Thursday, June 3, 2010
Marzano - note taking
I was reading through Marzano's thoughts on note taking. It's a little ironic to read that verbatim note taking is the least effective way to take notes. When I reflect back in my experiences in middle school and high school, I spent a lot of time (and paper) copying notes word for word from the board. I remember very little of what I wrote...and I don't remember referring back to the notes at all. What a waste! I try to teach my kids (5th graders) note taking strategies during social studies time. It's an important skill to be able to sort through info and take useful notes...but it's sometimes hard for them! The Marzano book also mentioned that although some feel "less is more," but students are actually more successful when the take more notes. Sometimes I've had students try to write brief notes (just bulleted points), but a few weeks later they have trouble really remembering any details. It's something to ponder on more for next year!
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My students struggle with note taking too. They want to abbreviate but then don’t remember what it means. I have tried to help them summarize but they rather write everything down then it takes from them forever. I have tried to get them to read a paragraph and then in one sentence of no more than 10 words tell me what they read. They have a hard time at first but I think if I keep trying they will get better at it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the keys to successful note-taking that I have found is to have students summarize the notes they have taken shortly following the actual taking of notes. It is true that students will forget what their notes are about; however, if they go back to their notes soon after they have taken them and summarize, then they remember them much better. Also, I have my students review their notes and their summarizations on a regular basis. This has really helped!!
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