Notetaking strategies

I still make my regular world students take notes on paper.  I provide the outline from the PPT, but they are responsible for filling in with something (words, phrases, pictures, etc.).

In my AP classes, students are presented with a basic heading and conclusion format to follow with multiple strategies available to take notes in the middle at the beginning of the year.  They still have to take notes by hand.  One set of notes is randomly collected on Fridays.

Multiple studies have shown that taking notes by hand puts information into the long-term storage of the brain plus it forces them to condense what they are learning into something they understand.  In fact, one successful APWH teacher on our FB group used to do digital notebooks and went away from them to handwriting because her AP students learned so much better that way.  

I still think it's an essential skill.  In the lower grades, tactile learning is considered essential, and I think notetaking falls into that category.  I also like to think of it this way.  We wouldn't tell math teachers to stop making students write down the steps in solving a math problem so notes are a similar step.

Here's a link to my notetaking guide for my AP World History students if you're interested.

APWH Notetaking 2022 - 2023.docx

Key Note:  Regular world takes notes during lecture.  APWH students take notes as homework because we're activity based in class.  Those two different situations required different strategies :).

Thanks for sharing Melissa Nowotarski ! I like the different variety of options you give your students. Are you having them do notes for each chapter of a textbook or unit? Do you see students use all of these styles or do most of them stick to more traditional note styles like Cornell Notes? I use Cornell Notes for each chapter of our textbook (Strayer and Nelson, Ways of the World) so by the end of the year they outline the entire book. I have been thinking of changing how I do notes with them in class and was thinking they could do one of these strategies based off the slideshow I would normally post. What do you think?

Thanks for sharing Melissa Nowotarski ! I like the different variety of options you give your students. Are you having them do notes for each chapter of a textbook or unit? Do you see students use all of these styles or do most of them stick to more traditional note styles like Cornell Notes? I use Cornell Notes for each chapter of our textbook (Strayer and Nelson, Ways of the World) so by the end of the year they outline the entire book. I have been thinking of changing how I do notes with them in class and was thinking they could do one of these strategies based off the slideshow I would normally post. What do you think?

I give them a syllabus with the readings divided for each night.  Since I'm dealing primarily with freshman that helps them with time management. I don't stay with a set book and hop around to different sources of content.  Here's an example of what students receive for Unit 8: Unit 8 Syllabus

I don't collect one set of notes until Friday.  Students don't know which one I'm collecting until then.  Students usually find a note style that works for them, and that's the point at the beginning of the year.  Sometimes, students will switch it up between assignments.

Melissa Nowotarski said:

Students usually find a note style that works for them, and that's the point at the beginning of the year. 

I think that's awesome.  I am big fan of teaching options and then letting kids find what works best for them.