Observing children is a task teachers and caregivers perform to understand the unique characteristics of each child. Observation alone can be helpful, but in combination with record keeping it becomes a valuable aid to understanding child development and can be used as a basis for making decisions about appropriate experiences to foster each…

Emma Dearborn originated the Speedwriting Alphabetic Shorthand in 1924. The system became well known in 1928 when it became the first shorthand system publicized for dual use in verbatim recording and selected notetaking. For the next 50 years, speedwriting was marketed in a franchise arrangement with proprietary schools. It became available to…

Researchers have long debated on whether note-taking results in improved student performance on tests. Over the years, researchers have tried to verify that note-taking helps students "encode" the information involved and that notes are valuable as materials for review. C. C. Crawford's 1925 study concluded that taking notes was better…

Described are five techniques to improve student learning during lectures: (1) separating listening from recording and requiring note-taking to be undertaken from memory; (2) using active review during the lecture; (3) using structured discussion; (4) using instant questionnaires; and (5) having students summarize important things from the…

Presents (1) a dialogue approach to spelling for remedial students, (2) a list of activities that can encourage students to be active readers of poetry, (3) guidelines for modifying tests for mainstreamed students, (4) a method of encouraging efficient notetaking which utilizes active class involvement, and (5) the addresses of several…

Notetaking research using short lecture readings and using actual classroom notes is presented. The pros and cons of taking notes are examined and tips for taking notes are detailed. Included are tips for preparing a lecture. (CT)

Discusses three techniques for improving students' research skills: "I" research or personal history, skimming and notetaking in library research, and interviewing. (HTH)

Fifty-two field-dependent and 52 field-independent female undergraduates were studied under four study technique conditions using a taped lecture. Analyses of test performance and notes taken by students revealed a significant interaction of cognitive style and study technique. Performance differences and relevance for future notetaking research…

High school students read and were immediately tested on a prose passage, then estimated how well they would score if tested after a delay of 1, 8, or 15 days. Students expected a larger amount of forgetting than actually occurred and failed to predict positive effects of note-taking. (PN)

No differences in immediate recognition performance were found for 30 undergraduate students who reorganized notes into an instructor-generated matrix versus subjects who reviewed in their typical manner. Reorganization during review resulted in relatively higher achievement on a free recall test, while unstructured review produced higher…

A project was created to help seventh and eighth grade students improve their academic success. Students attended a middle school located in a growing urban community in the Midwest. Existence of the problem included records of low grades; an observation checklist to measure off-task behaviors; teacher surveys that determined the effect of missing…

Two experiments (n=41 and n=166), one in listening and one in reading, examined the relationships among signaling (structural cues), notetaking, and field dependence-independence in college students. Field-independent subjects seemed to use a tacit structure strategy, whereas field-dependent subjects seemed to display structuring skills when…

This article describes a strategy for using Braille Lite, a portable notetaking device that combines synthetic speech and Braille, to produce mathematical expressions that can be easily interpreted by sighted teachers who do not use Braille. The strategy also allows students to review their work tactilely on the Braille display. (Contains 2…

Describes the roles and responsibilities of notetaking paraprofessionals in assisting students with hearing impairments. Guidelines are provided for initiating a notetaking program, including how to facilitate timely distribution of notes, organize notes, choose notetaking materials, establish work areas in each classroom, and foster student…

Describes a two-column notetaking strategy for use with eighth grade remedial students. Notes that students regain a sense of independence and control using the strategy. (RS)