When we incorporate a bit of creativity into our math classes, not only do we increase engagement, but we also activate parts of the students' brains that lead to stronger learning and retention!

I'm sharing my video here on Teaching Math with Creativity to show you why we need to get more creative, share the specifics of how it impacts the kids' brains when we do, and give you tons of little strategies for how to do it quickly and easily.

I've also got a giant gift for you. I'm sending an entire toolkit for teaching math more creatively out to inboxes. So enter your email below to receive all these free resources, templates, tools, and support! Those materials will allow you to use these creative math teaching methods right in your own classroom!

Ready to try some of these creative teaching tricks? Enter your email here to subscribe to receive the full, free toolkit with all the materials:

Getting Started:
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​Whether you are new to the idea of visual note taking, or have tried it briefly in your own classroom and feel like you fumbled it, this guide is for you! This organized resource collection takes you from start to finish and cuts through all the confusion.

Let’s boil it down to the basics and then help you get started right away in your own classroom with some simple steps and free downloads. Along with the step-by-step guidance, I’ve included links to materials you can use in each phase as you introduce doodle notes to your class and then start seeing the benefits of this brain-based strategy.

The Basics:

• "Doodle notes" are a unique visual note-taking method with built-in features that increase focus and memory by taking advantage of a collection of brain research, including Dual Coding Theory.

 

• Doodling has been proven to activate the brain's pathways just enough to keep it from daydreaming, without distracting from the learning at hand!

 

• The doodle note strategy integrates both hemispheres of the student's brain and helps maximize focus, learning, and retention of the lesson material.

 
Why It Works:

• The brain is divided into two hemispheres.  Between the left and the right sides of the brain lies a bundle of neural fibers called the corpus callosum.  The goal is to integrate the left brain and right brain and encourage communication across the corpus callosum.  Whenever you achieve a crossover between the two hemispheres of the brain, learning is enhanced.  When a student engages in coloring, doodling, or artistic embellishment of their lesson material, the two sides of the brain work together.

 

• Our brains process visual input and language input in two completely different areas.  Information is stored in short term memory in each zone.  However, to convert new learning into long term memory, we need to build referential connections between these two areas of the brain.  To take full advantage of this, we use "visual memory triggers" to BLEND words and graphics to boost student retention. This theory is called Dual Coding, and it’s part of the reason that visual notes are so much more effective at activating neural pathways that lead to stronger memory and better mental connections.

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• A related theory, the "Picture Superiority Effect" is supported by studies that show that blending images with text offers a stronger learning experience than using text alone. It turns out that this boosts both the memory of the individual terms and ideas as well as the associations and connections between the concepts. This is why we use certain visual brain triggers in addition to using text.  For example, a stop sign has to instantly register an idea in our brains: STOP.  So, in combination with the word (text input), we also always see the same shape (graphic input) as well as the color red (additional visual input).  These blend together to send the right signal to our brains more effectively.

First Steps:

(DAY ONE just means the first day using this strategy, which may or may not be the first day of the school year.)

BEFORE CLASS DAY 1: Download the FREE Doodle Note Handbook. You can reference this later if you need some tips for implementing visual note taking in your classroom, or if you have time, you can read it now. It will come right to your inbox, and you can print it out or just save it for later on your computer. We will also send a few follow up emails with more resources and tips as you get started. We are here to support you as you dive into doodle notes with your own students! 

CLASS DAY ONE: Grab the FREE “Engage Your Brain” doodle note set. This is the perfect introduction to this strategy. All you have to do is print it out and distribute it to your students. It is essentially a doodle note about doodle notes, so it will do two things at once. It will teach your students how to take visual notes while it also shows them why we are going to be doing this as much as possible in class.

Click the image for a downloadable PDF version of this guide with clickable links.
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CLASS DAY TWO: Teach your first content-based doodle note lesson. Your first option for doing this is to either create or purchase a doodle note that is already customized to your lesson standard for today. If you’d like to browse pre-made doodle note pages, we’ve collected links to those over on the “Shop” page at doodlenotes.org for you. But if you’d rather create your own, we have templates available for you! Here is a starter pack of free templates, and here is a set of tips for using doodle note templates in your own classroom. 

CLASS DAY THREE: Now that students have gotten their feet wet with this strategy, it’s time to share the details with the shareholders in their education! Parents and administrators often will start to ask questions when they see that you’re not only letting kids doodle and color in class, but you’re actually encouraging it! We’ve got you covered there too. Download our free handout to send home. The file also includes a presentation that covers the benefits and shares a little information about visual note taking. You can show it to students, save it for parent night, or pass it on to your principal or co-teachers.

In class today, use another prepared, guided doodle note lesson so your students can get used to this method slowly with plenty of teacher input/ guidance already on the page. We recommend that the first few weeks, you ease them into this strategy by offering pre-made guided visual note sheets or a template that organizes the visual note process for them, rather than expect them to be able to structure their own notes from scratch in a visual format yet. 

CLASS DAY FOUR: Now that you have tried implementing doodle notes as a teacher, you probably have some questions. Take your curiosity (and maybe your frustrations if you feel like  a few things didn’t go according to plan) over to our teacher help pages: (FAQ here, and "In the Classroom" page here). Also, if you have not joined yet, it’s a great time for you to come get some support in our free Facebook group. We share some ideas, answer questions, and offer a place to chat with other teachers using the doodle note method there.
 
