Discussion: note-taking
We often use technology as a means for differentiating instruction in our classroom. On a number of occasions, we have instructed students to watch educational videos related to our topic of study at the time and to practice taking their own notes on these topics, either in class or at home. We last watched an instructional video about enzymes in class. The objectives for watching this video were for students to define enzymes and to identify three characteristics that all enzymes have in common. Before showing the video, I led the class in a short, eight minute, guided discussion about general note-taking strategies. I began this discussion by asking students to contribute their own ideas and to explain their own methods for note taking (see video above). During our discussion, I heard from eight of the thirty-two students in the class. I noted that two of the female students and one of the male students who contributed their ideas to this discussion rarely raise their hands to ask or answer questions in other contexts of class, such as during warm-up reviews or during direct instruction. I wonder if the students feel that, compared to answering science questions for which they feel there is always a right and wrong answer, a discussion on note-taking is mostly opinion; thus, they cannot be judged for giving the 'wrong answer.'
I concluded the discussion by providing students an opportunity to critique their fellow students' work (anonymously). As noted in the second half of the video above, I scanned a selection of notes that students took on a video about organic macromolecules, assigned for homework the previous week. Together, we discussed the pros and cons for each selection of notes. During this part of the discussion, I heard many more students chiming into the discussion, both formally and informally. Students seemed to be engaging in constructive conversations with their neighbors as we moved through each selection of notes. This became most apparent when we arrived at the last example, which we agreed as a class were both "organized" and "pretty to look at," the best out of all the examples. A few students wanted to know who wrote the notes. Instead of disclosing the name of the student, I suggested that everyone take time to discuss note-taking strategies with each other after class or during lunch. I found this activity to be a great example of the co-construction of knowledge; students had the opportunity both to contribute their own ideas to the conversation and to provide suggestions and constructive criticism to their fellow classmates in the safe space of our classroom. I plan to continue implementing whole class discussion as a means to help students both examine facets of their learning (such as note-taking skills) and construct their understanding of science.
I concluded the discussion by providing students an opportunity to critique their fellow students' work (anonymously). As noted in the second half of the video above, I scanned a selection of notes that students took on a video about organic macromolecules, assigned for homework the previous week. Together, we discussed the pros and cons for each selection of notes. During this part of the discussion, I heard many more students chiming into the discussion, both formally and informally. Students seemed to be engaging in constructive conversations with their neighbors as we moved through each selection of notes. This became most apparent when we arrived at the last example, which we agreed as a class were both "organized" and "pretty to look at," the best out of all the examples. A few students wanted to know who wrote the notes. Instead of disclosing the name of the student, I suggested that everyone take time to discuss note-taking strategies with each other after class or during lunch. I found this activity to be a great example of the co-construction of knowledge; students had the opportunity both to contribute their own ideas to the conversation and to provide suggestions and constructive criticism to their fellow classmates in the safe space of our classroom. I plan to continue implementing whole class discussion as a means to help students both examine facets of their learning (such as note-taking skills) and construct their understanding of science.