Thanks to my sister Laura for sending me The Onion’s article about Mead’s new Grad-School-Ruled Notebook, an innovation that squeezes even more lines on the page.
On a more serious note (no pun intended): I really wish I had stuck with taking lecture and discussion notes using pen and paper rather than going digital (laptop, handheld) in my second year. I really buy the idea that taking notes by hand leads to better processing of information and, hence, better recall.
Does anyone else have an opinion on that?
9 comments ↓
For one thing, if you are spending your lectures taking notes, something is wrong. There was a time when books were precious and lecturers would read the book in front of the class because students could not afford to buy the book. That is no longer true. We need to evolve beyond this point. Professors should hand out lecture notes, make their notes available on the Web, or retire.
Second of all, pen and pencil are better for fast capture of the information. However, to organize, store and index the information, you need the electronic ink. The best scenario is to capture lots of information very fast with a pen, and then sort through it and organize it using a computer. (Not all of it though. Most of the information we capture is not essential.)
I think taking notes by hand is better for processing the information, as well. However, I think Daniel is in the minority when he states that pen and pencil are better for fast capture of information. I find that I can type MUCH faster than I can write.
Also, because of the benefits of taking your own notes, I completely disagree with the tactic of putting lecture notes up on the web. Students should take their own notes so that they better learn the material. Most research shows that the act of taking notes keeps the students more cognitively engaged during the lecture.
I find that I can type MUCH faster than I can write.
Really? What about figures, diagrams, lists, tables, and so on?
Do not get me wrong. I use my computer for 99% of data entry I make, but for dirty notes on the corner of a desk, paper and pencil are unbeatable.
Note that you are supposed to process these notes afterward.
Most research shows that the act of taking notes keeps the students more cognitively engaged during the lecture.
Stop lecturing:
http://www.daniel-lemire.com/b.....-teaching/
No. I am not kidding. Attending lectures is a terrible way to learn. In fact, I made it through college and got a Ph.D. with an attendance rate of less than 30%. The *only* reason I ever attended lectures was to get hand-outs and know when homeworks were due.
The only reason why some people feel they need lectures is that they have not been given a chance to become autonomous. They feel that someone should be there (physically) to tell them what to do. These are the same people who will get into trouble in grad school or in their first job. These are the people who will be unable to start a company. These are the same people who won’t be able to get promoted to a manager position.
Coaching is important, but it does not occur much during a lecture.
Ah, see when I said professors shouldn’t hand out lecture notes, I wasn’t including figures, diagrams, tables, etc. in that. By notes I meant a synopsis of what was said - the points that were made. All that other stuff should be in the textbook or provided by the professor.
I teach an intro class with about 80 students, so I don’t give a lot of assignments. If I had a TA to grade them, or teaching were the main component of my job, then I certainly would have an assignment and activity-based course. Especially in-class activities. I currently do five a semester, and that’s about all I can make time for.
What I do is assign readings from their textbook, which are covered on the exam but not in class. I spend my class time linking the textbook’s survey of the topic to current events, media representations, studies in the field, etc. In short, textbook introduces info, I apply it and introduce ways to critically analyze it. Although I put the PowerPoints containing all my links up on the web, these alone are not sufficient to use as notes.
I also don’t require my students to come to lecture. Most of them do, but a good half of the ones who don’t are still managing an A in the class. The other half I’m guessing just are lazy, undedicated, or both. It’s just an intro class, after all.
I certainly would have an assignment and activity-based course.
Good to hear.
I have read recently that taking notes by hand is better than by computer and that the brain has better recall from the activity of writing than typing.
When you write by hand, the brain is forced to make the forms needed to construct letters and then organize those letter into words…words into sentences, keeping the words on the lined paper, etc.
If you watch yourself type, you will see that (for most of us) your fingers are flying across the keyboard with lightning speed. The brain is focused on the key order, rather than forming complex shapes to create words. Often, I find myself multi-tasking while typing a letter. I am less conscious of what my fingers are doing and yet I am still able to type a note/email/etc with few errors.
I know from personal experience that I can record more lecture notes by typing, but when I am done my mind is almost always a blank of what just occurred during the lecture. The act of creating the letter forms on paper serves for a much better recall.
+1 for paper and pen. Robust, mature technology. I like unlined paper on a clipboard in landscape mode. The Amish laptop. :^)
Add me in to the paper and pen for notes category. I try to transcribe when I use a computer, whereas I think, process, and create links when I use paper. (Plus I can draw those links in with a pen and paper - hard to do with a keyboard.)
Nice one, Chad. Weren’t you a Luddite for a while back in college, too?
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