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Effective practices for teaching students how to collect and utilize information
Ask almost anyone to describe the behavior of students in a college lecture hall, and note-taking will probably be referenced as a common activity. Indeed, the ability to take notes is essential in college. Professors at nearly every community college and university will describe note-taking as key to learning, but its usefulness beyond higher education should not be overlooked. In the workplace, for example, meetings with supervisors are often technical in nature, with decisions made and follow-up actions assigned. Taking notes in such an environment can spell the difference between success and failure.
Of course, writing things down isn't enough. There's a habit to be developed in utilizing notes, and it's difficult for students to develop this habit if they cannot identify a purpose for doing so. Often, teachers view note-taking as a method of receiving information, and may not require students to use their notes once they've been collected. Worse yet, students may become conditioned to copy information from boards or presentation slides, leaving them unprepared to formulate notes on their own. And as we know, in a real-world college or work environment, notes aren't put forth in advance.
Middle and high school students can't be expected to exhibit the note-taking skills that adults possess, but educators should think carefully about how students are taught to gather and study from notes. In this column, we'll look at effective practices for teaching students how to construct and utilize notes.
Note-Taking Skills
The benefits of note-taking can be assigned to two distinct processes: encoding and external storage. Encoding is the act of composing notes during a lesson. Studies have demonstrated that students who write down information during a lecture have a slightly better rate of retention than those who merely listen to it (Kobayashi, 2006). The rate of retention is significantly improved when students avail themselves of the second process: external storage. When students review their notes outside of the lesson, they learn more about what was taught (Kobayashi, 2006). What follows are some techniques to help improve that rate of retention.
Teach note-taking principles
Many students have limited experiences with taking notes. It is often believed that someone has already taught students...