means to organize and understand something. When you record it, it’s there, on a piece of paper, you can understand it and when you see something familiar it calms you down. “That seems appparent and sounds good, especially for subjects that are not easy to understand for the students.

“If I can capture it as an image it seems harmless and comprehensible.” – Sounds logical!

It is the same with learning contexts of complex contents. Why not just get a picture of it?

The entry threshold is low: it needs a piece of paper and a pen. But with beautiful materials, it’s just that much more fun. This is where the many markers come in, with which the students can really work.
This does not just apply to art lessons, especially for all other subjects in which there is something to learn and to understand.

“With my work, I especially want to get the teachers on board because they have such an enormous impact on the lives of our children.”

What I wish for?

“If this blog article triggers quite a lot of teachers to get involved in visualizing with children, then I think that’s cool!”

My super special tip in the event that teachers spontaneously seek inspiration now:
The Sketchnote books by Mike Rohde. Here you will find a complete proven concept that you can start immediately. ”

By the way:

If you are looking for a comprehensive reference work, you should take a closer look at Bikablo® Bikablo delivers a comprehensive image maps block – a collection of all icons and images for learning and applying visualization.

Bibi Rosa also wants children not to stop drawing. But who is Bibi Rosa?

Photocredit: Bibi Rosa – Fotographer: Rebecca Meyer

She thinks that the ability to draw is part of life and communication. Children need a toolbox of methods to express themselves and that’s where visualization definitely counts. Listening, processing, recording.

“It would be great if children from first grade on would learn to use simple symbols, writing and a few colors in a large format to learn how to handle content for themselves and others. Currently, at some point around 8-9 years, children stop drawing because they are no longer being promoted or challenged at school. “

Bibi Rosa aka. Sandra Bach has been working independently in Weimar for 8 years and lives there as well.
She is trained as a communication designer, facilitator and business coach and has been giving workshops, further education and trainings for children, adolescents and adults in the field of comic drawing, flipchart design and general visualization for 15 years.

The project close to her heart is Bibi Rosa. Like the female form of Bob Ross, the painter. Anchored in the here and now, but visually similar oblique.

“The trigger of the project was that I had accompanied the German Children and Youth Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt for 2 years in the program LiGa – learning in full time with a focus on “digitally networked learning” with graphic recording. The input was immense, just as the insight that there is a need for more products that simply and effectively accompany the children in digital age and make them grow into competent adults. Through my many years of experience in the field of visualization I thought: It would be so easy if all of them could learn from the beginning. I’m totally into simple and effective strategies. “

Bibi Rosa tinkers how teachers and children together can go on a visual journey through their lesson content.

Photocredit: Bibi Rosa – Fotographer: Rebecca Meyer

A few of the very simple rules are:

1.) First analog, then digital.

2.) Discover few colors and their possibilities.

3.) Research and determine symbols and their meaning in your own context.

4.) There is no beautiful and ugly, only recognizable or not.

5.) Accept that everyone thinks and perceives differently.

What I wish for?

“Bibi Rosa thinks it would be great to develop analog and digital products for teachers and students. These should be designed for teaching and different areas of competence. And, of course, be age-appropriate. “

My practical tip for school use:

What works really well are the great markers from Neuland®, from Neuland NoOne® ArtMarker to the Neuland BigOne® – they have definitely passed the practical test.

Photocredit: Bibi Rosa – Fotographer: Rebecca Meyer

Find out more about Bibi Rosa here.

Pssst! Do you already know our TopChart? The reasonably priced table FlipChart, made of high-quality display cardboard. Made to work with students, to decorate by themselves, and for flexible or mobile use.

Are you a teacher and do you have further sources of inspiration, link or book tips? We are happy if you share them with us and others on our Facebook page.