<p>I am a college junior, and I am definitely not a note taker. I think that everyone learns differently, and if note taking isn't the way you learn, that should be ok. </p>
<p>However, middle school is possibly a little early to have decided this. I could only conclude that I wasn't the note taking type after trying it through high school, and realizing that not only was it not helpful, it was detrimental to my learning.</p>
<p>I, personally would encourage your son to stick with it for right now. As demonstrated on this thread, it seems that the vast majority of people actually find notetaking really helpful.</p>
<p>If, in the end, your son is just not the notetaking type, at least he will know for sure, based on having tried it out. But I am living proof that you can do pretty darn well as a non-notetaker.</p>
<p>I hate to do this (because it seems to be a coomon refrain from me) but this is a typical boy-student problem. It is an issue specifically addressed (often) at my kids' all-boy high school. </p>
<p>The Jesuits claim that, in fact, boys (of course we are generalizing here) learn pretty well without writing anything down -- and in fact most are not inclined to take ANY notes. HOWEVER they are determined to teach note-taking regardless, especially in non-discussion based classes. My kids do have their notebooks graded and that grade is often weighed like a test. This is because they know it is a skill essential for very rigorous higher-level courses and college.</p>
<p>"essential for very rigorous higher-level courses and college"</p>
<p>I made it through college and graduate school by learning in class and not by being distracted with note-taking. Sure there were some rare exceptions. Some classes I actually needed to take a lot of notes. For most of my classes, any notes and study guides I prepared were done before or after classes. I used the class time to try to learn and understand the material.</p>
<p>My S used to get frantic phone calls from male classmates; "what is the homework about and when is it due"?" Must be the same part of the brain that governs asking for directions.</p>
<p>I'm an 8th grade teacher and also the parent of a kid who preferred to absorb lectures through listening. Here's what I did way back when. His 7th grade history teacher wanted them to take notes during lectures and then keep the notes to turn in weeks later as part of a packet. S was very interested in history and loved the lectures and discussions but didn't need to write down facts to remember them. Invariably, he was marked down for missing lecture notes or half-completed notes. After realizing what was going on and talking to S about it, I called the teacher and very successfully negotiated a compromise. Here's what I did:</p>
<p>1) Opened by saying how much my son enjoyed her class. Said that just last night at dinner, he was sharing about such and such and we had a whole discussion on it as a family. (Teachers can get defensive about their requirements, so it always helps to share positive feedback at the beginning of a conversation-- as long as it's true.)</p>
<p>2) Explained that S got so absorbed by the information she was presenting that he had a hard time writing down the important points but that he was able to recall most all of the details.</p>
<p>3) Pointed out that all his tests were high (above 90%) while it was his packets that were low.</p>
<p>4) Asked if he could just listen to the lectures and not take notes as long as his tests stayed in the A-range. </p>
<p>She agreed and for the next two years, that's what S did. </p>
<p>My daughter had her the next year and she really needed to write down notes to use to study later on. She cannot remember oral/verbal information very well. I'm the same way. So, different students need different skills. To this day, S, a college sophomore does not take notes.</p>
<p>I think teachers are very accommodating to different learning styles as long as they know that the student is absorbing and retaining the necessary information and can demonstrate it. And as long as parents approach them with an attitude of respect for what they are trying to accomplish and under what conditions (I have 38 students in one class, for example, that's a lot of 13- and 14-year-olds to keep track of.)</p>
<p>^ These are some notes taking templates and whatnot.</p>
<p>Eventually, one does have to take notes. Most especially at University. </p>
<p>The time comes when one has to take notes in those upper division/borderline grad courses. No one I have ever met has been able to perfectly remember the History of the Renaissance and Reformation (for example, that was my last History class) only by listening. Try to remember the lot of that for finals from what you can recall from you listening, you know? </p>
<p>Do not even get me started on math, science, or foreign languages. </p>
<p>Sorry to sound like a mean girl. I am playing Devil's advocate and not trying to be a mean girl.</p>
<p>I have a suggestion for both auditory learners[ those who learn better with their ears, as with the OP's son] and visual learners- have them learn keyboard skills, and eventually encourage them use a laptop to take notes. If they can progress to the point that they don't need to look at the keyboard as they type, then can be paying attention to the teacher while taking notes. This skill helped my son enormously in HS, and though he started out as the only freshman with a laptop, eventually many students followed his lead. Students will eventually need to type quickly in college, so the sooner they learn those skillls the better.</p>
<p>NYMomof2,
