I agree with all of these points. Part of understanding the pros and cons of providing notes is to understand how they are used. That is, do we provide them and then lecture from them or do we do other things.
Part of my approach is to begin each semester and use each midterm evaluation to discuss with students the way in which I organize my courses. I include objectives for the course and for each chapter that are intended to focus their text reading. These same objectives determine the way in which I cover any particular content are within the course or a chapter. I also discuss with them what the different resources can potential do for them. I recognize that these structural components are beneficial to me. The issue for me is how I can make them valuable to students. I also recognize that reading comprehension literature address, in part, the fact that deeper learning approaches can be evoked by not always presenting content in a simple and orderly fashion. Sometimes a disorganized approach works best. My concern is that with the students that I encounter too much disorganization leads to confusion....There's no doubt in my mind that at some level providing students with notes is an offer of security. I think that there has to be a measure of security in order to promote sufficient confidence to take risks. At 12:22 PM 02/27/2002 -0500, you wrote: > > I am finding that more students (even upper level students) seem not to >be taking notes, have trouble knowing how to take notes, or review notes >in a superficial fashion. We have sessions to help first year students >learn how to study and take notes. Effective note-taking does involve >active listening and thinking as well as composition. While it is often >maligned, good note-taking can help with later studying by providing an >individual sense of organization to the material and offers the >possibility of individually-relevant elaboration and thought about the >material/ideas presented. This assumes, that the notes are examined >later and thought about. Students may, unfortunately, be reinforced for >simply and passively copying material that offers little more than a >laundry list of ideas or, at best, someone else's (the instructor's) >sense of organization which the student seldom deconstructs or >"decompresses" with any insight. I have noticed that students appear to >be conditioned to automatically copy the outline notes I put on a >transparency, and they seem to do this mindlessly. I am tempted now and >then to put some nonsense in the outline and then ask them about the >material and engage them in an effort to make sense of the material on >the outline. I often put things like "ask the class about this" OR >"class ask me about this" and "on the next test" on the transparency. >The students copy it down, but seldom ask or inquire, hmmmm. During >reviews for the exams I may mention it and they suddenly "discover" it. >This Let's me know what they do with their notes in the meantime (some >seem to not look at their notes until the day before the exam surprise >surprise). I think outlines or class notes or other such things >presented can contain useful tips, reminders, and hints that some >students will ask about and then class discussion can be developed >around these items. Giving them my notes however (like "study guides >before exams), may not by itself offer anything more than a security >blanket. They need to actively think/study about the class material >sometime. Cheers, Gary Peterson > > > >Shannon Gadbois wrote: >> >> Two quick thoughts: >> 1. we shouldn't assume that students are "passive" when they are not >> furiously writing notes in class. The opposite might well be the case. >> Students have no time to think if they are just writing down notes as we >> lecture. >> 2. providing notes does not preclude active instruction. In fact, for >> some faculty, knowing that students "have the notes" might make them more >> inclined to "go out on a limb" and do activities rather than just give >> information. >> >> At 04:42 PM 02/26/2002 -0600, you wrote: >> >Hi everyone: >> > >> >I struggle with this issue. It seems that when I give out my notes >> >before the lecture, then students are more passive in class, don't take >> >their own notes, etc. I did this last semester and was concerned about >> >the almost total lack of note taking in these classes. This semester I >> >don't distribute my notes, but either distribute a general outline or >> >put one up on the overhead. Still, however, very few of my students >> >actually take notes in class. Does anyone else notice that their >> >students are not taking notes? How big of a problem is this? >> > >> >I wondered if part of the problem with lecture notes versus no lecture >> >notes is that we are spending too much time lecturing. I don't know >> >about the rest of you, but this semester I'm trying to lecture less and >> >get the student more actively involved through group assignments and >> >activities during class time. >> > >> >For instance, this morning in my health psychology class the topic was >> >cardiovascular disease. Instead of lecturing about the risk factors and >> >the methods for modifying the risk factors, I had the students divide >> >into smaller groups and assigned them the project of developing a >> >community-based cardiovascular health