1. Improving Student Note Taking Skills Jennifer Wilson
LEADERS IN LITERACY CONFERENCE
Improving Student Note Taking Skills Jennifer Wilson
Power point template opening slide
Aiken County Public School District
January 13, 2017

2. Essential Question
How can we improve student note taking to enhance knowledge acquisition?
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3. Presenters Meeting Outcomes
As a result of attending this session, participants will have
reviewed the research about the importance of note taking
practiced using note taking formats
collected activities to use in their own classroom to improve note taking
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4. Practicing Notes from a Text
As you read the following passage, use the following to guide you: !, ?, *, *, *
! Write one thing that surprised you or you think is important
? Write one thing you have trouble believing or are unsure about
*Write at least 3 key words or ideas
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5. Practicing Notes from a Text
Pair –Share
Pair off with 2 or 3 people and share what you have on your Post-It note
Share 1 item with the whole group
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6. Practicing Notes from a Text
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7. Summarizing and Note Taking - #2
Research
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
Meta-data analysis
10 ‘best’ practices
Summarizing and Note Taking - #2
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8. Research
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
Students who were exposed to summarizing and note taking scored on average 1 standard deviation above students who were not exposed to these strategies.
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9. Research
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
1. Verbatim note taking is, perhaps, the least effective way to take notes.
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10. Research 2. Notes should be considered a work in progress.
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
2. Notes should be considered a work in progress.
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11. Research 3. Notes should be used as study guides for tests.
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
3. Notes should be used as study guides for tests.
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12. Research 4. The more notes that are taken, the better.
Marzano: Classroom instruction that works
4. The more notes that are taken, the better.
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13. Practicing Notes from a Text
Variations:
Narrow the focus:
! Main Idea
? Write a test question
*3 key names/places/vocabulary words
Jigsaw it – assign students different parts of the text
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14. Experience 15 years high school math
5 years middle school math & study skills
Students did not know
What to write
How to use notes
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15. Two types
Guided VS Cornell Guided: Fill in the blanks with key points – can get more notes with less writing Cornell: Structured for review and studying Combination of both?
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16. Cornell Format
Top: Name, Topic, Date, Essential Question/Learning Objective Left: Questions Right: Notes Bottom: Summary Cornell note graph paper template
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17. Guided Notes More effective for __________ and recall of ______
Provides ______for students to keep pace with the lecture.
To be effective students must be engaged in _____ listening – not just waiting for the key word/phrase to pop up on the ________.
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18. Cornell Notes
More effective when information requires ______and ________
Provides organization method for _______and _____of information.
_____must be provided to complete the summary and question section.
You must teach students how to use the notes _______and have them use their _______to ____each other before an assessment.
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19. Webbing Alternate method to show connections Circles Lines
Larger circles for more important info
Lines
Link topics
Notetaking
Guided
Cornell
Webbing
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20. Practicing Cornell Notes
Read over the given notes and write a summary of the information. Summary Frame can help students : TRI Topic – General statement about topic Restrictions – How is this information limited? Illustrations - Example
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21. Practicing Cornell Notes
Read over the given notes and write a summary of the information. Summary Frame can help students : – Subject specific vocabulary words 2 – Important facts 1 – Main idea
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22. Practicing Cornell Notes
Write at least 2 questions that you think could be on an upcoming quiz over this information. Give them starters: Compare … Describe … Explain …
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23. Practicing Cornell Notes
Day before quiz/test have students pull out notes to review. They can read their questions and look at the notes to verify the answer. Then pair off and quiz a partner. Add questions to their sheets that they don’t have. Switch partners and quiz again.
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24. Practicing Video Notes
As you watch the following video, use a 4 square to guide you:
Who?
What?
Where?
Why?
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25. Teaching Students Note Taking
Use ‘fun’ topics to teach the format.
For Middle School, I usually used 3 different versions of Snow White.
