33 Note-Taking Signals

Definition

One-on-one coaching and embedded support to increase note-taking skills.

In action

Provide students with visual prompts (e.g., a hand signal) or specific tools and formats to support recording important information during class.

Support Strategies

  • Meet with the student to understand their strengths, needs, and perspective on note-taking.
  • Identify specific note-taking problem areas such as identifying critical content, recording content, organization, etc.
  • Provide visual (e.g., raise hand, circles or highlighted text in presentation) or verbal (e.g., “take this down”) cues during presentation to signify critical information
  • Use partially completed note-taking templates (e.g., fill in the blank) to narrow student focus to essential information
  • Including symbols in visual materials (e.g., an asterisk) to indicate the most important details to be recorded
  • Give students feedback on their note-taking abilities, such as suggestions for how to organize with headings.

Case Study

Student: A Grade 5 student in science class

Content: The teacher is introducing the class to the digestive system using visuals and asks them to take notes.

Problem: The student is unsure of what information needs to be recorded as there are no words on the slides—only images.

Solution: The teacher provides the student with a note-taking template in advance to help focus on essential information while taking notes.

Additional Resources

License

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Ed Guide Copyright © 2022 by Jordan Shurr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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