Ch.+9+Susan+I.

Chapter 9 was a pretty cool chapter also, opening my eyes to different ways to have students do research and also validating some things I've done with research in the past. Yet, it was in the beginning of the chapter that I found the quote I want to share:

Pg. 144 in the middle of Schank's quote it says, "//Talking is remembering."//

This really stood out because the chapter started off talking about how we learn through telling stories and making connections through the stories we tell. When I have the students take notes, I've often gotten these questions: "Why don't you just put the notes on the board and let us copy them down?" "Why do you erase the notes for each class and write them again?" "Why do we have to take notes?" I tell them that what they are learning in 7th grade science isn't just getting them through the year with me, it is preparing them for life, other places they will need the skill of taking notes. If I were to just leave the notes on the board, some people would be done in 2 seconds and remember everything; some woud be done in 2 seconds and not remember a thing; some would be done writing in 5 mintues and not remember a thing....you see where I'm going with this? Plus, I always have them with their books open, because very rarely do I just write down definitions, "words" on the board. I expect students to be actively involved in taking notes- I expect THEM to find definitions and VERBALIZE their finds out loud. Then, I write the information on the board, often asking for the student to restate what they said and I should write down. I encourage them to share stories. I have told students in response to their questions that the talking is a very important part of taking notes. It helps incorporate different learning styles, writing (kinestetic), visual and verbal. It's my hopes that by asking students to be actively involved in the note taking process that they are helping build their own connections and using more than one way to help remember what they are learning. So it was cool to see this statement.

Karin A - I think some of your students questions on note taking come from them taking science with me last year (sorry). The sixth graders are not used to taking notes. I don't think they have done it in the earlier grades. I demonstrate note taking for them as a learning experience. We discuss the content in class and I write on the board everything of importance they need to know. There is a direct correlation of students looking at the board and processing information by writing it in their notebooks. They learn better. I do tell them that as they get older teacher's won't write everything they need on the board but they will have to decide what is worthy enough to put in a notebook. There is much more information than definitions in their notebooks. I even have my math students keep a notebook. Now to get them to refer back to it to re-learn information! Any ideas on how to do that?

Susan S - Don't worry, Karin, they still question note taking in the 8th grade. Susan, I do the same thing with note taking, having them actively participate in it. They sigh, but usually end up participating and by talking about it, hopefully remembering better or longer. I still have to explain the process of reading, listening, writing, and verbalizing an idea for it to take hold.

Pam I think that notetaking is a universal question for all students. I remember in college wondering how many notes I should take, am I taking the notes correctly, etc. I obviously did not take enough notes in middle or high school. I think that having students take part in the notetaking can only help them in the long run in teaching them how to be motivated and independent learners.

Susan S - Yes. And I agree with Jen P last night that we need to teach them how to take notes. A lot of students are still helpless about how to take notes, and turn them into something that makes sense.