Since we are all different human beings with different minds and experiences, unconnected by some weird hive mind, we all learn differently. Some of us can sit in class and soak the information given by the teacher like a sponge; others are actively playing taking notes asking questions and being a good student. Then there is the people who just seem not to able to pay attention. Hated by both the teachers and other students these are the people that fidget, doodle, stare off into the distance, or play around with their possessions seem not to be paying attention while the note-takers and info-absorbers suck in tons of information.
I am one those doodlers. I like drawing and painting and other artistic ventures. I am not saying the doodles I sneakily draw in class are potentially the next Mona Lisa, I just simply enjoy the image that appears before me. Of course the tendency to doodle has gotten me into trouble, a warning to any teacher reading this: I am a serial doodler. I remember in both middle school and high school that teachers often have pull my piece of graphite tattooed paper from me or simply gave me a warning. It works for about five minutes max. Minutes later there I was drawing again. My parents every year complain about my lack of attention and often force me from doing the side task of drawing on paper. The question is does doodling, fidgeting,etc. help or hinder my thinking.
Humans are active animals. We are primed for movement and action. Sitting in a meeting or classroom for 2-7 hours at a time is not the state our bodies or minds want to be in. With so little to do your mind wanders, this effect that ails high schoolers across the globe is usually called daydreaming. Daydreaming, despite its lazy connotation, actually very effort consuming. Studies have shown that daydreaming not only makes you more creative, but also smarter. Daydreaming requires executive control because you are thinking about the future and exercising your imagination. Since daydreaming is a big no-no when it comes to concentrating on something else there has to be a way to prevent it from happening. Doodling is one the best ways to prevent daydreams from invading your waking thought. Doodling requires active concentration, but not enough to encompass your entire consciousness. So doodle along with no fear of the teacher's wrath for you are, truly, paying attention.
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