Sketching Success: How Doodles Improved My Students’ Comprehension

Written by Jenni Lamb, 11th grade ELA teacher for Livonia Public Schools

A Struggle with Engagement

In a post-pandemic world, my students often rush through assignments, filling in reflection and comprehension questions with nonsense answers they mindlessly searched on the internet (or worse, had AI write for them). They joylessly slog through even the most high-interest texts in our curriculum and opt out of most enrichment activities if they require interaction with other students.  Yet, one new task, sketchnoting, brought about a remarkable change. It stopped them in their tracks this spring, sparking a newfound engagement and understanding!