Read one aloud to teach notes from a lecture
Read one individually to teach notes from text
Watch Disney version to teach notes from video
I would then have them compare and contrast the 3 versions
There would then be a quiz over the stories and how to take notes.
They would use the questions they had written to study.
They would quiz each other using the questions before the quiz.
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26. Teaching Students Note Taking
Use ‘fun’ topics to teach the format.
For High School, maybe use plagiarism.
Give notes from a lecture of what it is
Have them read an article individually to teach notes from text Plagiarism in the news
Watch Schooltube version to teach notes from video Plagiarism: How not to do it
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27. Teaching Students Note Taking
In math class I modify the format:
I require students to take notes over new topics/procedures.
Do an example, or two, that they copy down
Give verbal steps for them to paraphrase next to the example
Give guided practice for them to do in their notes
Next day, warm up is another problem and they must summarize their steps
If a student has a question, I help them find the notes/warm up that can answer their question.
If they don’t have the notes, we borrow another student’s to refer to.
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28. Questions?
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29. Revisiting the Presenters Meeting Outcomes
As a result of attending this session, participants will have
reviewed the research about the importance of note taking
practiced using note taking formats
collected activities to use in their own classroom to improve note taking
aiken county public school district

30. Essential Question
How can we improve student note taking to enhance knowledge acquisition?
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31. Thank you for attending!
Questions?
questions to
Thank you for attending!
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32. References
Keil, J. (2008). A Comparison of Two Note Taking Methods in a Secondary English Classroom. Wichita, KS: Wichita State University
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Morrow, J. (2012). Do Guided Notes Improve Student Performance? West Point, NY: Center for Teaching Excellence.
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33. Reading Passage aiken county public school district
Do Guided Notes Improve Student Performance?
John Morrow
No doubt, the influx of new technology into the classroom has made it possible to present information in a more dynamic, efficient, and visually pleasing manner than was possible with chalkboards, overhead transparencies, or slide projectors (Weatherly et al., 2002). However, these advancements have had some negative consequences. The most notable is that instructors are able to present more information during the same class period than was possible before the use of technological advancements. Though this would seem to be beneficial to both the students and instructors alike, it does have the potential to be detrimental to student learning. The reason for this is clear: throughout each lecture, students are expected to perform several tasks simultaneously such as (a) listen to the information being presented (b) distinguish and write down key terms and concepts (c) request clarification when necessary (d) answer the instructor’s questions, and (e) contribute original remarks and ideas (Barbetta & Skaruppa, 1995). Of these tasks, listening is arguably the most important, followed closely by note taking. Note taking serves as the most obvious means by which students can focus their attention, organize ideas, and connect presented material to existing knowledge, thereby enabling learning (Peper & Mayer, 1986). Yet, balancing these two tasks is an extremely difficult mission for most students, especially in classes that contain new and technical vocabulary, and thus, students are forced to choose between note taking and listening.
With the amount of material covered in many classes today, the results are that some students take few, if any, notes during the presentation, in an attempt to hear all the instructor has to say, thus lacking any way to review what was presented. Others frantically try to write down nearly all the instructor says, thereby limiting their participation in class (Hartley & Davies, 1978). Of course these are the extreme cases and research has shown that 99% of college students state that they take notes during lectures, while a similar percentage perceives note taking to be essential to their success (Palmatier & Bennett, 1974). Although students realize the importance of taking notes, research has shown that when students do take notes, they may be incomplete or inaccurate, typically recording 50% or less of the important ideas presented during the lecture (Kiewra, 1985).
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34. Guided Notes More effective for memorization and recall of facts
Provides organization for students to keep pace with the lecture.
To be effective students must be engaged in active listening – not just waiting for the key word/phrase to pop up on the PowerPoint.
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35. Cornell Notes
More effective when information requires synthesis and application
Provides organization method for summarization and review of information.
Time must be provided to complete the summary and question section.
You must teach students how to use the notes effectively and have them use their questions to quiz each other before an assessment.
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