Today in class, try either a new template from that free starter set, or another prepared, guided doodle note lesson. Don’t worry; as you and your students get the hang of this, you can eventually cut down on the prep work and allow them to have a bit more freedom. In fact, once your students have done a few weeks of guided doodle notes, you can even take away all the teacher input (less prep work!) and just hand them a blank doodle note template. Increase the student input as you go, and decrease the teacher-prepared structure. They will get better and better at creating their own visual notes once they have some practice.
 
Speaking of that, we have some support and tools for you to use once they get to that point as well! …

​Next Steps
 
Click the image to get a PDF version with clickable links. This guide breaks it down to help you focus only on what you and your students are ready for at any given time as you build those basic visual note-taking skills. 

Once you’ve gotten comfortable teaching with doodle notes using the “Week One” resources, the links we have included in the “Next Steps” section will be just what you need next.
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This way, you won’t get overwhelmed. Take it one phase at a time. The tools and support that are linked in this document will lead you from the very first days of teaching with doodle notes all the way to expert level. The resources to support you along the way are organized here for you. Enjoy the journey, and have fun getting creative!

Ready to get started?
Click here to download the full PDF version of this guide with links to all the included files.

​Take Time to Teach Specific Strategies for Mindfulness in your Classroom 

If you teach teenagers, setting them up with strategies they can use forever will offer them a toolkit of mindful practices. In addition to the benefits that you’ll see in class, you’ll give them a surefire way to stay happier (and healthier) in the long run. In these times, it’s not uncommon for your students to feel anxious, stressed, or completely overwhelmed.  Our job as teachers entails supporting our students in all possible ways, mental health included.  

We know that students cannot focus on learning or higher-level thought processes until their basic and more urgent needs are met. You may notice that there are days lately when you need to take a step back and help support kids on another level that takes priority over educational goals and standards.

Now, possibly more than ever, it is so important to teach mindfulness and the valuable skill of regulating these difficult feelings and emotions.

That’s where practicing mindfulness comes in. Try transitioning into your class period with one of the strategies below, so you can start to meet your students’ basic needs before trying to tackle the lessons of the day. They may not be ready for them until they get a mindfulness break and a little mental health moment. Here’s how to get started:


Explain the Meaning of Mindfulness

First, students need to get familiar with the meaning of this practice.  Simply put, being mindful is being aware and present in the moment, without allowing ourselves to get caught up in thoughts and worries about the past or future. 




Teens are constantly worrying about things like what to wear to the school dance, their weekend plans, or what their peers thought of them in 2nd period.  When they practice being mindful, they’re training their brains to calm their thoughts and feelings. 



Then, when they encounter feelings of worry or distress, they can enter that place of calmness and mindfulness so much more quickly and easily.


Discuss the Benefits

According to Bupa, practicing mindfulness can even physically change parts of the brain.  Taking time to be in the moment can reduce stress, improve creativity, and enhance memory. 


These impacts on stress levels, memory, and brain health mean that having a powerful set of strategies could quite possibly be life-changing for children and teens. Simply taking a couple of minutes to reset when you feel distressed or out of control is incredibly beneficial. Teaching students these strategies can provide them with the valuable skills they will carry with them throughout their lives.
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The Biggest Challenge

The biggest obstacle to teaching teens mindfulness is getting them to actually do it.  It is so much easier said than done. You can guide and encourage your students until you’re blue in the face, but you can’t control what goes on in their heads. But by offering a few different options, you can at least help them practice and improve their mindful moments. Just sticking with it and devoting 5 minutes a day to one of the strategies below can set them up for success.  

Set aside a few minutes of class for Mindfulness Activities:

We know you’re probably stretched for learning time as it is, but consider the benefits. Students are much more likely to start practicing mindfulness if they’re sitting in front of you and are being instructed to do so! Sometimes it seems more appealing simply because they view it as a "break" from the course content. Spend the first few minutes doing a short reflection instead of your usual entry quiz or warm-up. It will be time well spent and may sometimes take priority over the educational tasks or extra 5 minutes of review.

Set the tone in your classroom:

When practicing mindfulness in your classroom you don’t want students feeling the normal pressures of their typical learning environment.  Turn off the lights.  Put on calming meditation music.  Really get them in a zen mood.


Side Note: Read this post to access our Calm playlist, as well as a bunch of other school-friendly playlists for the classroom!

Strategies for Teens

Here are some fun activities to try with your students:

1.  Deep Breathing: This one is extremely simple. All you need is a minute or two.  Sit with your eyes closed and both feet planted on the floor.  Take deep breaths.  Each time you inhale, think This is my in breath, and every exhale think, This is my out breath.  You will start noticing your thoughts drifting to other things.  Gently remind yourself to let it go and focus on your breathing.  With practice, this will get easier and you will have fewer outside/distracting thoughts.
 
2.  4-4-4-4 Breathing: Simple and effective, this exercise takes deep breathing to the next level.  Take a deep breath in, while counting to 4.  Hold it for 4 seconds.  Exhale for a count of 4.  Finally, hold for 4 seconds before repeating again.
 
3.  Five Things: Silently take notice of your 5 senses.  What do you feel?  What do you hear?  What do you smell?  What do you taste?  What do you see?  Take a mental note of each sense in the moment.
 
4.  Heartbeat Counting: Set a timer for 3 or 4 minutes.  Close your eyes, place your hand on your heart, and silently count each heartbeat.

5.  Guided Meditation:  Putting on an audio recording, a 3 minute retreat, or another prepared meditation will offer the guidance you and your students need. If you need some samples, check out these guided meditations.
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