left-brain, right brain
one sentence summary. Another is to jot down a series of questions and then go through the text looking for answers. If learners can fi nd an example from their own experience to illustrate a diffi cult concept it will change them from passive readers into active learners. Taking notes helps those students who have diffi culties focusing attention because the process of putting thoughts into words can help with concentration and memory and provides a record to refer to. Jotting down key words or drawing a diagram can help students to clarify their thoughts. The OU has an excellent tip: Make use of any specialist glossaries included in your course materials. Print off a copy of each glossary and keep them to hand. Familiarity with the key vocabulary really helps when you are reading and thinking about your course.
Good notes should be brief and to the point so it is worth trying out different styles of note taking, such as linear notes, spider diagrams or audio notes to decide which method works best. Mind mapping software such as Inspiration is very popular, but there are many free tools as well. This includes apps for note making which let users make written notes and then add sound fi les or pictures. Some learners report that annotating course materials with highlighter pens
or colour-coded sticky notes makes ideas stick in their mind better. Aidan, who is studying for a qualifi cation in Dignity and Safeguarding in Adult Health and Social Care, said: ‘Sometimes I use red for negatives and green for positives, which is useful for assignments. Other times I use different colours for themes or topics.’ Those who struggle with listening and note taking at the same time can use tools such as Sonocent’s Audio Notetaker that allows users to capture, edit, annotate and play back speech as the primary mode for learning. It is regularly used by students with conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and various physical disabilities. The software visualises each phrase as a chunk. It acts
The main reason why learners drop out of courses is a loss of confi dence but once they develop a method of note taking they have the skills to gather good relevant content which will be the basis of their thinking and writing.
Reading the question Gathering ideas
Being left or right brained is neither an advantage nor a drawback, but it has implications for the way people learn.
like ‘audio punctuation’ breaking up recordings and allowing students to put in signposts as they go along. Jo Seabrook, a full-time Disabled Students’ Allowance assessor at Bridgend
College, said: “Audio Notetaker lets you make really good use of your long recordings. What I like about it is that you don’t have to sit and listen and work out which bits are useful. Instead, load the recording onto the screen, delete the irrelevances and only keep the vital parts. If I recommend a digital voice recorder for a student, I always recommend this as well.”
The main reason why learners drop out of courses is a loss of confi dence but once they develop a method of note taking they have the skills to gather good relevant content which will be the basis of their thinking and writing. If they can fi nd a way of working which plays to their strengths and makes assignments more manageable they are more likely to complete their studies. Learning online at a time and place of their own choosing offers many benefi ts. Nevertheless, those who are right brained, or who have some form of specifi c learning diffi culties, may fi nd it hard to start studying, especially if they have been out of the classroom for some years. However, once launched they often experience great success and many become addicted to the learning experience.
Sal McKeown is a freelance journalist and author of several books including Screens and Pages: Technology and reading for pleasure for NIACE and Brilliant Ideas for using ICT in the Inclusive Classroom for Routledge
References Roger Sperry –
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/split-brain/ background.html Inspiration –
www.inspiration.com/ Sonocent Audio Notetaker –
www.sonocent.com/ OU site for students with dyslexia
http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/_data/ documents/disabilities/booklets/studying-with-dyslexia_7.pdf?go=1
Identify precisely what you are being asked to do
Gather all relevant information (index cards, notes etc.) Decide which illustrations and examples to use Planning
Produce an overview of all content required (e.g. as a spider plan, mind map, list, notes on PowerPoint) Decide on the overall structure Decide on the basic paragraph structure Group ideas and topics together (e.g. using coloured highlighters)
Drafting Reviewing Final edit
Take each topic separately Write a list of relevant points, using short and simple sentences
Re-read the question and your draft, and, if possible, ask someone else to read it for you Check for content and structure
Make a fi nal draft, incorporating comments
e.learning age june 2015
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