Note-Taking as Thinking Tool

Notes on Rules of Notice (R.O.N.) problems after looking at 9th grade exams.

Note-taking is an art. There are different systems for taking notes in an academic setting, but in the end, I always come back to my core belief that the notes must make sense for the student. I am a different kind of note-taker in different disciplines. In English, my notes are sparse and full of doodles. In my last statistics class, I wrote down EVERY SINGLE THING the prof said. If he burped, I probably put that in my notes! 

Above is a fairly typical sampling of notes in the discipline in which I am most confident: English. I'm making these today as I correct 9th grade exams. Observations I would make:

• nobody told me I had to do this (motivation).
• I noticed patterns of problems and wanted to remember them so that I could think about them and attempt to fix them (sense of responsibility).
• Doubt or question...WHY, why, wHy are my students still struggling with this? Do I stink as a teacher? (curiosity with a side serving of self-doubt).
• the notes are messy, but I can read them (distinguish between personal and public use).
• the notes appear to be cryptic, but I can look at these weeks from now and understand what I was noticing and thinking (useful).

At the start of the year, I made an overt effort at modeling note-taking for my students. Then we moved on. Looking over my students' exams reminded me that they are still learning to be note-takers. 

The writing on their exams suggests that they are not distinguishing between personal and public use...some of the exams are extremely difficult to read. GruMbLe GRUMble. 

Finishing up 45 minutes early, and not taking me up on my offer to give an alleged essay "the once-over," when it is 3 sentences long, and maybe needs a little revising, seems like a profound problem with motivation and sense of responsibility.

Is this a case of teachers doing more work than students, by handing out notes, or study guides, so that students don't have to take notes? Are we de-motivating our students by doing too much for them?

What opportunities and responsibilities do our students have for making their writing, visibly and intellectually clear and useful, especially when it is meant for public consumption (like on an exam, paper, or project)?

Do students actually find their notes useful? I know I have not given an open note test or quiz in years, so what am I asking my students to do with their notes? What am I doing to value curiosity so that my students are willing to experiment with a note-taking system that works for them, and feel a need to take some notes?

Would it make sense for us, as a learning community, to make a co-ordinated effort at note-taking? I'm not necessarily promoting the use of a single note-taking system, but wondering how departments or individuals are navigating issues around useful note-taking?