Visual Strategies for Schools & Students

FACULTY WORKSHOPS for VISUAL LEARNING & SKETCHNOTES

Empower teachers. Engage students.

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Empower Teachers … Engage Students … Support All Learners.

VISUAL LEARNING

& SKETCHNOTES

Scalable, customized interactive workshops that train faculty to utilize sketchnotes and visual learning strategies to enhance student engagement, retention, and comprehension, particularly for English language learners (ELLs) and students facing literacy challenges.

Workshop facilitator, Peter Durand, with students of all ages.

🎯 Why It Matters 🎯

Today's students face complex learning environments.

Schools are under pressure to show measurable improvements in math, science, and literacy. Learning and applying visual strategies can:

  • Increase comprehension & memory through dual coding

  • Reduce language barriers for non-native English speakers

  • Support higher-order thinking aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy

  • Foster equity through Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

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Visual note-taking (aka. sketchnotes) integrates learning activities:

Cognitive (knowledge-based)

Affective (emotion-based)

Psychomotor (action-based)

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Workshop student with sketchnotes

“Students using sketchnotes recalled nearly 2x more content than text-only note-takers.”

— Journal of Educational Psychology (source)

🧩 What’s Included

Theory and practice in sketchnoting and other visual techniques and frameworks that educators can deploy immediately.

Workshops include:

  • Live modeling with hands-on practice of visual note-taking

  • Strategies to support ELLs & literacy learners

  • Ready-to-use classroom templates & visual Bloom’s tools

  • Research-based frameworks: UDL, Dual-Coding Theory, Backward Design

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👥 Ideal For…

  • Instructional coaches & academic support teams

  • Middle & high school teachers

  • College instructors

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📈 Outcomes

Faculty and Staff walk away ready to:

  • Scaffold lessons visually

  • Integrate sketchnoting across content areas (including team planning)

  • Empower students to create knowledge, not just consume information.

Let’s help every student see their ideas take shape — visually!!

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📅 Available: Fall & Spring PD Days
Custom Dates Available.

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Now booking for 20256.
Spots are limited.

GET STARTED
Peter Durand of Alphachimp LLC wearing a cap, glasses, a gray long sleeve shirt, and a dark vest is writing on a large whiteboard with markers at a conference.

Meet your

Instructor

Peter Durand

  • Adjunct Professor
    Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, USA

  • Trained Facilitator
    MG Taylor DesignShop™ Methodology & The Artist’s Way at Work Coaching

  • Professional Coaching Certificate
    Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, Nashville, USA

  • Masters Degree in Industrial Design
    Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow, Poland

  • Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts & Visual Communication
    Washington University in St. Louis, USA

More

Testimonials

law school students visual learning exercises.

I’ve given hundreds of presentations in my career and have never heard of many of the concepts that Professor Durand brought to this course.

I took a complete book of visual notes during our short time together. So many valuable teachings and perspectives.

I can’t thank the [Curriculum Development Team] for finding this unicorn and asking him to share his brilliant mind with us!

Master of Science in Law Graduate Student
Northwestern University School of Law
Chicago

Visual learning workshop student shares her work with others.

Your visual skills are absolutely fabulous. More than that, I want people to see the value beyond the beautiful drawings.

The way you capture the essence of a message, decide what to keep, where to place it, and the impact it leaves on people—it is powerful!

A woman with shoulder-length wavy hair smiling in an indoor setting with plants and furniture in the background.

Amélie (Ayaka) Uriu
Human-Centered Design Leader & Innovation Consultant
Houston, Texas

Sketchnotes workshop at Vanderbilt University

Professor Durand provided so many examples, multiple thought-provoking videos, and countless free online resources in our short 8 hours together.

A very well-designed course, clearly he put a ton of thought into carefully selecting the content and flow for this!

Master of Science in Law Graduate Student
Northwestern University School of Law
Chicago

Digital sketchnotes for a keynote presentation at Texas State University
TXST Health Scholar Showcase Posters

So glad to see you work your magic LIVE at the Texas State University Translational Health Research Center.

It is amazing how you were able to synthesize all the ideas from my presentation into one cohesive graphic.

A portrait of a smiling man with short gray hair, glasses, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a dark tie with white polka dots, posed against a plain gray background.

Prof. Daniel Knoepflmacher
Vice Chair of Education & Director of Residency Training in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell | New York City

Workshop student with their visual whiteboard diagrams.

Thanks again for your class on visual note-taking. It was a great way to step away from my daily job, recharge, and come back with a (better) mentality!

After the workshop, I took visual notes for a couple of our weekly staff meetings. But significant changes are coming, which will allow me to scribe more!

Portrait of a smiling man in a suit, checkered shirt, and black tie, standing indoors with a blurred background.

Robbie Ulrich
Creative Services Manager at Saint Francis Health System | Oklahoma City

Workshop student with visual storytelling image.

Peter equips our team to provide continuous support to our leaders as they implement the actions identified through the design sessions he facilitated.

I have worked with Peter for over 10 years and highly recommend his services to others. He is kind, an encourager, and one of the easiest people to work with. He delivers meaningful results!

Close-up of a woman with gray braided hair smiling indoors.

Kristy Sinkfield
Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Tennessee

Lisa Witter with visual notes on communication media training.

Peter is the guy you keep coming back to for decades!

He's brilliant, warm, clear, collaborative, creative, and deeply committed to purpose. I couldn't recommend him more highly. He has consistently delivered outstanding results for us in our work together. I have recommended him to many people, and they consistently report back the same. What I like the most is that he helps me and my organization sort our stuff and then bring it to life.

A woman with dark hair in loose waves, wearing a teal top and layered necklaces, smiling during a speech or presentation with a blurred background featuring partial text.

Lisa Witter
Chief Executive Officer at Apolitical Foundation & Co-Founder, Apolitical
Berlin, Germany

LET'S GET STARTED!!