Using cues, questioning, and advance organizers are a good way to start out a lesson to prepare the students for the new material. All three of them can be done at one time to “focus on what is important” out of the lesson (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 74). Advance organizers can go even deeper and create a project for the students to understand the material and to use it in a way to review previously learned material.
The next two instructional strategies that were looked at this week in the readings were summarizing and note taking. These strategies enhance the “students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 119). Technology allows many ways for students to summarize material and take notes in a different format. The different formats are best used when students get the opportunity to use all of them and determine which type fits their learning needs.
Virtual field trips and concept mapping are also instructional strategies that allow students to summarize their information, review their information, and also organize their information. Concept mapping is a more specific way for students to summarize the information presented and also can be used for taking notes. A virtual field trip is a great way to provide cues and bring up questions.
According to the Cognitive Learning Theory students need to “learn “with” as opposed to “from” computers” (Orey, 2001, p. 2). The instructional strategies that I explained above focus on the use of technology to assist in the learning process. Cognitive tools are there to “allow students to interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge (Orey, 2001, p. 3).
References
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pittler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Jenna Eklund
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Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to get some of these note taking strategies out to my little ones, my 2nd & 3rd graders. The middle grade computer teacher has commented on how the students really don't have a clue as to how to take notes. I think showing them some of these strategies early on will better prepare them for the research they'll be doing in the meddle grades and beyond.
The students I have in my junior high and high school classes tend to take notes while I am teaching, but they do not know how to use their notes as a resource. I am trying to show them the benefits of using their notes.
ReplyDeleteJenna Eklund
I find that many of my high school kids do not know how to take notes that are clear enough for them to use as study guides. I have started outlining the chapters and leaving space for them to add their ideas and examples as we review the materials.
ReplyDeleteJenna,
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in how you teach your students to use their notes as a resource. A year ago, I consistently gave open-notebook quizzes. Unfortunately, I found that my students stopped studying and relied soley on their notes. Do you have strategy that works? I'm thinking I may begin to give study guides in a concept map/outline format to help my students track how and what they study. This way they are creating and synthesizing new ways of working with the information and hopefully placing it into long term memory.
Charis Jones
Charis and jenna,
ReplyDeleteI, too, would allow my students to use their notes for a quiz. I would assign a page or two of their textbook for them to read, allow them to take notes on a quarter of a sheet of paper, and then use it for the quiz. They are allowed to ask questions any time before the quiz. the problem I am having, is that during class I do not allow students to take notes. It is a visual class, and they must be watching what all conversations. I do give them lists of their vocabulary. Any suggestions?
The first intervention recently that I have used is having my students record their effort according to a rubric. This rubric reviews over what the purpose of taking notes should look like. After that I am going to allow my students to use their notes on their tests to help them see the importance of them. I am hoping that all of this will lead to them realizing how much of a resource notes can be for them.
ReplyDeleteJohn, after reading you blog I quickly came up with the following: The lesson begins with cues and questions about the concept. Once that is completed then a lesson presentation takes place, with the students taking notes and then directions for the activity. Of course if possible a virtual field trip might be in order. The student then conduct additional research and the construct a concept map thus synthesizing and distilling the information and following up with a reflection or presentation of their own. All of which can be done collaboratively
ReplyDeleteMy school district has had such an increase in student enrollment with regard to learning a World & Classical language, that we can no longer issue textbooks. I think I will give a quiz on a monthly or biweekly basis about certain topics students can only find in their notebooks. I think I'll start the school year allowing them to use their notebooks. Then I'll have my students write key concepts from their notes on an index card as a cheat sheet for the rest of the year. This will force them to re-read their notes to get the most pertinent information for the test. I appreciate the dialogue we've shared in this blog.
ReplyDeleteCharis Jones
As a first grade teacher it is so hard to teach students how to pull important facts to remeber and then take notes. What we do is draw a picture and label it or write a few sentences about the picture. Each day we review what we have done so far...they share it with a partner and then share it out loud during a whole group conversation.
ReplyDeleteI wish my 2 older sons had teachers like you. They have no idea how to study and take notes. Their schools have not made it a priority. I try, but sometimes it ends in an argument because I don't know what it is like...
Hi Jenna-
ReplyDeleteI often use organizers to begin my lessons. Having an organizer helps my children (the little babies) get their thoughts in order and know what they are going to be learning about. I have a hard time teaching the little ones to be good "note takers" so we do a lot of brainstorming as a group using the ACTIVboard.
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteOrganizers are even a great way to keep high school students engaged and on track. It is amazing how poor some of their organization skills are. These have really benefited many of my students.