April 18, 2008

Note Organization Formats That Inhibit or Promote Learning

Deep thinking    p. 89

Experts call it deep cognitive processing.  Is key to make memories last.

To get benefits of recitation     p. 90

Need to know how to recite and it helps to understand how reciting strengthens mem. & why reciting is more effective than rereading.

How to Recite    p. 90

Traditional Reciting – restating information aloud, in own words, from memory.  Ex.- read a paragraph, look away, explain meaning of what you just read.  Not all students like this kind of reciting, feels strange or unnatural, like talking to themselves.  Others reluctant to recite in a quiet place where people are studying.  Others embarrassed to be heard reciting.  Result – many students don’t recite.  Trick is to stick to basics of reciting.

Scoring For the Main Ideas/Details Note Organization Format

1.    Visually separates main ideas from other main ideas with     Yes =  1  point     space.
2.    Visually separates main ideas from details with space.         Yes =  1  point 3.    Visually separates details from other details with space.         Yes =  1  point 4.    Numbers, letters, or symbols indicate how many details        No =  0  points        there are to remember.
        Space is used in this format to separate main ideas and details.  Numbers, letters, and symbols are not used in this example.
5.    Promotes self-testing by quickly revealing what has been        No =  0  points        learned and  what has not.
        Self-testing can be done in this format but not as easily as in more efficient formats.  Also, learned and not-yet-learned material cannot be easily separated and identified.
6.    Visually and physically separates learned and not yet            No =  0  points    learned material.
        This is awkward to do in this format.
7.    Main ideas and details can be regrouped /reorganized.        No =  0  points    Main ideas and details can be grouped and organized only upon initial recording in this format.  Once recorded, main ideas and details cannot be easily rearranged to promote learning and recall unless they are rewritten. 
8.    Requires mental manipulation of ideas to set up and review    Yes =  1  point    notes, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, condense, and
    restructure notes.
        This format does require mental manipulation of ideas in that there is material must be analyzed, categorized, separated, evaluated, condensed and restructured to record material in this format.
9.    Can be rewritten in one’s own words using abbreviations,     Yes =  1  point    symbols,and short phrases.
         Since this format involves rewriting notes, one’s own words, abbreviations, symbols and short phrases can be used.
10.    Promotes summarizing of main ideas.            Yes =  1  point    Ideas can be summarized as they are recorded in this format, leaving out excess and unneeded words.  Main ideas can be readily identified and reorganized into summaries for faster review and self-testing.
11.    Easy to form questions out of main ideas and answers out    Yes =  1  point of details.
        As information is recorded, questions can be made out of main ideas and answers formulated from details.
12.    Simple format.            Yes =  1  point    Separating a main idea from its details is easy in this format.
13.    Can be conveniently and efficiently reviewed and recited.        No =  0  points    While review and recitation is easier than with hiliting, because the learned and not-yet-learned material cannot be easily separated, it is not convenient compared with other more efficient note organization formats.
14.    Eases evaluation of test performance and effectiveness of    No =  0  points learning tools.
        Since main ideas contained in test questions are separated by space, it is easier than in that Hiliting format to determine the location of main ideas in notes but is still much less efficient the other note organization formats.
15.    Easily portable in a pocket or purse.            No =  0  points    This format involves the use of notebooks to carry around.  This is not as conveniently portable as the Notecard Format (more on this later).

                              Total Score For Main Idea/Details Format –  8 .  

Conclusions About Main Idea And Details Note Organization Format

The Main Idea and Details note organization format is more efficient than the Hiliting Format but not as effective in promoting learning as the following formats.

   Format #3   Outline format

Outlines are constructed using numbers and letter to show how ideas are related to each other.  Seeing this relationship helps with learning and remembering.  Main ideas are indicated with roman numerals such as I. II., III., etc.  Important details under each main idea are indicated by capital letters such as A., B., C., etc.  Information that clarifies and/or explains each of these A, B, C details are indicated by numbers such as 1., 2., 3., etc.  Smaller details under the 1., 2., 3. details are indicated by small letters such as a., b., c., etc.

  Rehearse Information Through Recitation

I.    Recitation is most imp. activity to strengthen mem.   p. 89
        A.  Forces you to think seriously about what you’ve read or heard.
        B.  Leads to Deep thinking (deep cognitive processing). – key to 
             make memories last.

II.    To get benefits of recitation.   p. 90
        A.  Need to know how to recite.
        B.  Understand how reciting strengthens mem.
        C.  Know why reciting is more effective than rereading.

III.    How to Recite.   p. 90
        A.  Traditional Reciting
            1.  Restate info. out loud.
            2.  In own words.
            3.  From memory. 
            Ex.- read a para., look away, explain meaning.
        B.  Problems
            1.  Not all students like this kind of reciting.
                a. Feels strange or unnatural.
                b. Reluctant to recite in a quiet place where
                    other people are studying.
                c. Embarrassed to be heard reciting.
                d. Don’t like talking to themselves.
            2.  Result – many students don’t recite. Trick is stick to basics                 of reciting.

