Sketchplanations - A weekly explanation in a sketch

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Explaining the world one sketch at a time

The spotlight effect

I like the spotlight effect because it basically shows that most of us can just relax a bit and not stress about what other people think — because they’re probably not thinking about us, they’re probably thinking about themselves. I probably only remember it because of the effect effect…

9 Jun 2018

The Effect Effect

The effect effect is the undoubted extra stickiness and shareability of an idea by calling it an effect. There’s something about summing up a piece of research or an observation with the name effect that makes it a whole lot easier to communicate and remember. Compare, for example: The more solar panels installed in a neighbourhood the greater chance of a growth of solar panels in that neighbourhood The neighbourhood effect And, for those of you wondering why it’s not the affect affect, here's a sketch explaining when to use affect vs effect Perhaps because of the effect effect, I've covered a lot of effects already in sketches (though there are many more to do). See all "effect" sketches…The effect effect is the undoubted extra stickiness and shareability of an idea by calling it an effect. There’s something about summing up a piece of research or an observation with the name effect that makes it a whole lot easier to communicate and remember. Compare, for example: The more solar panels installed in a neighbourhood the greater chance of a growth of solar panels in that neighbourhood The neighbourhood effect And, for those of you wondering why it’s not the affect affect, here's a sketch explaining when to use affect vs effect Perhaps because of the effect effect, I've covered a lot of effects already in sketches (though there are many more to do). See all "effect" sketches

2 Jun 2018

The meaning of the third teacher as the environment from Reggio Emilia together with teachers/parents and peers

The Environment as the Third Teacher in Early Childhood and Beyond

I love Reggio Emilia’s concept of the environment as the third teacher. This idea works just as well in early childhood education as it does in a primary school classroom—or even an office. A thoughtfully designed environment can support learning, foster good habits, and boost overall wellbeing. In Reggio Emilia’s approach: • The first teacher is the parent or classroom teacher. • The second teacher is the student’s peers. • The third teacher is the learning environment itself. A well-designed classroom can act as the third teacher, shaping behaviour, sparking curiosity, and encouraging exploration. I once had a mentor who said he could tell how a project was going just by observing the state of the project room—proof that our environments influence more than we realise. What Makes a Classroom a “Third Teacher”? To create a classroom that truly acts as a third teacher, consider these key elements: Intentional Layout: Arrange furniture and materials to encourage collaboration, independent learning, and creativity. Open, uncluttered spaces can inspire curiosity and reduce overwhelm. Visibility and Accessibility: Keep tools, books, and resources at children's eye level. This will help them feel a sense of ownership over their learning. Natural Elements: Incorporate light, plants, and natural materials. Studies show these elements can improve focus, reduce stress, and create a warm atmosphere. Documentation: Display students’ work on walls to celebrate progress and reinforce learning. This practice, central to Reggio Emilia, makes learning visible and creates pride. Zones for Exploration: Create different areas for reading, experimenting, building, or relaxing. Giving children clear zones encourages diverse learning experiences. Tips for Teachers to Maximise the “Third Teacher” Observe and Adapt: Watch how students interact with the environment. Are they using spaces as intended? What sparks their interest? Adjust based on their behaviour. Involve Students: Let children help design the space by suggesting ideas or creating artwork. This builds a sense of belonging and ownership. Simplify and Rotate Materials: Too much clutter can overwhelm students. Keep materials fresh by rotating resources and ensuring every item has a purpose. Focus on Flow: Think about how students move through the room. Avoid bottlenecks or cramped spaces, and make sure there’s room for both quiet reflection and active collaboration. Technology as an Extension: In today’s digital world, some aspects of the “environment” live online. Design digital learning spaces with the same care as physical ones—easy navigation, engaging visuals, and clarity of purpose. Beyond the Classroom Too often today, our “environments” are hidden in software. Whether you’re designing a physical classroom, an early childhood learning space, or a workspace, consider how your environment could become a third teacher and how you could make the most of it. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to the Third Teacher Also see: The Feynman Learning Technique Information radiator The Learning Pit Goldilocks Tasks Bloom's Taxonomy Zone of Proximal Development Get more participation: ask "What else?" Ask the question at talks I originally made an animated third teacher version…I love Reggio Emilia’s concept of the environment as the third teacher. This idea works just as well in early childhood education as it does in a primary school classroom—or even an office. A thoughtfully designed environment can support learning, foster good habits, and boost overall wellbeing. In Reggio Emilia’s approach: • The first teacher is the parent or classroom teacher. • The second teacher is the student’s peers. • The third teacher is the learning environment itself. A well-designed classroom can act as the third teacher, shaping behaviour, sparking curiosity, and encouraging exploration. I once had a mentor who said he could tell how a project was going just by observing the state of the project room—proof that our environments influence more than we realise. What Makes a Classroom a “Third Teacher”? To create a classroom that truly acts as a third teacher, consider these key elements: Intentional Layout: Arrange furniture and materials to encourage collaboration, independent learning, and creativity. Open, uncluttered spaces can inspire curiosity and reduce overwhelm. Visibility and Accessibility: Keep tools, books, and resources at children's eye level. This will help them feel a sense of ownership over their learning. Natural Elements: Incorporate light, plants, and natural materials. Studies show these elements can improve focus, reduce stress, and create a warm atmosphere. Documentation: Display students’ work on walls to celebrate progress and reinforce learning. This practice, central to Reggio Emilia, makes learning visible and creates pride. Zones for Exploration: Create different areas for reading, experimenting, building, or relaxing. Giving children clear zones encourages diverse learning experiences. Tips for Teachers to Maximise the “Third Teacher” Observe and Adapt: Watch how students interact with the environment. Are they using spaces as intended? What sparks their interest? Adjust based on their behaviour. Involve Students: Let children help design the space by suggesting ideas or creating artwork. This builds a sense of belonging and ownership. Simplify and Rotate Materials: Too much clutter can overwhelm students. Keep materials fresh by rotating resources and ensuring every item has a purpose. Focus on Flow: Think about how students move through the room. Avoid bottlenecks or cramped spaces, and make sure there’s room for both quiet reflection and active collaboration. Technology as an Extension: In today’s digital world, some aspects of the “environment” live online. Design digital learning spaces with the same care as physical ones—easy navigation, engaging visuals, and clarity of purpose. Beyond the Classroom Too often today, our “environments” are hidden in software. Whether you’re designing a physical classroom, an early childhood learning space, or a workspace, consider how your environment could become a third teacher and how you could make the most of it. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to the Third Teacher Also see: The Feynman Learning Technique Information radiator The Learning Pit Goldilocks Tasks Bloom's Taxonomy Zone of Proximal Development Get more participation: ask "What else?" Ask the question at talks I originally made an animated third teacher version

