So it seems those of us that were the doodlers in class had it right all along! If you’re interested in some of the research behind doodle notes, start with this article.

http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882127,00.html

Ways to Implement Doodle Notes Into Your Lesson:

There are several ways to incorporate doodle notes into your lessons. There is no right or wrong way to use doodle notes. You may need to experiment in order to find what fits best for you.

• Go through your lesson as normal—with normal notetaking (Cornell type notes, cloze notes, etc.) Then, have students “transcribe” their notes onto their doodle notes as you monitor for concept understanding.
• Have students work in pairs where partners work together and discuss how to complete the notes. A conversation about how to go about completing their notes adds to the verbal component of doodle notes. You will have to be a little flexible on this one—you may not always get what you are looking for.
• According to research, the best way to get all of the benefits of doodle notes is to add a verbal component. You can achieve this by using the doodle notes as the student’s notes for your lesson. I don’t even call them “Doodle Notes”. I just hand out their “notes”. Use an Elmo or some other way of projecting your completed doodle notes—just for a few moments—you don’t want to restrict student’s creativity. For some students, this will be like giving them permission to doodle! Project the blank doodle note that is handed out to students, and refer to it throughout the lesson. Lecture, teach, demonstrate as normal, and fill in the notes as you go. Students will doodle on their notes, but will also be focused on what you are teaching.
• Doodle notes can also be used for review, a graphic organizer, or a study guide.