A team of teachers creating a sketchnoting practice idea for science fairs.

The Sketchnote Workshop is designed to develop and to strengthen your visual thinking abilities. It will help you understand sketchnoting and strategies for teaching it to students. You will also explore ways to integrate sketchnoting into your class curriculum.

Benefits

Visualizing the process of introducing sketchnotes to students.

• Boost Engagement: Sketchnoting combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning, increasing student engagement and motivation to learn.
• Improve Memory: Visual notes help organize and retain information more effectively, supporting better comprehension and recall.
• Create Inclusive Classrooms: Sketchnoting offers alternative ways for students to demonstrate learning, making lessons more accessible.
• Enable Differentiation: Teachers can use sketchnoting to personalize learning, offering various ways for students to interact with content.
• Foster Creativity and Critical Thinking: Sketchnoting encourages creativity and helps students express complex ideas through simple visuals.

Workshop Overview

Mike Rohde leading a Sketchnote Workshop in Fresno, California.

• 8:30-9:00 AM: Coffee & Check-in – Time to settle in before the workshop begins.
• 9:00-10:00 AM: 5 Basic Elements + Exercise 1 (Treehouse) – Learn to draw using basic shapes and apply skills in a group activity. Share treehouse sketchnotes.
• 10:00-10:15 AM: Break
• 10:15-10:45 AM: Exercise 2 (Steve Jobs Commencement Address) – Sketchnote a video, followed by group sharing.
• 10:45-11:00 AM: Break
• 11:00-11:45 AM: Exercise 3 (Avocado Reading) – Sketchnote an article using templates, then share with the group.
• 11:45 AM-12:30 PM: Lunch – Sketchnote your lunch.
• 12:30-1:30 PM: Exercise 4 (Visual Vocabulary) – Build icon libraries for classroom use and share ideas.
• 1:30-1:45 PM: Break
• 1:45-2:45 PM: Exercise 5 (Creating Curriculum) – Collaborate on lesson plans and share in a gallery walk.
• 2:45-3:00 PM: Break
• 3:00-3:30 PM: Q&A and Application Discussion – Explore practical classroom applications. Stay for further questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Water Cycle sketchnote curriculum concept from a Sketchnote Workshop.

“What if I can’t draw?”

No problem. The topics and exercises covered are designed for complete beginners with no prior experience. You will learn Mike’s approach to the basics of drawing.

“Where do I start?”

Mike will guide you through simple and fun exercises to build your sketchnoting skills. You will find with just a little practice that this is a skill you and your students can build.

“Will this be relevant to my instruction? Am I the right person to attend?”

Mike will offer tools and strategies to integrate sketchnotes into any classroom. If you have a positive attitude and are willing to experiment and share your work with a small group, you’re perfect for this workshop.

Bio

Mike Rohde is a designer and the author of two bestselling books: The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook. He teaches and evangelizes sketchnoting and visual thinking literacy around the world.

He’s a principal designer and visualizer at PKWARE. That team helps groups define problems and imagine new solutions using human-centered, design thinking principles.

Mike illustrated the bestselling books REWORK, REMOTE, The $100 Startup, and The Little Book of Talent.

He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and 3 children.

Testimonials

Teachers having fun sharing their sketchnote work.

Teachers’ comments from past events:

“Mike was great to work with as we developed a strategy for helping our teachers learn how to sketchnote and to then teach their students how to use sketchnote techniques. We decided to provide notebooks to our conference attendees and then Mike’s keynote introduced the concepts and provided an opportunity for teachers to learn the basic skills. We then asked teachers to practice their new skills throughout the rest of the conference, including the workshop sessions Mike facilitated.”
— Carl McClendon, Lake Travis Independent School District

“Many teachers have sent me some informal Sketchnotes that they have been using personally and professionally. Your workshop was a hit with our Triple E team and I already have several requests to bring you back.”
— Kris Hanks, Anne Arundel School District, Annapolis, MD

“I’ve been pondering how to use sketchnotes in my classes. I now have a plan to introduce the concept to my classes and a way to utilize it to add to my students’ understanding.”
— An excited teacher at Lake Travis Independent School District

“What a great strategy I was able to share with my students today!”
— Jennifer Crackel, 4th grade, Fresno County Schools