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"The notes from laptop users contained more words and more verbatim overlap with the lecture, compared to the notes that were written by hand. Overall, students who took more notes performed better, but so did those who had less verbatim overlap, suggesting that the benefit of having more content is canceled out by “mindless transcription.”"
So given that those who took better notes with their computers did as well as those that took notes by hand, why not just let college students choose how to take notes?
Not for nothing, even those more comfortable with computers have not had the years of practice taking notes by computer as they have by hand. At many schools, including mine, children are actively taught note taking skills by hand and not by computer. To really measure the difference they would need to control for that difference.
So why not let kids take notes how they choose instead of trying to making them all do things the same way?
The act of writing down key points helps both visual and kinesthetic learners, and I maintain it also helps auditory learners, although that point is in dispute.
I saw that when I was tutoring people who were practicing for standardized tests. Merely highlighting key points in the reading with a yellow highlighter didn't help as much as the act of writing down points on flash cards and then reviewing those.
I will be taking two college classes soon, and I will continue to take notes on paper. I've been practicing at conferences. My note-taking skills are still sharp!
I learn best by reading, second best by listening, notes by hand have zero use for me.
I'm glad you started this thread. I'm starting classes on Monday and was debating whether to use my computer or go old school. I was leaning towards writing notes and now this solidifies it.
Highlighting has never helped me remember anything. I suppose it would be good in a reference book that had information that you need to find quickly and use often.
The way you take notes is important too. For my students, I would always tell them to leave lots of white space on the paper. I teach math and your brain doesn't like it when everything is all scrunched up. I taught middle school and gave very prescriptive notes and several example problems. I did it as slowly as time would allow as many middle schoolers have not developed the fine motor skills necessary for taking notes quickly, especially the boys. And I required their notes to look exactly like mine. Otherwise, it was a mess.
Ugh I hated classes like that.
Making everyone take notes one exactly the same way when we know people learn in different ways is almost cruel. Taking notes, and while worrying about making their format look exactly like someone else's would distract me from actually listening to and absorbing the content.
why does every student, even auditory learners, have to change their learning style to match your note taking style?
Making everyone take notes one exactly the same way when we know people learn in different ways is almost cruel. Taking notes, and while worrying about making their format look exactly like someone else's would distract me from actually listening to and absorbing the content.
why does every student, even auditory learners, have to change their learning style to match your note taking style?
You are not 12 to 14.
I'm not going to go rounds with you again. I get it. You've made it very clear that you believe that I'm an idiot and you are a fabulous.
The act of writing down key points helps both visual and kinesthetic learners, and I maintain it also helps auditory learners, although that point is in dispute.
I saw that when I was tutoring people who were practicing for standardized tests. Merely highlighting key points in the reading with a yellow highlighter didn't help as much as the act of writing down points on flash cards and then reviewing those.
I will be taking two college classes soon, and I will continue to take notes on paper. I've been practicing at conferences. My note-taking skills are still sharp!
I took notes with pen and paper throughout college and grad school. I am an extremely auditory person. I read my notes back to myself aloud (as well as textbooks) in order to glean the most information from them. Writing them down the first time benefited me mostly because I could refer to them later and learn the material in my own words instead of merely using a textbook or other source materials that might have less meaning. As for OP's and the article's premise, it's obvious to me that computers are not a solution for everything. Writing is still an important skill that helps students absorb information better than computers in some ways.
But listening to lectures is out dated.... We are encouraged to NOT lecture these days. So what are they taking notes on?
I agree BTW. I always remembered more if I took notes. Listening is a passive activity. Writing is active. Reading is passive too. Ever gotten to the bottom of a page and realized you don't remember a darned thing you just read? This is why I make my students do Cornell style reading notes. They fight it tooth and nail and whine that they should be able to do them in any style they want. Nope. My class, my rules. You can do your notes in any style you want but I only give credit for Cornell style. One thing you NEED to do when taking notes is take a moment to summarize what you just read/heard to seal the deal.
I'm not going to go rounds with you again. I get it. You've made it very clear that you believe that I'm an idiot and you are a fabulous.
Live the dream.
But learning style is not something that changes between being a teen to a college student. And given that 12-14 year old have even less choice about what teachers and classes they get to take, they have a greater right to have their learning styles being embraced when possible.
It isn't a questions of idiocy but teaching philosophy, what is the philosophy for making every student make exact copies of your notes?
Because right now it sounds like you are making them copy your notes with exactitude just because that is how YOU learn best.
But listening to lectures is out dated.... We are encouraged to NOT lecture these days. So what are they taking notes on?
I agree BTW. I always remembered more if I took notes. Listening is a passive activity. Writing is active. Reading is passive too. Ever gotten to the bottom of a page and realized you don't remember a darned thing you just read? This is why I make my students do Cornell style reading notes. They fight it tooth and nail and whine that they should be able to do them in any style they want. Nope. My class, my rules. You can do your notes in any style you want but I only give credit for Cornell style. One thing you NEED to do when taking notes is take a moment to summarize what you just read/heard to seal the deal.
Never mind, I take it back, no need to have a teaching philosophy in line with how people actually learn. Apparently "my class, my rules" trumps everything we know about science and child development. Students shouldn't learn what method of taking notes works best for them, they should just do what they're told. It will clearly serve them best in their futures.
Got it. Haven't been to this forum in ages and I suddenly remember why.
Making everyone take notes one exactly the same way when we know people learn in different ways is almost cruel. Taking notes, and while worrying about making their format look exactly like someone else's would distract me from actually listening to and absorbing the content.
why does every student, even auditory learners, have to change their learning style to match your note taking style?
At the beginning of the year I introduce my students to Cornell style notes. When they complain about being told how to take notes, I tell them that if they want to bring me the research that shows their note taking style works as good as Cornell style notes I'll be glad to let them use their style. I've never had a taker.
In order for note taking to be effective certain elements must be present. Research shows that note taking must be visually organized and must include summarizing the content. So yes, I tell my students how they will take notes. I tell them because some methods work better than others.
Never mind, I take it back, no need to have a teaching philosophy in line with how people actually learn. Apparently "my class, my rules" trumps everything we know about science and child development. Students shouldn't learn what method of taking notes works best for them, they should just do what they're told. It will clearly serve them best in their futures.
Got it. Haven't been to this forum in ages and I suddenly remember why.
Nope. It's research that wins. Research shows that certain elements must be present for note taking to be effective. Things like identifying the big ideas and setting them apart, visually organizing the notes into main ideas and supporting content AND the all important summary at the end to seal the deal.
Read the research. It's not just writing things down but writing them down in an organized fashion that works. I didn't know about the research when I took statics in college but that's where I had my first experience with it. I had a very strict professor who only accepted work turned in in a certain format. I did my work my way and then dutifully copied into his format before turning it in. I kid you not I NEVER had to study for that class. I aced the tests. Later when reading up on note taking styles I realized why. The act of organizing everything cemented it in my memory. It's kind of like making a note sheet for a test. It forces you to think about the important things you might forget but then you don't forget them on the test. I've never actually used a note sheet I made for a test. Making it was all I needed.
This isn't my room my way. It's using what research shows to work.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 05-30-2015 at 06:51 PM..
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