Research Focus

Note-taking Behaviors Prescribe
Note-giving Practices

Two excellent reviews of research on
student note-taking behavior include advice to
instructors on giving notes to maximize the
learning outcomes of students. The following
list of suggestions combines and condenses
recommendations from both articles.

1. Present material in class so that
students must record it. As you probably
Suspected, the physical act of writing some-
thing down does make recall easier. However,
the research findings do not rule out the use
of advance organizers and skeleton outlines,
In fact, some evidence supports using these
devices. Students need to be able to focus on
understanding the content. While they are
trying to write down information, they should
not be fighting to figure out the organiza-
tional pattern, Skeleton outlines can provide
that structure and, at the same time, in-
erease lecture efficiency. Do not forget note-
taking is a slow, laborious process made espe-
cially tenuous when students must struggle to
spell technical terms or take time to repli-
cate complex drawings in their notes. Include
enough material in the handout to facilitate
the note-taking process, while omitting
enough essential information so that students
have reasons to listen carefully and record.

2. Use instructional strategies that
encourage students to review their notes, They

 

 

tend to do this before exams, which is better

than not at all, but more frequent reviews,
even brief ones, are desirable. Certain
instructional strategies encourage these brief
encounters. For example, say to students,
"Remember when we discussed x? You should
have that in your notes. See if you can find
it. What do you have written down?" Students
love to highlight notes and readings with
colored markers. Encourage them to bring
their markers to class. Stop five minutes
before the period ends. Tell students to take
a couple of minutes to review their notes and
underline the concepts. Discussing what
they've underlined can provide an excellent
lecture summary, for them and you.

3. Spend time talking about note-taking
skills. Again, some faculty members may
balk, but research indicates that less than 2%
of a surveyed sample of undergraduates said
that they had ever received any instruction on
how to take notes. Especially at the beginning
of a course, as students are getting used to
your lecturing style, don't be reticent to
give them cues. Say: "That's a concept I have
starred in my notes." "Cirele that point and
make a note that there is good material in
the text relating to it on pages 75 and 76."

Consult these two exceptionally practical
and readable research reviews for more good
ideas on giving notes,

Carrier, Carol A. "Note-taking and
Research: Implications for the Classroom."
Journal of Instructional Development 6

 

 

(1983): 19-26.

Hartley, James and Davies, Ivor K.
"Note-taking: A Critical Review."
Programmed Learning and Education Pechablogy
(August 1978): 207-224. [

 

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