Comments on: Bad News for Teachers: Research Says Doodling Boosts Concentration

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:35:48 +0000

I sent a similar article to my daughter Science Teacher from last year. He would yell at students and SEND THEM OUT OF CLASS if they doodled! As if that helped them concentrate!

By: Belinda

Belinda — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:27:06 +0000

Actually, this is good news; teachers no longer have to reprimand kids who are actually listening and concentrating but don’t have their eyes on the teacher at all times…anything that allows kids/people to learn effectively is good news, not bad.

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:47 +0000

Actually it’s bad news for some teachers around the world, they can get annoyed very easily as their students don’t make eye contact. Some teachers can be happy for them to learn faster, but in fact there can be many teachers who dilike the fact that students doodle in their lesson. In my opinion, I can concentrate whether I doodle or not. I know..pretty amazing!

By: Terri

Terri — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:02:46 +0000

Why is this bad news for teachers? I teach and if doodling will help my students learn and remember, then doodle away!

By: Terri

Terri — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:01:17 +0000

Why is this bad news? I will accept anything that will help my kids remember!

By: Angela

Angela — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:17:22 +0000

I’m not a doodler, but I do like to have the TV or music on when I’m working. I seem to concentrate much better and consequently get done faster. Drove my dad nuts, and now boss, despite the fact that I have an actual office rather than a cube and so no one can hear my very low music but me! Perhaps I should forward this… ;-)

By: jk

jk — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:07:44 +0000

this is so hilarious! i knew my years of doodling were doing SOME good

By: Sundance

Sundance — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:40:05 +0000

People have been developing ideas like mind-mapping to assist memory and analysis for years. While this research shows that doodling helps relieve monotony, rather than serve as a mnemonic, what’s surprising is not that spicing up lessons with cartoons and doodles could be helpful, but that teaching methods are so far behind the times in adopting such ideas.

By: msladydeborah

msladydeborah — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:11:18 +0000

I doodle all the time! I know that it has helped me to concentrate on what is going on.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:58:33 +0000

A little light shading is one thing but what about the faces and flowers (and skulls, guns, eyeballs and bunny heads on sticks, if that’s your thing), those ‘creative’ doodles that most of spend our doodle time drawing? While I agree with commenter Lee that the occasional simple doodle can serve as a mnemonic device, I can’t help but remember all the times I zoned out in class as I developed my doodles into little compositions, gave them captions and speech bubbles and fictional lives.

This research could be an important wake up for teachers attempting to teach math equations, spelling, historical dates and the like. If students are instructed to put a little individuality, a shade or a colour, into potentially boring lessons, maybe more information will stick.

By: Lee

Lee — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:11:28 +0000

Thank you for confirming what my own experience had taught me! I also used to find that my doodles acted like mnemonic devices because as I looked at each drawing I remembered what was being said as I had drawn it. Listening to music as I study also has the effect of helping me focus, contrary to what teachers and parents believe.

By: Tristan

Tristan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:07:28 +0000

Take THAT every single teacher I’ve ever had.