Teaching without PowerPoint: the pros of drawing diagrams with students
- Christian Moore Anderson
- Apr 25
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Let me introduce you to the reasons for why drawing diagrams with students has advantages over showing PowerPoint slides. This post is an excerpt from chapter 3 of Difference Maker.
Diagrams allow the expression of relationships in two dimensions
The problem we face as teachers was explained by systems thinker Donella Meadows (2008, 5):
“Words and sentences must, by necessity, come only one at a time in linear, logical order. Systems happen all at once. They are connected not just in one direction, but in many directions simultaneously. To discuss them properly, it is necessary somehow to use a language that shares some of the same properties as the phenomena under discussion.”
One of the advantages of the diagram is the ability to show an interlinked concept. In a moment, I'll show you a diagram that speaks the language of systems.
Diagram construction can occur in conjunction with conversation to reach shared meanings
Importantly, diagrams can be drawn section by section, with negotiation of meaning as each new section is elaborated. When students are suddenly shown complete diagrams, they often struggle to discern what's important. There may be too much information at once, too many differences to interpret, and students can be cognitively overloaded (Sweller 2011).
Instead, it's better to build diagrams section by section while discussing the meaning of each new addition.
There is some evidence that supports this idea. Fiorella and Mayer (2016) found that students learnt more from a teacher who drew their explanations, rather than simply explaining ready-made diagrams. Interestingly, however, this was only the case when the students could see the teacher's body or hand, indicating the social dimension of co-constructing diagrams.
Building a diagram during a lesson can avoid transient information
Problems arise in lessons due to transient information, which occurs when information appears and then disappears (Wong et al. 2012). This is common with the presentation of slide decks. A crucial image is shown but vanishes when the teacher moves to the next slide. This puts pressure on the student to retain all the aspects in mind while connecting them to the information on the next slide.
Nevertheless, humans can exploit what Merlin Donald (1991) calls the external memory field. Donald argues that humans use symbolic material – diagrams in my classes – as a “temporary holding tank” of information (329). Therefore, building diagrams with students helps them consider relatively more aspects. And, as students differ in their cognitive capacity, we make our lessons more accessible to all.
To avoid transient information, we can plan to keep diagrams and annotations visible throughout a lesson. In my case, a whole lesson (or concept) doesn't exceed the single page of A4 paper that I project for my students.
Practical advice on drawing diagrams during lessons
Key idea:
There are no serious logistical obstacles to drawing diagrams during lessons, and you'll get better at drawing quickly.
The slide deck is, for many, a security net. It provides diagrams, content, and ideas, because the teacher is worried about forgetting mid-lesson what to say, do, or what to cover. It lowers the teacher's cognitive load.
Teachers confess that they couldn't just teach without a collection of resources to help them. Yet, I too have my lesson resources, plans, and question banks. I plan the diagrams I want to draw and at the side, I make notes of the images or videos, I want to show and questions I may ask. They all go on one page of A4 paper, and I take a photo.
During a lesson, I put this photo on my computer screen for me to see while I draw for students. At the end of the lesson, I may make extra notes for the future and take a new photo. All my other media – images and videos – is stored in one large folder on my computer with searchable names. When they are needed during a lesson, I use the search function on my computer or an internet search.
If you want to get drawing, here's some quick advice. Draw your lesson on one page, ensuring the whole diagram and annotations remain visible during that lesson. Take a photo, and then see what emerges during the lesson when you redraw it. Your illustration and composition abilities will improve quickly. If you don't have much time, plan a rough version and allow a better version to emerge during a lesson.
I prefer to draw on paper and use a document camera (visualiser) to project my diagram. I can face the students during the lesson while in conversation. I'm also much better at writing and drawing on paper than on a board. A tablet computer also works well. I have my paper in landscape orientation, so it matches the format of the projection or screen.
A rushed diagram often has writing that is harder to read, and figures that are less clear than they should be. Students have less time to follow the construction as it happens, and it's less satisfying to look at and learn from. My advice is to relax while drawing and enjoy producing something rewardingly clear.
A common question is whether students should copy the diagram with the teacher as they go along, or just watch. It seems that there is an unsolvable trade-off between the two options. The reality is that daydreaming is a natural human tendency, and interest varies. Asking students to draw with me, section by section helps keep their focus.
Many students comment that drawing helps them understand the diagram. As does tracing ideas in the diagram with their finger. This may be the sensorimotor connection with cognition (Varela et al. 2016). You can avoid slowing the lesson too much by keeping diagrams simple. Example Box 5 shows a good example of this... This is an excerpt from Difference Maker.
