Pencil Licking is Not Required
Note taking is the first study skill I teach teens. It’s a skill that can improve learning in every class, so it’s where we start.
As adults, we take and write notes every day. For some people, their phone is their note taking device. However, if you’ve ever seen my mama on her phone, you would know that it’s not the best method for everyone lol You and I also know many teens get distracted by a game, an app, or something else as soon as they unlock their phones.
For mama and your teens, pencil and paper is probably best. The good thing is that despite what you might see in old movies, you don’t have to lick your pencil to start.
I encourage students to use folders with the brads (fasteners) instead of spiral notebooks. I want teens to be able to find their correct notes quickly. And, I don't want your teen's backpack to be full of loose papers (that's a different study skill!) You may think typed notes are better, but there’s too much brain science out there supporting handwritten notes at least as the first iteration.
Did you know that…
- People remember things better after they’ve written them down? (more so than when they’ve typed them)
- Writing things down asks your brain to see what you’ve written, to make your hand move the pencil to create the letters, and consequently, your brain has more touch points to remember the information you recorded?
- In Japan, a study was done to compare the speed of taking notes by hand or typing them? Taking notes by hand was faster. There’s no trying to find a special key when you’re using a pencil and paper. Underline it. Put a checkmark by it. You only need one hand and one pencil.
Note taking has value for you as an adult and especially for your child who's learning with you at home or while sitting in a class.
I teach teens to have pencils and paper every day in class. My hope is they take notes every day in every class. I want them prepared when the teacher says, “You should write this down” and when they know something is essential to their understanding.
Unfortunately, most teens don't know how to take notes and rely on the teacher or the curriculum to guide them. I change that with my 7 note taking rules. Would you like to learn more?
I also tell teens to review their notes. Although brain science says they’ll remember better because they wrote it down, I want them to have notes they actually use. I encourage teens to take just 5 minutes to review their notes each day. That way when it’s a couple days before a test and the teacher says, “This, this, and this will be on the test,” your teen will be ready to mark her notes and write down anything she might have missed.
I tell teens about the teachers who will sometimes let them use notes on a test. I have yet to work with a student who hasn't ever taken an open book or note test or at least been allowed to use at least one side of one 3 x 5 index card.
Let your teen see you take notes. Teens need to know that taking notes isn’t just for school. Recently, a repairman was taking notes on a piece of sheetrock at my house. It probably wouldn’t fit really well in your teen’s backpack, but it might work if he HAD to have the information lol.
If your teen learns to take good notes, school gets easier. And since note taking never stops, why not learn it now?