Ella Zomber ’19: “When I notice a student doodling in my class I think: either I am really boring, or the kid is super creative, or both,” explains Anna McDermott, a member of EA’s history department. As it turns out, doodling may have a much more positive effect than many might think. While some teachers actively oppose that opinion by arguing that doodling distracts your attention, some learning specialists argue that doodling is good for the right side of your brain, which stimulates creativity and visual learning skills.
One study, conducted by Jackie Andrade at the University of Plymouth, focused on doodling’s effect on memory. Andrade instructed one group of experiment subjects to doodle while listening to a message and the other to listen to the message without doodling. After the experiment was conducted it was found that those who had “doodled” remembered 29% more information than those who did not. These results were then applied to classroom settings in future research.
Others such as Sunni Brown have taken doodling research to another level, as shown in her book “The Doodle Revolution”. In this work she argues for doodling’s ability to unlock “Power, Performance, and Pleasure”, while also being a driving force in breaking down dense information. Brown reflected, “Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high.”
Episcopal students have plenty of their own opinions on the doodling controversy. Some, such as Hannah Pang ‘19, agree with these doodling advocates. She says, “Doodling is therapeutic in a way. It keeps me relaxed so that I can better obtain information presented to me during a lecture.” Nicole Julicher ‘18 echoes in saying, “Doodling keeps me from zoning out completely.”
Others, however, aren’t so certain. Luke Giordano ‘19 explains, “Doodling is something I do when I’m bored. I’m not sure if I would say it helps me to focus: probably the opposite.” Lindsay Walling ‘19, adds, “I find that I work more efficiently and effectively when I am actively taking notes and listening rather than doodling which makes me feel spacy and unable to obtain a teacher’s detailed message.” She continues, “When listening to an important lecture it is best to pay close attention – simple as that.”
While the doodling controversy has been plaguing students and teachers alike for centuries, new research has provided some intriguing insight on the subject. Doodling, while it may not work for some, can serve as an effective method for enabling students to succeed inside the classroom and beyond.