By Stephen D. Rogers
It wasn't until eleventh grade that anyone told me how to take notes.
It wasn't until eleventh grade that anyone told me how to take notes.
Teachers always told me that I needed to take notes. That I needed to review my notes. That I needed to study my notes before exams. But nobody ever told me how to take notes, not until eleventh grade.
My history teacher, Mr. Provencher, was a leprechaun of a man -- short, always smiling, slightly disheveled. He was sprightly, sometimes hopping from foot to foot.
He also clapped when he changed subjects, as if to wake those of us sitting in the back row.
Clap, clap. "Notes. You're going to want to take lots of notes in this class. I'm going to be doing a lot of talking and a lot of your grade is going to be dependent on how well you repeat what I've said."
He paced the first row, grinning all the while. "But I talk fast. Unless you're a natural born stenographer, you're not going to be able to capture every word I utter. So what words do you scribble down in your notebooks?
"Dates, of course. This is a history class. The names of people and places and battles. The names of treaties, doctrines, and pacts. Movements, amendments, and laws.
"But what do they mean? A date without context is meaningless. Do you even know what context means? Should you write it down?"
Again he clapped. "Let's forget about history for a moment. As if you could. As if every fact you've ever heard isn't already stored in your brain."
He tapped the side of his head. "Your brain records every word I say. Every word said by every teacher you've ever had. So why don't you ace every exam?"
Mr. Provencher walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and proceeded to bang out a sky's worth of stars.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
He turned to face us. "There it is, a map of all you've ever heard. And yet, come the day of the pop quiz, you stare at the blank space and you can't remember the causes of the French and Indian War."
Mr. Provencher reached behind and circled one of the dots. "The answer's right there. You just couldn't find it. Why? Because facts all look alike."
After putting down the chalk, Mr. Provencher blew the dust from his fingers.
"So. The day of the big exam. How do you find that fact hidden among all the others in your brain? Raise your hand if you have any suggestions for your fellow students."
"Study."
"Studying helps, yes. Next?" Mr. Provencher pointed to someone else from the first row.
"Memorize the textbook."
Mr. Provencher nodded. "Doing the assigned reading helps, yes. And just because I assign chapter one tonight doesn't mean you can't read it again later in the semester. Someone from the back?"
"Look at someone else's paper."
Snickers and high fives failed to knock Mr. Provencher off his stride.
"That's right. And do you know why looking at someone else's paper works? Context. Context allows you to give meaning to dry facts. The more context you add, the easier it is for you to find something. Which brings us back to taking notes."
Mr. Provencher clapped. "If you just write facts in your notebook, you'll have a collection of facts. They're already in your brain. Yes, writing them down helps you remember them, but to really make them useful, add context. I'm going to tell you how."
Mr. Provencher sat on the edge of his desk. "Every class, before you start taking notes, write the date." He pointed at the window. "Describe the weather. Put down what you ate for breakfast, or what you said to your parents that morning, or something that happened on the ride in. Draw a face that reflects your mood."
He hopped up from the desk. "When you make these personal notes, you add context to the facts you're going to scribble down, and this makes it easier for you to recall them when you're looking at that pop quiz or exam.
"Everybody that doesn't have their notebook already open should open their notebook. Write the date, and then jot down some of the other personal items I mentioned. When you're ready, we'll begin."
The causes of the French and Indian War?
That's the day it was supposed to be sunny, but clouds piled up while I waited for the bus, the day I had pancakes for breakfast. Causes of the French and Indian War?
I remember them still.
My history teacher, Mr. Provencher, was a leprechaun of a man -- short, always smiling, slightly disheveled. He was sprightly, sometimes hopping from foot to foot.
He also clapped when he changed subjects, as if to wake those of us sitting in the back row.
Clap, clap. "Notes. You're going to want to take lots of notes in this class. I'm going to be doing a lot of talking and a lot of your grade is going to be dependent on how well you repeat what I've said."
He paced the first row, grinning all the while. "But I talk fast. Unless you're a natural born stenographer, you're not going to be able to capture every word I utter. So what words do you scribble down in your notebooks?
"Dates, of course. This is a history class. The names of people and places and battles. The names of treaties, doctrines, and pacts. Movements, amendments, and laws.
"But what do they mean? A date without context is meaningless. Do you even know what context means? Should you write it down?"
Again he clapped. "Let's forget about history for a moment. As if you could. As if every fact you've ever heard isn't already stored in your brain."
He tapped the side of his head. "Your brain records every word I say. Every word said by every teacher you've ever had. So why don't you ace every exam?"
Mr. Provencher walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and proceeded to bang out a sky's worth of stars.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
He turned to face us. "There it is, a map of all you've ever heard. And yet, come the day of the pop quiz, you stare at the blank space and you can't remember the causes of the French and Indian War."
Mr. Provencher reached behind and circled one of the dots. "The answer's right there. You just couldn't find it. Why? Because facts all look alike."
After putting down the chalk, Mr. Provencher blew the dust from his fingers.
"So. The day of the big exam. How do you find that fact hidden among all the others in your brain? Raise your hand if you have any suggestions for your fellow students."
"Study."
"Studying helps, yes. Next?" Mr. Provencher pointed to someone else from the first row.
"Memorize the textbook."
Mr. Provencher nodded. "Doing the assigned reading helps, yes. And just because I assign chapter one tonight doesn't mean you can't read it again later in the semester. Someone from the back?"
"Look at someone else's paper."
Snickers and high fives failed to knock Mr. Provencher off his stride.
"That's right. And do you know why looking at someone else's paper works? Context. Context allows you to give meaning to dry facts. The more context you add, the easier it is for you to find something. Which brings us back to taking notes."
Mr. Provencher clapped. "If you just write facts in your notebook, you'll have a collection of facts. They're already in your brain. Yes, writing them down helps you remember them, but to really make them useful, add context. I'm going to tell you how."
Mr. Provencher sat on the edge of his desk. "Every class, before you start taking notes, write the date." He pointed at the window. "Describe the weather. Put down what you ate for breakfast, or what you said to your parents that morning, or something that happened on the ride in. Draw a face that reflects your mood."
He hopped up from the desk. "When you make these personal notes, you add context to the facts you're going to scribble down, and this makes it easier for you to recall them when you're looking at that pop quiz or exam.
"Everybody that doesn't have their notebook already open should open their notebook. Write the date, and then jot down some of the other personal items I mentioned. When you're ready, we'll begin."
The causes of the French and Indian War?
That's the day it was supposed to be sunny, but clouds piled up while I waited for the bus, the day I had pancakes for breakfast. Causes of the French and Indian War?
I remember them still.
http://www.chickensoup.com
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий