Before diving into the concept-specific doodling, take a moment to think about how doodles naturally appear in everyday life and educational settings. Doodles are everywhere, from the margins of notebooks to intricate digital sketches on special occasions. One place where you would frequently come across doodles is on Google’s homepage. Google often commemorates important events, people, and concepts through creative and illustrative doodles.

Take a moment to reflect: How did the doodle creatively capture the essence of the concept? Was it through symbolic representation, humour, or a visual metaphor? Make a quick mental note of what made it effective.

If you’re familiar with Google Doodles, think of one related to your field or any other K12 subject. Example: The Jan Ingenhousz Doodle on photosynthesis shows the sun, a plant, and CO₂. To see this Doodle, click here .

However, if you cannot access Google Doodles online, you may read the image description of Jan Ingenhousz’s Doodle in Annexure C2.2.3.A.

Now, think of any other doodle you’ve come across that visually represents a concept.

You would have observed that the doodle shows an important moment in time, an invention, a creation, or explains an idea in a fun and simple way.

Let’s explore a few concept-specific doodle ideas from different disciplines to spark your creativity.

2.3.1. Examples of doodles across subjects

Doodling, as a form of visual thinking, can be adapted to a wide range of academic subjects.

Doodle in languages

You may have already seen how doodles are used for vocabulary building. The idea is to juxtapose the alphabet with an image of a word that starts with that word. This creates a strong visual association, making it easier for learners to connect sound, symbol, and meaning.

What to doodle?

To assist beginners of

• the English language learn their vocabulary draw the alphabet ‘g’ with a bunch of grapes hanging off it like they’re growing from the letter itself. Add the label: “g” is for grapes.”
• the Hindi language, doodle the letter अ shaped like a vine, with grapes (अंगूर) hanging from it. Add the label: “अ से अंगूर.”

Further, in language studies, for example, consider a classic story like The Hare and the Tortoise. Another simple doodle may include sketches of the hare and tortoise with expressive faces, showing determination or overconfidence.

Speech bubbles could capture their thoughts, adding humour or emotional depth to the story. Doodling these characters can help learners not only visualize the narrative but also reflect on the moral lessons embedded within.

A possible doodle could also be a mind map that visually represents the characters and their relationships.

Through doodling, learners can add their own interpretations, exploring how empathy and mindfulness shape the characters’ decisions. Learners can sketch their own feelings toward the characters as they read the story.

They may doodle how the hare’s overconfidence contrasts with the tortoise’s perseverance, or doodle the emotions felt by the bully and the bullied, or illustrate the emotions of both the winner and the one left behind, reflecting on themes of pride, patience, and resilience.

Doodle in sciences

Now, let’s shift our focus to science, more specifically, the concept of electricity. Imagine bringing this topic to life through doodling. Instead of just drawing technical diagrams, think about visualizing the elements of electricity in a more dynamic way.

What to doodle? For instance, you could doodle motors, magnets, magnetic lines, wires, electric switches, and even representations of electric current. You may also include common devices that use electric motors, adding sound effects like phutt, splatter, or vroom to convey the machines in action. Think of tyres, rubber coils, and metal windings: all essential components that could be sketched creatively.

Bring doodles to life: Now, let’s give these elements some personality! Imagine drawing a motor as a lively, buzzing character full of energy, while another motor may look tired and stubborn, refusing to start, or even angry and battered after heavy use. Metal windings could appear dizzy and coiled up, while wires could be shown as flexible connectors, complete with faces expressing how they “feel” when overloaded. This playful personification not only makes scientific concepts more relatable, but also helps learners explore how abstract elements like electric current can be creatively represented.

Doodling in science allows learners to visualize and enlist electric appliances rather than just writing their names. Some may even depict real-life challenges like a tired motor, a power outage, or a fire caused by electricity, drawing on personal experiences to make learning more meaningful and reflective.

Creative diversions through doodles can also make complex concepts more relatable. Take, for instance, a visual note on types of ions: imagine representing cations as a cheerful cat with a “pawsitive” attitude, complete with whiskers. This simple yet clever doodle not only adds a bit of humour but also helps learners remember that cations are positively charged.

Doodle in maths

You probably already know that doodling can be effectively used as visual notes and in activity sheets to enhance retention and understanding. It’s a great way to break down complex concepts into simple, engaging visuals.

What to doodle? Take, for example, a maths worksheet on types of angles. Instead of only presenting the abstract definitions, you can bring each angle to life with simple doodles and relatable characters.

For an acute angle, you could imagine something cute and small, inspired by the innocence, charm, and simplicity of kawaii-style doodles.

For an obtuse angle, you could draw it as a character lazily lounging around, stretching too wide, perhaps even a little careless or insensitive to what’s happening around it.

By turning angles into playful characters, learners connect the idea of the angle with an image and personality, making it much easier to remember.

By incorporating such visual elements, you turn abstract maths concepts into something more approachable and memorable, making the learning process more enjoyable and effective.

Some more doodle ideas per subject

Here are some creative ideas for using doodles in various subjects, blending content with SEL.

