Why Make Notes When I’m Listening?

Some teenagers are notoriously bad at taking notes, instead of saying that they’re “just listening.” Whilst we don’t doubt that ‘just listening’ is great (and that listening is such a crucial way of learning,) many learners will make better progress if they are ‘active’ in the process. Making notes is considered an ‘active learning tool.’

So, what does this mean?!

Researchers suggest that simply writing things down contributes greatly to the process of moving that item into the long-term memory. ‘Active learning’ is anything that involves your teenager instantly responding to their learning. Note-taking is ‘active’ because it requires your teenager to be committed in their focus: they have to be carefully engaged to keep track of what they are writing down.

It is for this reason that we, at my digital lesson, dedicate a specific ‘notes page’ tab on your teenager’s account – because we want them to track what they are learning along the way! As your teenager accesses each of our high-quality teacher-narrated lessons, they are given a prompt to make ‘notes’ in the online note tab that they can save and simply come back to later.

Organize Them

If students are able to organize their notes in an effective way, then it becomes an even more powerful tool. What some students find useful is to handwrite their notes in short form, and then order their notes by typing them up or rewriting them. This is an excellent way to consolidate the information.

With online providers, such as ours, your teenager has the many great benefits of being able to ‘pause’ lessons; rewind them or replay them at their own demands. When it comes to note-taking, this is fantastic, because your teenager can write or type at their own pace, and return to sections for clarification. We are experts in delivering SQA courses for National 5 and Higher pupils, where our video lessons are delivered by experienced teachers with their own classes in schools. Therefore, many people turn to my digital lesson to ensure their child has access to high-quality material.

Store Notes

You want to be sure that when your teenager starts taking notes, they reap the benefits from it and see the impact. Therefore, it can be a good idea to make sure your child had somewhere safe to keep hold of all their study notes, and that they refer back to them often. Writing notes that your teenager will pull out for a second or third time (or more!) leads to opportunities to do different things, such as create flashcards or mind maps. To get into long-term memory, things need to be revisited, so it’s important your teenager understands that notes don’t always have to be just a one-off thing!

Therefore, when it comes to making notes, it’s about far more than just proving your teen is paying attention! Sign up with us today, get your teenager writing some notes, and you’ll soon start to see the impact that actively writing down the information has for your teen!