SUMMARIZING and NOTE TAKING By Thu Bui ThuBui

Effect Size of Instructional Strategy  At the beginning of the 1970s, researchers began to look at the effects of instruction on student learning. They used meta-analysis as a research technique. When conducting a meta-analysis, an effect size is used as an unit of measurement of the result.  An effect size expresses the increase or decrease in achievement of the experimental group in standard deviation units.  One of the more useful aspects of an effect size is that it can be easily translated into a percentile gain. For example, an effect size of 1.0 means a percentile gain of 34 points – one standard deviation above the mean encompasses 34 percent of the scores.  Being able to translate effect sizes into the percentile gains provides for a dramatic interpretation of the possible benefits of a given instructional strategy. For example, in an analysis of 14 studies on the use of higher-level questions, the average effect size of those studies was this means that the average student who was exposed to higher-level questioning strategies scored 0.73 standard deviations above the scores of the average student who was not exposed to higher-level questioning strategies.  An effect size of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 can be considered small, medium, and large. ThuBui

Summarizing and Note Taking  In 1996 studies about summarizing showed that the average effect size was 0.88 and percentile gain was 31 compared to studies about note taking, the average effect size was 1.05 and percentile gain was 35. Those large effect sizes mean summarizing and note taking are important in teaching and learning.  They both require students to distill information into a parsimonious and synthesized form.  Summarizing : Some information must be deleted, substituted, and kept. The information must be analyzed at a fairly deep level. The explicit structure of information is also important.  Summarizing strategies: The “Rule-Based” strategy and summary frames (frame questions).  Note Taking: The most important information is stated in a parsimonious form. It is a work in progress. Notes are used as study guides for tests. The more notes that are taken, the better.  Note taking strategies: Verbatim note taking (least effective), Teacher-Prepared notes, webbing strategy, and combination notes strategy. ThuBui

Example of Strategy in Science Classroom  Teacher-prepared notes strategy: Before teaching the lesson “cell parts and their functions”, the teacher should prepare lesson notes.  The plant cell  Cell wall (not in animal cell) - cell support and shape.  Cell membrane - gives the cell shape, holds the cytoplasm, and controls what moves into and out of the cell.  Nucleus - controls the cell.  Chloroplasts ((not in animal cell) - traps the energy from light and is where photosynthesis takes place.  The animal cell  Cell membrane - gives the cell shape, holds the cytoplasm, and controls what moves into and out of the cell.  Nucleus - controls the cell.  Cytoplasm - most of the cell's chemical reactions take place there.  Centrioles (not in plant cell) - cell reproduction to help the chromosomes arrange before cell division.  Summary frame strategy: before teaching the lesson “cell parts and their functions”, the teacher should prepare frame questions.  Name organelles in a plant cell and animal cell?  What is the function of cell wall?  What is the function of cell membrane?  What is the function of nucleus?  Which organelles does a plant cell have but the animal cell does not have?  Which organelles does a animal cell have but the plant cell does not have? ThuBui