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I had the pleasure to sit down with Julie Haurykiewicz, an Associate Dean of Academic Success in the Center for Academic Success, or CAS, at Lawrence University. In her current role, Julie teaches Freshman Studies during winter term, works in a number of different summer programs including the Summer Institute program, and oversees many parts of the tutoring program at Lawrence. Due to the work that Julie does she has unique insight into the topic of note taking, the current picture of note-taking on our campus, the challenges students face, and some of the ways in which faculty have and can approach note-taking. Part of our conversation focused on each of these things as well as strategies for instructors and for students to encourage note-taking and to take better notes. I will share some of the key points from the interview below.
One thing that came out of the interview is that it seems like fewer students are coming to college having learned specific note-taking strategies. Students are challenged by figuring out how to take notes for for different classes and within different contexts e.g. notes for lecture vs. notes for class discussion vs. notes for a class reading. Some common pitfalls that students fall into related to note taking are that they are overwhelmed by trying to capture everything and know what to prioritize as they take notes. This is compounded by the fact that some instructors assume that students have had instruction in note-taking previous to coming to university.
If students are not coming to college having had instruction in note-taking, how can an instructor encourage the students to take notes? Should they provide that instruction to them?
Julie mentions four reasons for taking notes.
- To maintain concentration or focus
- To make sense of concepts
- To recall material later
- To serve as a reference or backup
She then shares a number of recommendations for instructors about things they can do to support student note-taking. These include:
- talking with students about when, why, and how notes are important in their own discipline
- sharing research about the impact of various note-taking practices
- sharing PowerPoint slides with students in Moodle
- teaching students to annotate [the slides] or use them as flashcards
- using scaffold-ed or guided notes where professors provide an outline for students with part of the notes filled in for their course
- using verbal cues such as, “Be sure to add this to your notes” or, “This will be on the test.”
- Leveraging a grade for notes
I then asked Julie about note taking strategies that she recommends for students. Her response mirrors the same advice for instructors. She shares that student should think about the purpose of the notes. they should ask themselves, “Why am I taking these notes?” and “What do I hope to gain from the notes?” Below are some of the strategies that Julie shared for students
- Outline or bullet notes
- Cornell notes
- Reading with a Purpose – read with a question in mind. Answer the question as you read.
- Note cards
- Sketch-noting, visuals, diagrams, color, timelines
- Review the notes
- At the time when they’re taken to add parts you may have missed but can still recall
- Review repeatedly, over a period of time to help move the information to long term memory (distributed cognition)
Below are some helpful note-taking apps/programs, and strategies.
- Quizlet
- PowerPoint Study guides
- Rocket Book
- LiveScribe Pens
- Microsoft Onenote
- Google Keep
- Pen and Paper
Resources
Carter, Susan Payne. “The Impact of Computer Usage on Academic Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Trial at the United States Military Academy.” Economics of Education Review 56 (2017): 118-132.
Mueller, Pam A. “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.” Psychological Science. 25, no. 6 (2014): 1159-1168.
Cult of Pedagogy – Notetaking: A Research Roundup
Cult of Pedagogy – Power Lesson: Notetaking Stations
Lifehacker: Use The Medium Method to Combine Digital Note-Taking With Pen and Paper
Want to be more productive? Don’t go paperless.
Read this before ditching pen and paper.