Science

• Emotional Water Cycle: Each stage of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation; can be personified, showing excitement, calm, or even frustration as they change states.
• Plant Personalities: Roots, stems, and leaves depicted as a team, each with a unique role, showing how cooperation leads to growth.
• Force and Motion Reactions: Forces like push and pull as characters with strong, stubborn, or flexible attitudes, reacting to resistance or acceleration.

Technology:

• Tech Teamwork: Computer parts (like the CPU, keyboard, and screen) as a collaborative team, discussing data and processing together.
• Coding Buddies: Lines of code as friends, helping each other troubleshoot and solve problems.
• Digital Citizenship with Emotion: Illustrate scenarios where online interactions spark feelings like pride, embarrassment, or empathy.

Engineering :

• Perseverant Bridges: A bridge doodle where each beam and support represents determination and teamwork, holding the structure together despite challenges.
• Expressive Machines: Simple machines like pulleys and levers with faces showing effort, success, or confusion as they work.
• Emotional Engineering Process: The stages of design: planning, prototyping, testing, illustrated as a range of feelings from frustration to triumph.

History:

• Historical figures sharing their emotional journeys through challenges or with speech bubbles sharing perspectives and feelings.
• Historical figures across different periods interacting, showing empathy.
• Cause and effect relationships with emotional reactions to historical events.
• Historical conflicts with characters showing conflict resolution skills.

Geography:

• Landforms with personalities reflecting their characteristics.
• Map elements as a collaborative team working together.
• Weather patterns expressing different emotions and impacts on communities.
• Environmental issues depicted with characters showing responsible decision-making.

Literature:

• Story elements as characters with different roles and relationships.
• Character arc depicted as an emotional journey with obstacles.
• Dialogue bubbles showing perspective-taking between characters.

Political Science:

• Branches of government as teammates with different strengths.
• Civic participation depicted as characters working together.
• Policy development process showing perseverance and collaboration.
• Global issues with characters demonstrating perspective-taking.
• Rights and responsibilities personified with emotional awareness.

Maths:

• Fraction Friends: Imagine fractions as characters, each with their own feelings about being divided, some are confident halves, while others are nervous quarters!
• Growth Mindset Number Line: Visualize a number line as a journey, with markers showing small setbacks and big leaps forward.
• Supportive Shapes: Picture geometric shapes working together to build a structure: triangles providing stability while circles keep things rolling.

2.3.2. Your Turn: Doodle your Concept

Now that you’ve seen some examples, it’s time to put your own ideas into practice.

6-Step Approach

Step 1: Choose a topic or concept from your subject specialization. Pick a concept that could benefit from visual representation. Let’s look at an example:

Step 2: Plan Your Doodle: Think of the key elements in the doodle, and how they interact. Then add simple expressions, interactions, and characteristics to make the concept relatable.

Step 3: Create Your Doodle: Use any tool like a pencil and paper, or digital tools like Inkscape, Krita, or GIMP. Focus on simplicity: start with basic shapes and add details as needed.

Step 4: Evaluate your Doodle: Once you’re done, ask yourself the following questions.

• Does it present conceptual information in a clear and pictorial way?
• Are the details relevant and accurate?
• Does it invite reflection or discussion?

If you answered yes to all, congratulations, you’ve successfully transformed a concept into a doodle.

Step 5: Implement in your teaching : Think about how you could use this doodle in your teaching to – introduce a concept, set a mood, begin a discussion, summarise a lesson etc., foster empathy, mindfulness, critical thinking or compassion get your learners to interact with or extend the doodle.

Step 6: Share and Discuss: Share your work with others. Whether it’s your learners or fellow educators, and see how they interpret your visual creation. Showcase your work here.

Keep in mind:

• Doodles aren’t about perfection. They’re about expressing ideas.
• Start sketching without overthinking, and let ideas flow naturally. You don’t have to have a lot of elements. You can always add more elements later.
• Keep it simple! A quick, rough sketch can still capture the essence of a concept.
• Don’t hesitate to add humour or imagination to make your doodle more engaging.

Incorporating doodles into teaching fosters creativity, critical thinking, and emotional connection. When used purposefully, doodles can bridge the gap between abstract ideas and practical understanding. So, grab a pen and let your imagination take charge and doodle on!

2.3.3.Template: Doodle your Concept

Step 1: Identify your Concept

Step 2: Plan your Doodle

Step 3: Create your Doodle

Remember to start with basic shapes and lines, focus on clarity over artistic perfection, add expressions or dialogue where needed and keep it simple but meaningful.

Step 4: Evaluate your Doodle

• Does my doodle clearly represent the concept? ⭘ Yes ⭘ Needs work
• Have I included SEL elements that make it relatable? ⭘ Yes ⭘ Needs work
• Does it invite discussion or reflection? ⭘ Yes ⭘ Needs work

Based on your evaluation, modify your doodle if required.

Step 5: Implementation Plan

How will you use this doodle in your teaching? (Check all that apply)

⭘ Introduction to a new concept

⭘ Review activity

⭘ Discussion prompt

⭘ Others

How would learners interact with or extend this doodle?

Step 6: Showcase your creation

You can upload it here