I sympathize with your "problem." I am sure that my oldest S did not take notes in middle school. I am just as sure that he took very little in the way of notes in a tough, academic high school. Some kids do just learn differently and have excellent recall. (I found that taking notes during law school lecture classes was thoroughly confusing. Then again, I found law school in general to be thoroughly confusing.) I do like Momof2inca's suggestion on how to approach the teachers, perhaps arranging for a compromise that if your son keeps up his grades they will allow him to be engaged simply by listening.</p>
<p>I'm with weenie - many boys fine motor skills are less than optimal and I think taking notes is a bit of a struggle. In addition it's a rare middle school where the material presented in class isn't either available in the text book or easy to remember without writing down. But speaking as someone who took excellent notes in college that my classmates were always borrowing (even when they'd been sitting right beside me), I do think notetaking is a useful skill. However I think the idea of taking verbatim notes is counter productive. This is going to be a delicate dance. I think there is merit on both sides on the argument, but my gut says this teacher isn't going to be open to much compromise.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. As usual when I post an appeal for advice on CC, I now have a clearer understanding of the issue and a plan of action.</p>
<p>There are multiple teachers involved. In at least one class (social studies), my S is required to copy down extensive material verbatim from a whiteboard. This is not doing him any good and, in fact, is interefering with his learning and enjoyment of the lectures. I suspect that the teacher does this to make sure that the kids are paying attention. This is a heterogeneous class in a public school. Not many kids have my son's intense interest in history. I am, once again, going to be in the position of asking for special treatment for my S, who is already accelerated one year in science and two years in math. This makes him conspicious and generates resentment from some other students, parents, and even some teachers.</p>
<p>I'll post again after I've approached the teacher(s). Thank you all for the great advice.</p>
<p>If allowing your son to skip the note taking process entirely generates too much resentment, can you suggest some compromise note taking procedure? Let him take notes on his own rather than copy the teacher's notes as long as his test grades stay in the A level. Make it clear that anytime the teacher says, this is important so write this down, this will be on the test so write it down, etc, he WILL write it down. Or how about him coming into the classroom before or after school for 15 minutes to copy the notes so the note taking doesn't distract from his learning? How about he takes notes as he reads the text before he gets to class? Or, every night he will write a paragraph in his notebook about the days lecture? Anything that requires him to do some note taking so there is no argument about "he will need this skill in High School" but still allows a way to accomodate his learning style. That way, if any other parents complain the teacher and your son can say, but I have to do way more work on my own than you do. </p>
<p>I will say that I have known some bright ADHD type children for whom note taking was just too distracting. They really needed to concentrate on the lecture to get the most out of it and jot things down right after class.</p>
<p>If you get nowhere with the teacher and you son has an IEP, you could just get it written into the IEP that he will, for example, be allowed to learn without note-taking but write a daily or weekly summary. I know the IEP's are done for the year, but you can definitely either detail this in an addendum or request a new IEP meeting.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It seems that if the "notes" are prepared by the teacher, then it would make more sense for them to be handed out rather than having the kids copy them. But in some cases, the kids are expected to take their own notes, and maybe this is the time my S should be learning to do this. He probably won't always be able to rely on his ability to absorb and retain the information without them. If he gets into an independent HS, he may be in trouble without this skill.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I honestly do not know if an independent high school would have the copy from the powerpoint presentation while the teacher rattles on and on set up. I despise the whole notion of being asked to sit down in a dim room and copy things from the powerpoint while the professor rattles on and on, it is a hard thing to do.</p>
<p>I do know, from personal experience at University, that one can politely ask for copies of the powerpoint nonsense if need be.</p>
<p>But, you child will have to eventually have to learn how to take notes for sure. </p>
<p>I do like the idea keepmesane stated. Writing up a summary every day or something would be good for now. But later on down the line, it will be impossible. Most especially for math, science, and foreign language.</p>
<p>I understand your son's teachers are trying to instill good skills -- but they may be doing so at the expense of your son's education. More and more - at the college level -- lectures are being podcast - so that students don't have to take notes at all; for most students the podcasts are refreshers after class, not a substitute for going to class. I have to wonder if your son's teachers are teaching how to take notes - or is the important thing just to keep the pencils moving.</p>