Drawing as learning enabling meta-language. using sketch-noting in the field of education

The use of information technologies is widely and massively impacting on the educational systems. From the adoption of the interactive tools such as the LIM as a support of teaching activities; to the substitutions of paper due to the introduction of tablet and publishing in the so-called 2.0 classes. All the aspects of the ICT have a strong impacting not only the instrumental environment of the school, higher education and universities, but also the way in which people learn and participate in the educational process. An increasing number of studies compare how people take notes and how the modality effects on the mental model and information retention to understand the impact of ICT on the school system. On one hand, using digital supports means to transcribe with a text editor on a computer what they’re listening. On the other, taking notes traditionally means writing on paper. These researchers are demonstrating extensive differences in the cognitive answers in favor of the analogical practices. Studies show that the process of writing activates much more cognitive activities and produce a stronger organization of concepts and notions presented during the oral presentation. Besides this traditional way, a new approach to note taking – based on the drawing techniques – is emerging and spreading. Visual facilitation and sketch noting use visual language to engage the brain in understanding, organizing and memorizing information and to experience a “meaningful learning” according to Ausubel theory. The activity of drawing in itself connects both the analogical experience of linking the movement of the hand with the synthesis operated by the brain while listening or reading in a sort of translated choreography of our thoughts. Moreover, to draw means to convert a verbal input in a visual output, a textual or oral presentation in a visual representation. The paper is aimed to map and discuss this drawing practices applied to the educational field as an alternative learning method, according to the different perspectives proposed by authors such as Brandy Agerback, Mike Rohde