I’ve seen for a while now how students “write” things down and keep track of reminders I give in class: it’s often a quick text message to themselves or snapping a photo on their iPhone of whatever I’ve written on the board. These uses of technology may seem efficient and effective, but more and more I’ve seen the lackluster results. And this semester, for whatever reason, proved to be my breaking point.
I had more students forget what I had told them in class more often than ever before. Despite my clear verbal instructions, my notes on the board in front, my due dates and requirements in my syllabus, never before have I had students forget so many explicit instructions.
I attribute this inattentiveness to our over-reliance on technological devices. Students just assume they will remember what I’ve told them because they’ve entered it in their phones or on their iPads. What we know, however, is that the key to good memory, and subsequent studiousness and performance in class, is something people have been doing for ages: actually writing things down...you know, with a pencil...on paper...like humans.
You can find supportive data everywhere, but I’ll just quickly point you here, here, and here if you need proof. Research has shown that the act of physically writing encodes information in the brain better, even more so than typing on a laptop. Writing helps with long-term memory, as well as cognitive understanding.
So load up on some notebooks and pencils over the holiday and come back next semester ready to listen, write, learn, and remember better than ever. Please, I’m begging you.
I had more students forget what I had told them in class more often than ever before. Despite my clear verbal instructions, my notes on the board in front, my due dates and requirements in my syllabus, never before have I had students forget so many explicit instructions.
I attribute this inattentiveness to our over-reliance on technological devices. Students just assume they will remember what I’ve told them because they’ve entered it in their phones or on their iPads. What we know, however, is that the key to good memory, and subsequent studiousness and performance in class, is something people have been doing for ages: actually writing things down...you know, with a pencil...on paper...like humans.
You can find supportive data everywhere, but I’ll just quickly point you here, here, and here if you need proof. Research has shown that the act of physically writing encodes information in the brain better, even more so than typing on a laptop. Writing helps with long-term memory, as well as cognitive understanding.
So load up on some notebooks and pencils over the holiday and come back next semester ready to listen, write, learn, and remember better than ever. Please, I’m begging you.