Doodle: v. to scribble while thinking about something else.

On 12th October 2007 I organised a whole school Doodle Day at Unity College where I am an AST and Head of Art. It began as an idea I had to get the whole school involved in drawing activities as part of ‘The Big Draw’ week promoted by the national Campaign for Drawing. I knew from my own teaching practice in Art that doodling could have a positive effect on teaching and learning but wanted to see if this could have an impact in other subject areas too. 
 
To get Doodle Day up and running as a whole school commitment I presented my proposal to the Curriculum Leaders group, suggesting they doodle during my presentation on the hand shaped note lets I provided. As an avid doodler in meetings I wanted to change the perception that Doodlers are not listening or away with the fairies whilst doodling. I listen better and can focus on the content of meetings more clearly if I am drawing; I wanted to see if others did too and to illustrate the potential of this for use in their classrooms. Once I began my proposal many undercover doodlers came out of the woodwork and shared their scribbling's. In preparation for the day all Faculty groups were encouraged to get involved by providing them with a ‘Doodle Box’ of drawing equipment.

The focus of doodle day was to get teachers to use doodling as a creative activity in starters and plenaries during their lessons. I suggested that students would develop their right brains, and their skills in listening, emotional intelligence, creativity, expression, communication and confidence through doodling activities in lessons. I promoted the assessment for learning opportunities created through doodling activities and the opportunities for multi sensory learning that it brings. For the less confident risk takers amongst the staff I provided a range of starter and plenary ideas for use in their lessons during the day with support in implementing them where necessary. All activities had been tried and tested in my own classroom. The more confident risk takers were encouraged to share ideas and experiences. A ‘Doodle over Noodles’ staff lunch was organised, during which we talked, drew and ate noodles. (A relaxed and informal opportunity for sharing of good practice and trying out ideas in a safe environment in order to encourage people to take drawing into their own classrooms once they had enjoyed doing it themselves).

In order support the ‘theme’ of the day and generate a feeling of fun and occasion alongside the individual activities in lessons I also ran extra curricular drawing activities.  A pavement drawing session was held for student’s to experience large scale group work and contribute to brightening up their own school environment for the week. A Doodle Room where students could come and express themselves by drawing on any part of the room from the floor to the furniture was held during the lunch session of Doodle Day (this was featured later on that day on Anglia News). 
 
My aim was to get the whole school involved for the day. The school Behaviour and Attendance team ran a Doodle competition on the school ‘theme’ for the week with prizes awarded by local businesses. Assemblies were run by the art department; of course students and staff were encouraged to doodle during assemblies. School receptionists were caught on camera doodling during the day too!

So, did Doodle Day have an impact on teaching and learning? Staff response showed 100% would welcome another Doodle Day in college in the future. Teachers commented on the following improvements in their classrooms and student’s through the use of doodling activities;

• calm atmosphere
• engaged students
• creativity & expression
• cross curricular learning
• positive relationships
• concentration
• listening skills
• confidence

Several staff noted that the idea of doodling whilst listening challenged their own perceptions of what should happen in their classrooms but that it helped many students’ improve their listening skills and their processing of information. One teacher said “I can’t believe I didn’t have to repeat any of the instructions” after she had explained the next lesson task to her class whilst they were working on a doodling activity.

Allowing the staff to speak for themselves is probably my most effective method of communicating the impact of Doodle Day on the teaching at our College so here they are;

• “I feel it encouraged both pupils and staff to develop their creative skills and created a wonderful atmosphere of calm and enjoyment. It was a very effective cross-curricular strategy of enabling pupils to gather and share their thoughts and ideas in a creative way.” Curriculum Leader: MFL
• “Doodle day got other departments trying new things. Greater impact on learning because of the above” Art Teacher
• “Students immediately engaged with the lesson and when I read a large amount of text, the students were quiet, as they were doodling – but still listening! It provided a calm start to my lesson and allowed students to engage immediately. It also allowed students to demonstrate what they had learnt from our previous lessons” English teacher & Literacy across the curriculum Co- coordinator
• “A chance for some fun with the students – helping to build relationships and find out a little more about them as people” Drama Teacher, Curriculum Leader Expressive Arts
• “It was great as the pupils listen and don’t chat and I still use it now” Science Teacher

Doodle Day has provided teachers with a wider range of tools for their teaching toolkit and is giving students much needed opportunities for expression, creativity and self reflection in their school day.

The college as a whole is working on providing more opportunities for reflection time in our school day. The activity of doodling naturally lends itself to this so teachers were shown how to use doodling activities to promote reflection during their lessons. This is particularly effective when combined with ‘mood doodling’ which gives students time to reflect on their mood and encourage teachers and students to recognise the importance of emotional intelligence and creating the right conditions to learn effectively. It is no accident that when a student in my class draws a sleepy mood doodle they are asked promptly to hand out the books, open a window and take part in some brain gym whilst an angry mood doodler needs to be handled in a very different manner during the class for an effective learning experience.

So what did the student’s think? The general atmosphere on the day as I walked the school was a very positive, calm and focused one. Students were actively enjoying the opportunity to draw in many lessons throughout the day. As I entered classrooms the students and staff welcomed me in to photograph their doodling activities, white boards were full of post it notes covered in doodle responses to lesson activities. Tables were covered in huge rolls of paper with students contributing to group doodles and drawings. In French lessons the back of the classroom doors were covered with huge drawings of the Eiffel tower upon which students, 2 at a time, were adding their doodles and communicating in French and with a visual language too! In English students were drawing their responses to characters they were studying, in Art students were doodling in the style of the artist they were currently studying. The Doodle Room welcomed a varied range of students at lunch time who dropped by for 10 minutes or so to make their visual mark on the room and to seek a built of quiet drawing time in an otherwise busy school day.

Students commented favourably on their experiences during doodle day. Again I will let them speak for themselves;

• "Doodle Day was good because in English we got to draw the main characters and it was fun because it wasn’t writing so it helped you imagine the story better "     
• "Doodle day was an excellent way to get people drawing and I learned so much. It was so enjoyable and I reckon everyone at Unity College had a wonderful time, I hope we get the privilege to do it again. It helped me focus throughout all the lesson"
• "Doodle day was great for me because I love drawing and doodling. I liked doodling in the doodle room because you had lots of space to draw. In different lessons we drew and it was really good, all in all I enjoyed it a lot!"
• "Doodling helped me stay focused in my lesson because it stopped me talking to my friends."
• "I thought Doodle day was good; the thing I most enjoyed was the doodle room where you could draw on anything in the room. I also enjoyed it in normal lessons. It helped me in English because we doodled the book that we were reading and it helped us remember all the characters"

The impact of Doodle Day continues to be seen. It has provided teachers with the confidence and means to incorporate more time for creative, expressive and reflective activities in their lessons. As an art teacher I am finding my student’s are growing in confidence when asked to draw and no longer see drawing as a means of expression confined to the art room. Most importantly the activities tried in many classrooms during Doodle Day are having lasting impact on improving the teaching and learning of our students, as one science teacher said of a doodle activity she tried “it was great….. And I still use it now”.

Jolan Woolridge
Advanced Skills Teacher & Head of Art
Unity College,Northampton