Note taking

I had recently done some literature searches on this subject with respect to math and

thought that I would look into it in more depth given the student feedback on Friday. I don’t

really have time to do a literature review on this right now, although I may do one later if time

presents itself. However, I’m providing a skeleton of research into note taking and partial notes.

People that are interested can of course go through the articles themselves and critique the issue.

There has been a significant amount of research on note taking and its benefits with

encoding and storage (Kiewra, 1989). The research shows that there are cognitive benefits that

result in increased learning, even if the notes are not reviewed again. This is interesting, given

that ½ of the students said that they don’t ever review their notes again.

There has also been a reasonable amount of research on whether or not partial notes are

benefitial. Konrad, Joseph, & Eveleigh (2009) did a meta-analysis of studies that looked at this.

They found that partial-notes were generally superior to student notes due to accuracy and

getting the right information. Only one of the studies in Konrad et al.’s (2009) research looked

at partial notes versus instructor supplied complete notes, and they found no difference. This

meta-analysis was a mix of secondary school and university participants, where the notes were

given either through reading texts or lecturer’s speech.

Katayama did at least two studies (1997; 2000) comparing guided notes with taking

student notes and using graphic organizers. Again, partial-notes were shown to be better than

student notes. Graphic organizers were also shown to be effective. I think science in particular

benefits from graphic organizers due to an extra layer of scientific literacy issues.

In terms of math, research tells us that partial notes are effective (Cardetti,

Khamsemanan, & Orgnero, 2010). Another paper also highlights the importance of students

following a formal note-taking format (Eades, n.d.) but this research was solely focused on

university students, although I can’t fault the idea. Eades’ paper is interesting because when

solving problems, the instructor not only lists a procedure but also lists definitions and why they

use that particular procedure.

The one thing that puzzles me a bit was the sentiment from the students that partial notes

(guided notes) confused them. Perhaps this has more to do with the instructor moving too fast

and not pausing so that students can thoughtfully add notes. The comment that “notes will go on

forever” when discussing partial-notes also stuck with me. Clearly this is an attitude issue and it

would be beneficial to know if it was a result from the activity itself, or from the activity lasting

too long (what is “too long” for giving notes?).

While the research is not conclusive in partial-notes vs. supplied complete notes, given

that ½ the students from Friday don’t review notes later on, I am leaning towards the validity of

using partial-notes.

Note taking

References

Cardetti, F., Khamsemanan, N., & Orgnero, M. C. (2010). Insights regarding the usefulness of

partial notes in mathematics courses. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and

Learning, 10(1), 80-92.

Eades, C. (n.d.). Ideas in practice: strategic note taking in developmental mathematics. Retrieved

from

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/hww/results/results_common.jht

ml;hwwilsonid=S5SOIRLNT3DYTQA3DILSFF4ADUNGIIV0

Katayama, A. D. (1997). Getting students involved in note taking: why partial notes benefit

learners more than complete notes.

Katayama, A. D., Crooks, S. M., & Weiler, W. (2000). Constructing and studying notes from on-

line text: why filling the blanks in a “partial-notes” format may lead to higher

performance on delayed higher-order tests.

Kiewra, K. A. (1989). A review of note-taking: the encoding-storage paradigm and beyond.

Educational Psychology Review, 1(2), 147-172. doi:10.1007/BF01326640

Konrad, M., Joseph, L. M., & Eveleigh, E. (2009). A meta-analytic review of guided notes.

Education and Treatment of Children, 32(3), 421-444.