promotion program for >> >African-American women. Part of their assignment involved identifying >> >the salient risk factors and creatively (but using the research cited in >> >their text as a foundation) developing methods for modifying the risk >> >factors in the program they're developing. I circulated between the >> >groups throughout the class period and helped them to think through >> >their decisions, connected their current material with concepts from >> >other chapters, etc. They spent the entire class session developing >> >these programs. For a homework assignment I gave them a copy of an >> >article published in a peer-reviewed journal that described a randomized >> >clinical trial investigating the efficacy of a community-based >> >cardiovascular health promotion program for African American women (the >> >same kind of program they were charged with developing). During our next >> >class session, they're going to present the programs that they developed >> >today and we're going to compare their studies with the program >> >described in the outcome study. My role will be to facilitate the >> >discussion on these topics, but I'm hoping that their active involvement >> >today will help them be more active (and understand more) during our >> >next discussion. >> > >> >I really love getting my students more actively involved in the >> >learning, and I think that I'm a better teacher when I do that as >> >opposed to lecturing. What this has to do with distributing lecture >> >notes, I have no idea! :) >> > >> >______________________________________________ >> >Roderick D. Hetzel, Ph.D. >> >Assistant Professor of Psychology >> > LeTourneau University >> >President-Elect, Division 51 >> > American Psychological Association >> > >> >Department of Psychology >> >LeTourneau University >> >Post Office Box 7001 >> >2100 South Mobberly Avenue >> >Longview, Texas 75607-7001 >> > >> >Office: Heath-Hardwick Hall 115 >> >Phone: 903-233-3312 >> >Fax: 903-233-3246 >> >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >Homepage: http://www.letu.edu/people/rodhetzel >> > >> > >> >-----Original Message----- >> >From: FRANTZ, SUE [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >> >Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 2:15 PM >> >To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences >> >Subject: RE: distributing lecture notes >> > >> > >> >Yes, I make my lecture outlines available on my website for those who >> >are interested in printing them out. >> > >> >I've found that several students bring them to class to take notes on. >> >It hasn't sped up my lecture as far as I can tell, because I still take >> >the time to write my outline on the board as I go along. I just get >> >fewer people struggling to make sense of my handwriting. =) >> > >> >I also like to think that students spend ~more~ time mulling over the >> >concept when they are not worrying about how to spell it. >> > >> >Students also use the outlines to guide their reading; they pay more >> >attention to the concepts I'm going to cover in class. In some ways >> >that's nice (they've at least ~read~ the sections I'm going to cover). >> >However, I emphasize that the text is their first source of information; >> >I bill myself as an assistant to the text -- adding and clarifying >> >information. The students' focus on my outline puts me back in front >> >with the text assisting me. That's not enough for me to scrap the >> >availability of my outlines though. >> > >> >With the outlines, I include links to websites that provide more >> >information on the topic. I don't have as many links as I'd like, but >> >they are being gradually added. (Thanks to Jeff Ricker and Stephen >> >Black; I just added the sleep deprivation link to my States of >> >Consciousness outline, complete with the little tidbit on Fran and >> >Marie!) Eventually, I'd like to include recommended readings with each >> >outline for those who have some free time. Ah... things I'm ~sure~ I >> >would have done last summer had I not moved 1900 miles to start a new >> >job. =) >> > >> >-- >> >Sue Frantz Highline Community College >> >Psychology Des Moines, WA >> >206.878.3710 x3404 [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >http://flightline.highline.ctc.edu/sfrantz/ >> > >> >--- >> >You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >To unsubscribe send a blank email to >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> > >> >--- >> >Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. >> >Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). >> >Version: 6.0.325 / Virus Database: 182 - Release Date: 2/19/2002 >> > >> > >> >--- >> >Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. >> >Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). >> >Version: 6.0.325 / Virus Database: 182 - Release Date: 2/19/2002 >> > >> > >> >--- >> >You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> > >> Shannon Gadbois, M.Ed., Ph.D. >> Brandon University >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Phone: (204)727-7306 >> >> --- >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >--- >You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Shannon Gadbois, M.Ed., Ph.D. Brandon University [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (204)727-7306 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
