By Denise Seguin
An article I read recently brought to mind my note-taking habits from my university days. I went to university long before laptops appeared in classrooms. I recall my younger self struggling to take good notes from the lectures I attended. I know I would have appreciated a few tips back then.
When laptops started appearing in the classroom, I thought they were a great tool for taking better notes. But I learned quickly that laptops provided too much of a distraction. One teacher aptly said to me once, “It’s like handing a child a video game console and then telling the child not to play the game!”
A study I read recently confirmed that students who rely on typing notes on a laptop during lectures do not perform as well on conceptual questions as students who rely on handwritten notes. A reason for not performing as well on tests by laptop notetakers is that the student is focused on transcribing rather than comprehending the lecture content. Laptop users are also prone to opening websites or games that catch their attention more than the teacher during a class. Of course, not all students are susceptible to distraction, but a good number of students fall prey to the Internet during class for entertainment.
Students who handwrite notes find that writing down the professor’s lecture word for word is too difficult. These students use their own words after processing and condensing the lecture in real time. This system leads to a better understanding of the content.
With midterm exams and grades looming, are you noticing students struggling with note taking? Here are a few suggestions to help those students improve their skills:
- Tell students about the study mentioned here. Hearing that studies confirm verbatim note takers do not do as well on tests may encourage a change in practice.
- Consider offering a bonus point to a student who offers to share his or her high quality notes. Scan and post the student’s notes on the learning management system for other students to view. Students may relate better to seeing an example of handwritten notes produced by one of their peers who attended the same lecture rather than an example you create from your perspective as the teacher.
- Remind students that reading the posted presentations or other resources before class will better prepare them to understand the content and take more useful notes.
- To be a good note taker, one must be a good listener. Encourage students to be aware of when their attention is drifting and get themselves back on track. Students could have a friend signal if he or she appears to have zoned out.
- When taking notes, students should never write notes using sentences—they should be as brief as possible. Consider developing abbreviations or symbols that can be written more quickly.
- Remind students that when the teacher repeats something, that’s a clue to write it down!
- As soon as possible after the class has ended, students should review the notes and add to or edit them.
Category: