Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill – Education & Teacher Conferences Skip to main content

Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill

Over at the Cult of Pedagogy, Jennifer Gonzalez has a FANTASTIC post summarizing lots of research on note-taking.

Some headlines:

Note-taking is a skill we should teach.

Visuals improve notes.

Pauses for revision and reflection help a lot.

I should note: Gonzalez cites the well-known Mueller & Oppenheimer study showing that handwritten notes help learning more than laptop notes do. Long-time readers know that I don’t think this study supports that conclusion.

In fact: I think it suggests that the opposite is true. My argument is here.

Despite our disagreement on this one point, there’s so much to savor in this summary that I recommend it highly.

Enjoy!


Recent Blogs

From Facts to Application: The Surprising Power of Repeated Retrieval
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

The more time you've spent in Learning and the Brain...

From Lab to Life: Testing Study Strategies with 2,500+ Real Students
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

Research-based conclusions often appeal to us because of their tidy...

Research Reality Check: ‘More Is Better’ Doesn’t Always Apply to Learning Strategies
Andrew Watson
Andrew Watson

We've got lots of strong research suggesting that drawing can...