25 May 2018

Homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms…

This one rewards a little close attention—looking at each of the words and figuring out their different meanings or sounds. I’ve always loved heteronyms and how we can have a single word spelt the same and yet pronounced quite differently — like read — and how that clearly makes English a crazy language to learn. And, as you probably do too, I pretty much woke up at night thinking how you could sort words into groups of the same or different spelling and the same or different sounds and begin to make sense of these curious groups of words like homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Words with different spellings and different sounds generally just mean different words. There are nice buckets of other words too, like, contranyms — words that can be their own opposite. And also aptronyms (good for nominative determinism). I did think a third axis of the same or different meaning may give the complete picture but would probably just serve to confuse things. Some Greek: homo—same, hetero—different, graph—written, phone—sound Mad props to the incredible poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. The poem gives an amazing number of examples of some of the craziness of the English language. Here's an excerpt from the start: Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation, I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy; Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear; Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer. Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it! Just compare heart, hear and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word. Sword and sward, retain and Britain (Mind the latter how it's written). Made has not the sound of bade, Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid. Now I surely will not plague you With such words as vague and ague, But be careful how you speak, Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak...…This one rewards a little close attention—looking at each of the words and figuring out their different meanings or sounds. I’ve always loved heteronyms and how we can have a single word spelt the same and yet pronounced quite differently — like read — and how that clearly makes English a crazy language to learn. And, as you probably do too, I pretty much woke up at night thinking how you could sort words into groups of the same or different spelling and the same or different sounds and begin to make sense of these curious groups of words like homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Words with different spellings and different sounds generally just mean different words. There are nice buckets of other words too, like, contranyms — words that can be their own opposite. And also aptronyms (good for nominative determinism). I did think a third axis of the same or different meaning may give the complete picture but would probably just serve to confuse things. Some Greek: homo—same, hetero—different, graph—written, phone—sound Mad props to the incredible poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. The poem gives an amazing number of examples of some of the craziness of the English language. Here's an excerpt from the start: Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation, I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy; Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear; Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer. Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it! Just compare heart, hear and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word. Sword and sward, retain and Britain (Mind the latter how it's written). Made has not the sound of bade, Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid. Now I surely will not plague you With such words as vague and ague, But be careful how you speak, Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak...

19 May 2018

How a lip stops drips.

I’d never really thought this through before, but just a tiny lip makes a massive difference. Should be a standard feature on pretty much every saucepan.…

12 May 2018

The misattribution of arousal

It turns out when our body gets excited about something, we can’t reliably tell what caused the excitement. In David McRaney’s brilliant article, he explains how we routinely misattribute physiological arousal and how the most common target of misattribution is other people. It’s part of why doing challenging or exciting activities with your partner can help strengthen your relationship, and why roller coasters and scary movies can make great first dates — when we reflect on the time, we often assume that it was the person we were with that helped get our heart racing rather than the excitement of the activity. Don’t use this effect for evil.…It turns out when our body gets excited about something, we can’t reliably tell what caused the excitement. In David McRaney’s brilliant article, he explains how we routinely misattribute physiological arousal and how the most common target of misattribution is other people. It’s part of why doing challenging or exciting activities with your partner can help strengthen your relationship, and why roller coasters and scary movies can make great first dates — when we reflect on the time, we often assume that it was the person we were with that helped get our heart racing rather than the excitement of the activity. Don’t use this effect for evil.

5 May 2018

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