This week we took a look at cues, questions, advanced organizers; nonlinguistic representation; and summarizing notetaking.
Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers
I do not use advanced organizer in my classroom. A lot of the teachers that I work with use them as a component to their notetaking, but that is not something I do. I think there are a few instances when advanced organizers would come in handy, but at this point most of our activities are hands in so it is hard to utilize such a technique. Though, I do make sure, when questioning students to lead them on the path of finding the answer out themselves. Giving them the answer is what they want, but I want them to be able to tell me how they got to that point.
Nonlinguistic Representation
We use this a lot in my classroom since all of my classes are technology based. A lot of the assignments in my classes are geared toward the visual learner. Being a visual learner myself, I find it easier to teach this way, which must make it easier for students to learn. I know that this isn't true and do add an non-visual component to lessons. Last week we started with the creation of web pages to show the lay out of how students would arrange an apartment. They have to "purchase" everything and then describe why they picked the particular items, how it fit into their budget, etc. To me, this is a not only better than having them write a paper because they get to use technology, but they're also getting to let me see through their eyes their take on the assignment.
Notetaking
Like I've said previously I don't do a lot of notetaking in my classroom. Though, when we do, I usually do guided notes. The students are given an outline of the notes, but have to fill in specific sections while I'm lecturing. I find this not only keeps them in line, but it does help them remember those key words. I took a class in college on notetaking and it was the best class of my whole undergrad. It taught me how to take notes efficiently and how to pay attention while taking notes. I think there needs to be more classes like this at the secondary level because there are so many notes being taken in college and we're not prepared enough.
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that note-taking is a skill that is not taught as much as we would like, yet it is a necessary skill for students going into middle school, high school and beyond. I think that by providing the guided notes for your students, you are building experience and a model for students who are new to the note-taking process is a great start.
You mentioned you don't use advanced organizers with your students--do you see this as a tool you might use in the future? If so, how do you think this could benefit your students?
Your note taking strategy seems to work well for your class. I know a couple of other teachers that do something similar. I do a final study guide before each test that is similar to this as well. Have you considered having the students fill in the notes online with google docs since it sounds like you have a lot of computer access?
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that note taking should be a component of a required class in high school! I know that I don't take very effective notes and I have seen some of the notes that my students take. I think that many students would benefit from a note taking class. I think that the technique that you use with your students is very interesting. It seems as though it is very effective and keeps the attention of your students, which is the ultimate goal. Keeping the attention of all students is crucial to effective teaching.
ReplyDelete