Since the start of the semester, I have been going into classrooms on a regular basis to assist our resource students. Here are a few observations...
1.) We have wonderful teachers at GHS! They teach so that a student with a learning disability is able to grasp new concepts. They are willing to give extra support to the students and have been great about keeping me informed of happenings in their classes.
2.) Teachers are welcoming to me and don't seem to mind my presence in their classes! Thanks!
3.) I'm amazed at how many general education students struggle with basic material, especially in math. In many cases our special ed. students are doing much better.
4.) Why don't students take notes? When I am in a classroom, I am frantically taking notes. When do they learn how to take notes? I guess I need to work on that with my students.
5.) A lot of material is covered every day in every class. Students MUST study on a regular basis to keep up.
I am really enjoying going to the classes and I think it is helping our students. I am able to give copies of my notes to students and keep students aware of upcoming and ongoing assignments in their regular classes! I am grateful for this opportunity!
Debra McDonald
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“Why don’t students take notes?” is one of the first questions that struck me this year as I began my teaching career. With the exception of one student this semester, none of my students this year has taken notes without my prompting. This sparked two additional questions: 1) If they aren’t taking notes, what are they using to study? (the obvious answer, of course, is quite simple: they aren’t studying); and 2) if they’re not taking notes and they aren’t studying, how do they expect to pass?
I am still worrying these questions over like well-chewed pet toys and haven’t come up with any answers. Do students feel they don’t need to take notes because they think they are learning all of the information the first time through? Are they in the initial stages of an Anti-Note Revolution aimed at bringing the entire educational infrastructure crashing down? Or do they merely lack the skills needed to discern which information is important and then copy it down quickly and tidily?
I suppose any of these could be possible; but while I think the middle scenario is most amusing, I fear the last is the most likely. Assuming students quite simply don’t understand the intricacies of proper note-taking, what are we to do about this? Isn’t it possible that their difficulties are linked to broader literacy issues? I don’t relish the idea of dictating every single note to my students…I’d much prefer weaning them off of this crutch. Has anyone had much success with this issue by using specific strategies? I have the feeling that other literacy skills are linked to this problem, but I haven’t tinkered with it enough yet to know.
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