#Sketch50 and Growth Mindset by Kristin

I first learned about #Sketch50 when Angela and I traveled up the Central Valley back in the fall for their Central Valley CUE's "STEAM Powered Education" summit. We ventured into a session with Cate Tolnai - co-founder of the #Sketch50 movement and CUE's Director of Member Engagement.

Now, granted...I had never used sketch notes a day in my life prior to this session. Like, ever. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know if it was something that I could use with my special learners.

But I liked the message - one of the first things out of Cate's mouth was something along the lines of "leaning into a growth mindset." I wasn't an artist - YET. I wasn't good at drawing - YET. I couldn't teach this - YET. I had been hearing a lot about growth mindset through my talks with other educators but I didn't realize that it could be applicable to a skill that I could pick up as a teacher. Until I went to this session and learned that my own teaching practices and skills could be developed and polished - even if I was starting at a "novice" level.


My first sketch using the Procreate app (with final editing in Photoshop)

Since that first session with Cate back in November, I have participated in the #SketchCUE 25-Day challenge, along with the more recent #Sketch50 2.0. I've learned that as badly as my OCD, Type-A self would like things to be pretty and perfect...these movements aren't about that. They focus on the process and development of skills rather than the final product. (Granted, some of my sketches haven't turned out half bad!)

Participating in #Sketch50 2.0

Although I already had the Apple Pencil, I didn't really start using it until this past fall (and I've had it since last April!) I invested in the Procreate app - the only program I really work with when sketch noting. As someone who grew up using Photoshop and learning how to create and manipulate layers in an image, Procreate was much more familiar and easier for me to navigate in the long run. I also preferred having the ability to upload my own brushes on Procreate - something that I was very familiar with doing on Photoshop. Other apps didn't offer this feature. So, the $9.99 investment for the app has definitely been worth it.


A sketch from the #SketchCUE 25-Day Challenge
So some of my take-aways...

  • Practice Makes Progress - not Perfection! I tell my students this ALL. THE. TIME. Yet, I didn't really take it to heart for myself and my own learning until really embracing the growth mindset and applying it to these sketch challenges.
  • Tools Enhance but Aren't the End All. Yes, it's great if you can afford to have a tablet, or the Apple Pencil, or invest in (expensive) apps like Procreate...but do you absolutely need them to just go and create? Absolutely not. I use paper and pencil...and my trusty PaperMate Flair pens. But even those aren't a necessity. Tools don't make the artist.

And the biggest ah-hah...just do it! Really - it's not just a Nike mantra. Take the prescribed five minutes (or 15, if you're like me) and just start drawing. It may not be pretty. It may not be polished. But it will be a work in a progress and something you can say you've tried...and in the end, isn't that what we want to teach our students? Success isn't just the end product - it's the attempts and failures we've endured along the journey.

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