A retired teacher told me my worksheets were way too cluttered and it hit me hard

She pointed out that my 6th graders didn't need 3 font sizes and 4 different icons on one page, so I stripped everything down to just the text and one simple diagram, and now their quiz scores went up by 15% - has anyone else found that less visual noise actually helps kids focus better?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.patricia1mo ago

Ngl, I'm not totally sold that stripping everything down to bare bones is always the answer. Kids in 6th grade are navigating a world full of visual noise already on their phones and screens, so maybe adding a little structure helps them filter? But 15% is a solid jump, so I can't totally knock your results. I'd want to see if that holds for a full semester or if they just get bored with plain pages after a while. There's a middle ground where you keep it clean but add a pop of color or a second icon without overwhelming them. Also, lots of teachers swear by visual variety for engagement, so I wouldn't toss every icon just yet. Just seems like one retired teacher's opinion might not be a universal fix.

the_kai1mo ago

one retired teacher's opinion might not be a universal fix" - buddy of mine tried the bare-bones thing with his fifth graders. Kids started doodling all over the margins within two weeks.