Today was the first day my dyad teacher (6th grade math) explicitly stated that students should take detailed notes, because they will be able to use those notes on the upcoming quiz. Once this information was processed, the students were extremely engaged in note taking for the remainder of the period. It also got me wondering what the pros and cons of allowing students to use notes on quizzes might be, and if it is an overall positive or negative for the students.
Pro:
Letting students know in advance that they can use notes on upcoming quizzes is a great way to get the entire class to take notes. The process of writing down information from a discussion or lecture increases the likelihood that the processed information will be retained.
Con:
Do the kids learn the material, or just right it down? Assessing learning on quizzes where notes are being used is something I think would be very difficult.
I'm sure there are more pros and cons out there, and please feel free to add to this list in the comments section.
I spoke with my dyad teacher at the end of the day and she also pointed out that using notes on quizzes makes more sense for some units than for others. For instance, in units where lots of notes are being taken, it makes more sense than units with very few notes. Also, I think that allowing students to use notes on quizzes, but not on tests, might be a good way to keep a carrot out for taking notes, but also still be able to have a quantifiable assessment in the test. I think allowing students to use notes on quizzes is an overall positive, but only with supplementary means of assessment.
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2 comments:
This does bring up a very debate. As you stated the engagement of most students, taking notes today was very visible.
As a student, of course, I have liked using notes, but as a future teacher, I have thought about this and thought no way. What I saw today changed my mind. Not to say I would always allow the students to use notes, but I would like to try it now. I would like to experiment with both ways. Observe what benefits or differences may occur with each before deciding.
A few questions I have; does it work for some classes and not for others? Does it work for some subjects and not for others? What about individual students? As we talked about with the master teacher what about special need students?
In addition, I know for myself that writing the information down does help me retain the material. That was not something I had thought about even though it is a part of my learning style. Also, students learning to take notes is a very important skill that could be considered as another benefit.
I know a middle school math teacher who allows the students to bring only one page of notes into a test room. This allows the students to have access to formulas but the test is story problems and it is up to the students to determine which formula to use. The notes are done as a homework assignment so it is up to the students to complete these notes.
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