Visual Strategies for Schools & Students

FACULTY WORKSHOPs

VISUAL LEARNING & SKETCHNOTES

Empower teachers. Engage students.

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.

Group of diverse people smiling and posing for a photo in a conference room, with sketches and diagrams on the wall behind them, and a table with markers, notebooks, and coffee cups in the foreground.

🎯 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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A woman with green curly hair and glasses smiling, holding a notebook with handwritten notes on product community and UX design, wearing a black apron with colorful hearts and eyes pattern.

“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 2025.
Spots are limited.

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

Testimonials

Participants in an Alphachimp LLC workshop. Group of smiling people holding up colorful drawings of various symbols and shapes in a room with large windows.

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

Three people are having a discussion in a room with large windows. The woman on the left is holding up a paper with drawings and symbols, wearing glasses and a dark red top. The man in the green sweater is looking at another piece of paper, wearing a black beanie. The woman on the right has long dark hair and is listening attentively.

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

A diverse group of people sitting around a table working on creative projects, with sticky notes, sketches, and notebooks in a professional office setting.

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

A presentation slide titled 'How do we make mental healthcare more accessible?' displayed on a large screen at a conference. The slide contains colorful text and diagrams discussing mental health topics. Two speakers are seated at a table on stage, with banners for the Texas State Translational Health Research Center and 'Health Scholar Showcase' in the background.
People attending a scientific conference poster session at the Arkansas Tech Theatre, located in a multi-level atrium with glass railings and wooden accents.

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

A man standing in front of a whiteboard with handwritten notes and diagrams about his journey, networking, confidence, and helping others, with some of the text highlighted or emphasized.

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

A woman with curly hair, glasses, and wearing a white top with a black cardigan is smiling while holding up a drawing on paper. The drawing features a face with a bald head, a wing, and a light bulb. A person is pointing at the drawing with their finger, and the background has a wall with multiple sketches and diagrams taped up.

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

A woman in a red dress pointing to a colorful large illustrated poster about communication and media training. The poster includes various handwritten notes, drawings, and lists related to public speaking, storytelling, audience knowledge, and effective communication techniques.

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