School of Practice How To Improve Student Note-Taking in 3 Smart Steps
4 snips
Dec 9, 2025 Benjamin Barber, a dedicated high school history and government teacher, reveals his innovative three-step note-taking system: Write, Read, Use. He discusses the common pitfalls in student notes and the importance of handwritten notes for better learning. Barber shares how he transforms disordered notes into learning moments and emphasizes the benefits of self-testing and flashcards. Moreover, his 'test average' method incentivizes students by averaging scores from two attempts, highlighting the need to teach note-taking as a critical skill.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Discovery Of Useless Student Notes
- Benjamin Barber discovered many students had a 'big list' of disconnected facts in their notebooks.
- He realized those notes were unusable and needed instructional change.
First Draft Notes Are Incomplete
- Research shows students capture only 30–45% of important lecture info on the first pass.
- Stephen Merrill emphasizes that revising notes and self-testing matter more than first-draft accuracy.
Use The Write, Read, Use Cycle
- Benjamin Barber's three-step process: write, read, use.
- He requires handwritten notebooks with headings, bullet points, and brief phrases, not full transcripts.