STIMULATING
STUDENT NOTETAKING AND REVIEW:
the effect of active
learning with rapid
feedback.
Duncan Grant & Chris Grant
TIRI Conference July 2015
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Background
Workshop
Exercise
Survey
Discussion
Backstage logo
Ways of making notes
Notes and remembering
Notes - recap
• Use the way that suits you / suits what you are doing
• Supports active reading and listening
• Promotes understanding
• Provides reference material
• Essential for remembering
“One must learn by doing the thing, for
though you think you know it - you have
no certainty until you try.”
(Sophocles, 5th c BCE)
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.”
(Confucius, 5th/6th c BCE)
1.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Todd Ricci uses 2 consoles. What are they?
What does he think is the benefit of using the older console?
Who owns it?
Name two things that are controlled with the newer console?
Which type of light is used for the bulk of the show?
What colour temperature are the house spots chipped to?
Why does he use this temperature?
What does he think is the problem with most LED lights?
As well as colour temp, what is the other main reason for using the
main lights (as in Q5)
10.And finally, what is the message about Todd on the older console?
99%
95%
<95%
Survey
• All students after 1 month
• 13% response rate
• All show significant improvement (95%)
• Other findings:
• Laptop users less likely to take notes
• Some lecturers tell students not to take notes
Discussion #1
Questions about note-taking
• Why does note taking help learning?
• Encoding / active learning
• External storage
• What is the impact of review?
• Why is it better to take notes on paper?
• Encoding v transcription
• Ability to structure / emphasise
• Less distraction
“The act of typing effectively turns the note-taker into a transcription
zombie, while the imperfect recordings of the pencil-pusher reflect and
excite a process of integration, creating more textured and effective
modes of recall.”
Dan Rockmore (2014)
Discussion #2
What did we learn?
• Students can see the benefits of note taking and many will accept this
and change their practice
• Active learning component probably helps with this
• Unplanned research can be worthwhile – carpe diem!
• A lot of electronic aids to note taking have been developed and can
be very useful but, specifically in the lecture context, none has been
proven to be as good as pencil and paper
• ‘Passive laptop’, like passive smoking, can be harmful
Thank you for listening.
Any questions?
REFERENCES
Backstage Academy www.backstage-academy.co.uk [accessed 24/6/2015]
Brigham Young University (2014) Lest they forget http://www.byui.edu/learning-and-teaching/articles-andvideos/articles-and-videos/lest-they-forget [accessed: 23/2/2015]
Ebbinghaus, H (1885, Tr Ruger, H & Bussenius, C, 1913) Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology
http://nwkpsych.rutgers.edu/~jose/courses/578_mem_learn/2012/readings/Ebbinghaus_1885.pdf [accessed
11/1/2015]
EventElevator (2013), Lighting Director Todd Ricci about his work for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZep8AKhJFQ [accessed 6/10/2014]
Fisher, J & Harris, M (1973). Effect of note taking and review on recall. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol
65(3), Dec 1973, 321-325
Hembrook, H & Gay, G (2003) The Laptop and the Lecture, Journal of Computing in Higher Education Fall 2003,
Vol. 15(1)
Mueller, PA & Oppenheimer, DM (2014), The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over
Laptop Note Taking Psychological Science OnlineFirst,
Rickards & Freidman (1978) The encoding versus the external storage hypothesis in note taking Contemporary
Educational Psychology Volume 3, Issue 2, April 1978, Pages 136–143
Rockmore, D (2014) The case for banning laptops in the classroom
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-case-for-banning-laptops-in-the-classroom
Sana, F, Weston, T, and Cepeda, N (2013) Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and
nearby peers, Computers & Education Volume 62, March 2013, Pages 24–31
Survey Monkey [SURVEY PREVIEW MODE] BACKSTAGE ACADEMY - NOTE TAKING. During your Learning Skills
Workshop with Duncan Grant in October 2014, one of the aspects covered was note taking, We’d now like to
ask you some questions about this subject. Survey (no date) Available at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=DkgMASh9nHLhPT%2fgmc5WVBf%2b3ime85H6bmF5fjA8%2fQZPTzZA
fGKQFsc%2fex3gv9xMjw%2f9LIgM7BNXVhp8cFN6wtkji1qH5%2ft0wi9yCMvYLvs%3d [accessed: 8 July 2015]