Note-Taking from an Occupational Therapist’s Perspective

Taking notes is a very complex skill rooted in abilities developed in infancy. While sitting in a classroom, a student is expected to have appropriate cognitive and motor responses to the teacher providing the lecture. That is easier said than done! As an infant, we are supposed to alert to a sound, respond to that sound with head turning in that direction, differentiate pleasant sounds from unpleasant sound and learn to express pleasure or displeasure. Visually, we are expected to respond in a similar way: alert to a visual stimulus, respond by following that stimulus by turning our head to follow it, differentiate pleasurable from displeasing. Infants are expected to demonstrate a motor response to the stimulus, i.e., eye opening, finger splaying, and activation of limbs. Just as an infant is expected to display a motor response to stimuli, a student is also expected to respond motorically to stimuli provided by the teacher. Students learn to respond to certain cues, i.e., “This is important,” “Conversely,” repetition of the information, etc. It is very difficult for student to respond if he or she lacks the prerequisite skills. Alternatives for taking notes should be offered to the student. The least invasive is to have the student copy notes from the board (far point). Some students have difficulty with visual skills such as pursuits and saccades (visual tracking and changing fixation from one target to another) making this difficult. First a slant board (often a binder) can be used to address this issue. If that doesn’t work then maybe copying from near point will work. The next more invasive intervention might be providing the student with some form of prepared notes, i.e., Cloze Notes. Cloze notes are fill-in the blank notes. Students are only required to add one or two words to a statement rather than copy the entire statement. The next level might be providing the student with a copy of teacher generated notes prior to the class for the student to highlight during class. The next level might be having the student attempt whatever he or she is able then giving a copy of notes to the student, usually a copy from another student who takes very good notes. Another strategy is to use on-line notes for a site like www.studyblue.com. You may be lucky enough to find course notes similar to class notes with flash cards. Kno.com is a site where you can buy electronic textbooks (usually at a reduced cost), this site also provides lecture (from the book), study materials and social networking for studying. Kno.com is iPad friendly. Along with programs like Evernote with Penultimate, this maybe all the student needs to be in class. A student could photograph handouts and never have to carry another piece of paper. Assignments could be entered into Everstudent (a digital assignment book/agenda). One of the last options would be to type notes on a laptop or a computer. If the student lack the prerequisite skills for note taking, they cannot be expected to be successful if you give them something to type on even though they can type at a good speed with good accuracy. A sixth grader is expected to type at a speed of 25-30 words per minute with 93% accuracy. If a student has only handwriting concerns, is able to meet all the prerequisite skills for note taking, can type 25-30 words per minute with 93% accuracy then maybe the option for using a keyboard or laptop is the answer.

When Is It The Time To Recommend Assistive Technology For Note-Taking?

I must state, before anyone reads this, that I am a HUGE fan of using assistive technology. I recently read a comment about a piece of technology not being “cool.” I realize that there are students who will never feel “cool” when using assistive technology. I also feel that students must be taught touch typing and the basics of functional programing before being asked to take notes using assistive technology. It always boggles my mind when some recommends a piece of assistive technology, such as an Alpha Smart, without ever considering if it will really work for the student. Many students consider an Alpha Smart to be ‘uncool’ for the following reasons: 1. Looking different from peers 2. Not knowing how to use the device 3. Still not being able to keep up 4. Fumbling with the technology in front of others In my humble opinion, students need time to learn how to use such a piece of equipment or a program. One of the reasons that a student might need the technology is due to an inability to handwrite legibly. Another might be difficulty organizing thoughts and motor movements. Assistive technology needs to be worked on privately with the student or in a very small group with other students using similar technology. Every aspect of using that device and the skill that it is supposed to support needs to be worked on prior to giving this device/technology to the student to use in the real world. For example, when providing an alternative keyboard to a student to use to take notes the following needs to be explored: 1. Can the student take notes without the device even though his or her handwriting may be illegible to others? 1.1. Does the student know the verbal cues that would trigger him or her to start taking notes? 1.2. Is the student capable of taking dictation either written or using a keyboard? 1.3. Can the student use those verbal cues to format notes? If a student hears the terms “Pros and Cons” or the word “conversely” does the student know that this may be a great time to use a T-Chart style of notes? 1.4. Can the student attend to the instructor long enough to follow the lecture? 2. Is the student familiar enough with the keyboard to type at least 30 words per minute over the length of the class for note taking? 2.1. Can the student use punctuation to help the notes make sense with any degree of success? 2.2. Is the student comfortable enough with keyboarding in a room full of other students, who are not using a keyboard, to be successful? Obviously, I could ramble on and on. We need to think, “When is an alternative device or program better than the low-tech copy of notes provided to the student? The technology that we supply is only as good as the support that we give to the student. If we jump to provide assistive technology to a student without looking at the student’s overall ability to succeed without the device, then are we sabotaging the student to dump the device or program and throw in the towel? I feel that note-taking should be a skill taught in every school, to every student. A task analysis of note-taking skills needs to be completed and the student assessed using that analysis before providing a device. The organization of the page should come before the thought of using an assistive technology device or program. The language that we use in the classroom should trigger a particular format of notes. There is so much learning that needs to be done by each and every student. Students are getting frustrated and need to have a place, a structure to go back to. At that point, once the structure has been taught and reinforced and the student is not yet successful, then and only then should a device or program be considered for taking notes. I know that every teacher that I come in contact with is working day and night to help all the students learn everything they need to. I know that many provide notes, study guides and review materials to students, hoping that somewhere, sometime, something will work at some point. I think that those of us working with students need the structure, the organizational hierarchy, to assess a student’s abilities just like our students need to learn.