Notes

For a few years I was an "I write you write" teacher. Every class there were things I would write on the board and ask students to copy into their notes. Notes like this are a staple of math classrooms all over. But now I avoid it like the plague.

The biggest reason: students didn't learn anything from taking "I write you write" notes. Many students fall behind and copy blindly, and those are the students who most need to process what's on the board. Plenty of students take great notes, but most of them would've been fine without anything written down. Too many kids are just miming without meaning, without actually doing any thinking, and never looking at their notes again.

I've found teachers are quick to defend notetaking, and they often talk about how much they used their own notes in school. But teachers are a biased sample -- kids who take good notes are more likely to become teachers. Not to say notes are useless, but teachers' impressions might not be representative.

I wrote this summer about a notetaking routine I've been playing with. I ask students to summarize the key ideas of the lesson in their own words, share that summary with partners, and add to their notes based on what their partners shared. But I'm not happy with how the routine has developed, and I want to tweak or redesign it to better meet my students' needs. Here's the back and forth I've been going through:

I don't want students copying notes off of the board, because the students who most need to be thinking aren't.

Having students summarize key ideas in their own words and share what they wrote with a partner causes more thinking, but students often feel unsure they're writing down the "right ideas" and feel like they aren't learning without formal notes.

Giving students a reference sheet with key formulas and terms saves time from notetaking and gives students a useful and reliable resource, but also means there's less of an incentive to write notes in their own words and consolidate their understanding if they know they'll get a sheet later.

Summarizing notes in their own words often means students don't feel like they're learning, because they're used to taking notes verbatim and the extra effort means they feel less successful. I do think there's as much learning happening, but I want students to recognize that too.

Examples are an important part of notes, because they give context to formulas and terms. But giving students an example doesn't always elicit thinking, and students struggle to come up with their own examples.

Giving students worked examples can be a good way to avoid blindly copying and have students analyze and annotate an example, but if future problems don't look just like the example students often struggle.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but I've learned a lot this fall about the different pushes and pulls in trying to create a notetaking routine that causes thinking for all students, creates a useful resource, and helps students feel like they are learning.