ACTIVE LEARNING AND EFFECTIVE NOTE MAKING Learning how to learn

Groundhog Day: a film where Bill Murray relives the same day over and over again Groundhog lesson: where a teacher teaches the same topic over and over again Why: students have failed to learn how to learn  Groundhog Day lessons

Why do goldfish never get bored in a bowl They cannot remember We humans can but… Sights, sounds, sensations exist in short term memory for 30 seconds Have we done this before Sir? Memory: our ability to learn something, then store it, retain it and recall it when needed Without a conscious effort we will forget

How to acquire memories Your memory is like a wheat field

Memories – brain pathway Long term memory is made by creating synaptic pathways connecting neurons in the brain Memory is a path of brain cells We remember by re-treading that path

Creating academic memories requires activity There are three simple steps to better remember things 1.Active listening in the first place to create a path 2.Effective note taking to create beaten down pathway 3.Revisit past learning by rereading class notes, regularly ie at least fortnightly So you want to remember?

Learning first requires listening What happens if your mind is switched off in the classroom Active listening requires 1.Silence: to allow the other person to speak and be heard. 2.Concentration: bringing all your mind to hear and understand what the other person is really saying Active listening is made easier by adopting effective note making tactics…. Passive v Active listening What did I just say…

Traditional note takingCopying words off the board is passive and almost pointless – class PowerPoints can be downloaded Most people can copy and think about something completely different at the same time Far better to opt for active note making Passive note taking

Cornell method ( adapted) 2 Questions and keywords 1 Notes: key points made in lesson 3 Summary of key points Cornell method: widely used in Ivy League colleges Divide a page into three areas

Notes area Key points in this area. Use Headings Short sharp simple phrases Abbreviations and symbols TopicDate In the notes area add a topic and date for reference key ideas made during a lesson Notes Have headings Are clear and concise Add underlining and colour after a lesson for emphasis

Use colour for emphasis eg red for a disadvantage or weakness green for an advantage or strength Underlining adds emphasis strengths and weaknesses Experiment with colour and underlining

Questions and keywords area Add keywords, points to follow up and notes for further reading here Use the left-hand column to record: Key words and their definition Questions raised by the talk, for follow-up Notes from research undertaken after the lesson

Summary area After class, use the bottom column to write a brief summary of the notes on the page

Taking quicker notes: use symbols ∆ Change in  Leads to > Greater than < Less than IncreaseDecrease % percentage Σ Sum or total ThereforeBecause Good x Bad

Common abbreviations Cf: compare Eg: for example Min: minimum Max: maximum Etc: and so forth Specialist abbreviations BoE: Bank of England PED: Price elasticity of demand DD: demand SS: supply EMP: equilibrium market price Govt: government Cet par: all other things being equal Taking quick notes: use abbreviations

Creating long-term memories is a process Step one: active listening and note making during lessons step two: additional notes and annotations after lessons Step three: persistent and consistent rereading of notes Standing homework: add extra notes add colour and underlining create a summary Reread last lessons notes before class He read notes taken in all lessons at least fortnightly So what