  Scoring For The Outline Note Organization Format

1.    Visually separates main ideas from other main ideas.             Yes =  1  point
2.    Visually separates main ideas from details.             Yes =  1  point
3.    Visually separates details from other details.             Yes =  1  point
4.    Numbers, letters or symbols indicate how many details there    Yes =  1  point        are to remember.
        The Outline Format is excellent at separating main ideas and details.  Furthermore, it demonstrates the relative importance of ideas to each other and indicates how details are related to other details.
5.    Promotes self-testing by quickly revealing what has been        No =  0  points
    learned and what has not.
6.    Visually and physically separates learned and not yet            No =  0  points        learned material.
7.    Main ideas and details can be easily regrouped/reorganized.    No =  0  points
8.    Requires mental manipulation of ideas to set up and review    Yes =  1  point
    notes, analysis, evaluation, synthesis, condensation, and
    restructuring.
9.    Can be rewritten in one’s own words using abbreviations,     Yes =  1  point
     symbols, short phrases.
10.    Promotes summarizing of main ideas.            Yes =  1  point
11.    Easy  to form questions out of main ideas and answers out     Yes =  1  point
    of details.   
12.    Simple format.            Yes =  1  point
13.    Can be conveniently and efficiently reviewed and recited.     Yes =  1  point
14.    Eases evaluation of test performance and effectiveness of     Yes =  1  point
    learning tools.
15.    Easily portable in a pocket or purse.            No =  0  points

                                  Total Score For The Outline Format –        9  .  

Conclusions about the Outline Note Organization Format

To promote learning, this format has the 3 visual advantages.  Its strength is its use of numbers and letters to indicate the relative importance of main ideas to each other and the relationship of details to their main ideas.  Numbers and letter also indicate how many details there are and this makes learning and recall easier.  Mental manipulation of the material to be learned is required to outline ideas and details properly.  Ideas can be written into one’s own words and main ideas can be formulated into questions if a learner desires.  Main ideas can be easily identified and organized into summaries.  Review and recitation is relatively simple because main ideas and details are separated.  Because main ideas are separated from each other, it is convenient to evaluating test performance and effectiveness of learning tools.  Correct answers can reinforce study techniques that worked and incorrect answers can be more easily identified in notes and associated with study skills that didn’t work.

To inhibit learning, outlining does promote self-testing a little more than hiliting and the main idea/details formats though it is not easy to separate "learned" from "not-yet-learned" material.  Because outlines are recorded on notebook paper, it is difficult to regroup or recategorize information unless extensive rewriting is done.  Unless a students has had considerable instruction and practice in constructing outlines, they are not easy to set up.  For the same reasons as hiliting and main ideas/details formats, books and notebooks full of outlines notes are not as conveniently portable as another format.

   Format # 4   The Cornell System Format

The Cornell Note Organization Format is set up on ordinary notebook paper.  A vertical line is drawn about 3 inches from the left margin.  Main ideas or questions made from them are placed to the left of the line and details for main ideas or answers to questions are placed to the right.

Rehearse Information Through Recitation

Why is recitation is most imp. activity to strengthen mem.? p. 89

 

3 ways to get benefits of recit.? 
p. 90
    1.  Forces thinking seriously about what I’ve read/heard.
2.    Leads to Deep thinking (deep cognitive processing). – key to make memories last.

1. Need to know how to recite
2. Under. how reciting strengthens mem.
3. Know why reciting is more effective than rereading.

3 steps in traditional reciting? p. 90    1.  Restate info. out loud.
2.  Write in own words.
3.  Recite from memory. 
    Ex.- read a para., look away, explain meaning.

2 problems w/ traditional reciting?
p. 90    1. Not all students like this kind of reciting
2. Result – many students don’t recite.

    Trick is to stick to basics of reciting.

4 reasons why there are probs. with traditional reciting?       p. 90    1. Feels strange or unnatural.
2. Reluctant to recite in a quiet place where others study.
3. Embarrassed to be heard reciting.
4. Don’t like talking to selves.

Scoring For The Cornell Note Organization Format

1.    Visually separates main ideas from other main ideas.         Yes =  1  point
2.    Visually separates main ideas from details.             Yes =  1  point
3.    Visually separates details from other details.             Yes =  1  point
4.    Numbers, letters or symbols indicate how many details        Yes =  1  point
         there are to remember.
5.    Promotes self-testing by quickly revealing what has been    Yes =  1  point

Filed under: Academic Learning Centers,Coaching,Peer-Tutoring,Small Private Practices,Tutoring Practices

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Resources
Tutoring Foundations Tutor Training