Busting Myths About Doodling for Students

Doodling is the art of scribbling abstract designs and shapes. In schools, it is generally not promoted. But doodling can be very helpful for a student. It increases attention, memory, and focus.

By George

Doodling is the art of scribbling random shapes, letters, abstract designs, lines and curves onto anything that is readily available. The act of doodling is considered to be followed when one's attention is occupied. Doodling is generally noted to be spontaneous and doesn't follow a series of pre-planned thoughts.

 
Why should students doodle?

In schools and colleges, doodling is not promoted. Academicians and teachers believe that the students' attention will not be focusing on what is being taught. Doodling thus is frowned upon in an academic setting. We agree! Students should be paying attention in their classes.

But doodling as an art and a practice can be very helpful for a student outside their classroom. Research shows that there are various benefits to doodling. A study published in 2009 in the Journal, Applied Cognitive Psychology, shows that doodling helps a person's memory by keeping one's mind away from daydreaming.

Do more than just doodle: Top 10 Best Colleges to Pursue Fine Arts

The beauty of doodling is that there aren't any rules that you have to play by. It must come naturally to your attentive mind. These are the following positives of doodling:

Improves Attention

Doodling helps in building up one's concentration and focus. While a person is busy with a task, if they get on with doodling, it will increase their ability to focus on the main task. This is most commonly seen, where listening is of utmost importance. In terms of a student, while paying attention to something, if they continue to doodle, there are more chances of them recalling what they listen to.

Multi-tasking improves

For a student, the art of multi-tasking becomes very important with a dozen subjects to focus on, co-curricular and curricular activities, a social life and their own leisure time simultaneously. It may look like, a student may not have much, but they actually do. Doodling will increase their practice of multi-tasking with all these areas, and help them gain control over their lives.

Improves Listening Skills

With the addition of Aural-Oral courses to the education system, we have started understanding the importance of listening skills in the lives of the students. Doodling works best when the person has to listen to something. It is stimulating enough for the person who doodles to not get spaced out and continue to pay attention.

Boosts Memory

Doodling is found to have a long lasting effect on memory and recall abilities. Doodling helps to visually memorize events, happenings and even topics and concepts. Students can use this to their advantage and create notes of doodles while studying for exams. Those students who find the conventional methods of memorizing information, or find the quantity of syllabus as too much can utilize doodling as a way of remembering answers and concepts.

Helps in Absorbing Bored Energy

While at a task, there is an amount of energy that we tend to waste. This amount is worn off because of getting bored and subsequently wasting the time. Doodling helps the students to use every bit of their ability by helping them to focus. Boredom will no more be an issue for students, and there will be an increase in their concentration abilities.

Steps up the Problem Solving skills

STEM skills, a set of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths, is believed to be an important set of skills held by people who are exceptional in technical areas of work. Doodling helps in developing these skills, by increasing the problem-solving quotient in the students. The basis of this concept is that each artist tries to solve a problem while they create art.

And the world thought that Art has nothing to do with Science. Doodling was practiced by famous personalities like Tagore, Keats and Sylvia Plath. The best example would be of Leonardo Da Vinci who was an artist of the utmost reverence and a mathematician and innovator of the Renaissance period.

So pick that pencil up, and start sharpening your learning skills.

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