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Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Note taking pairs

Students take turns sharing notes with a partner at intervals in a lecture.

Promotes: Understanding, Writing, Organization skills

Note taking pairs allows students to take turns sharing notes after mini-lectures of approximately 10 to 15 minutes. It works like this:

  1. Students listen to the first portion of a lecture around one major concept (approximately 20 minutes) while taking notes. 
  2. Student A shares their notes with Student B, and they work together to fill in any gaps (approximately 5 minutes).
  3. The lesson returns to a lecture format, and students continue taking notes around a new concept.
  4. Next, the role between students is reversed. Student B is asked to present their notes from the most recent segment of lecturing to Student A. 
  5. Keep repeating this cycle until the end of the lecture.

In this manner, students become the pedagogues teaching each other and reviewing the content at the same time. Cycling through a process like this that combines lecturing, as the passive delivery mode of information, with collaboration and practice, through summarization and explanation of notes, effectively combines transmission of information with more engaging peer-to-peer interactions.

This technique is especially good for large, first year survey courses and is ideally suited to help students practice note taking strategies. And, it does not require any advance preparation and can be applied in nearly all disciplines.

The illustration shows the Note-Taking Pairs active learning technique in the form of a semi-circular flow diagram consisting of four illustrations. Moving from left to right the first illustration, 1 of 4, shows the figure drawn instructor next to a whiteboard alongside a group of figure drawn students in a lecture format. The next illustration, 2 of 4, shows an illustration consisting of four pairs of figure drawn students denoted as A and B in each pair with notes in front of them with the intention of sharing their notes, with an arrow indicating figure drawn student A, sharing notes and figure drawn student B, listening and providing feedback to the notes. The next and 3rd illustration, 3 of 4, shows a repeat of illustration 1 with the figure drawn instructor next to a whiteboard alongside a group of figure drawn students in a lecture format. The next illustration, 4 of 4, shows a repeat of illustration 2 with four pairs of figure drawn students denoted as A and B in each pair with notes in front of them with the intention of sharing their notes. The roles should be reversed between figure drawn students A and B. Note-taking pairs

The illustration shows the Note-Taking Pairs active learning technique in the form of a semi-circular flow diagram consisting of four illustrations. Moving from left to right the first illustration, 1 of 4, shows the figure drawn instructor next to a whiteboard alongside a group of figure drawn students in a lecture format. The next illustration, 2 of 4, shows an illustration consisting of four pairs of figure drawn students denoted as A and B in each pair with notes in front of them with the intention of sharing their notes, with an arrow indicating figure drawn student A, sharing notes and figure drawn student B, listening and providing feedback to the notes. The next and 3rd illustration, 3 of 4, shows a repeat of illustration 1 with the figure drawn instructor next to a whiteboard alongside a group of figure drawn students in a lecture format. The next illustration, 4 of 4, shows a repeat of illustration 2 with four pairs of figure drawn students denoted as A and B in each pair with notes in front of them with the intention of sharing their notes. The roles should be reversed between figure drawn students A and B.

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References and resources

  • Active learning spaces: Teaching and learning experiences in active learning classrooms at McGill. McGill University.
  • Ambrose, S.A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M.C., Norman M.K., Foreward by Mayer, R. (2010).  How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  • Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman. Barkley, E., & Major, C. (n.d.). The K. Patricia Cross Academy. Retrieved Dec 6, 2022, from https://kpcrossacademy.org/.
  • Barkley, E. F., Cross, K. P., & Major, C. H. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Barkley, E. F. (2009). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Barkley, E.F. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  • Biggs, J. (1999).Teaching for Quality Learning at University.SHRE and Open University Press
  • Bloom, B.S., Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. The classification of educational goals. Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Company, Inc.   
  • Bunce, D. M., Flens, E. A., & Neiles, K. Y. (2010). How Long Can Students Pay Attention in Class? A Study of Student Attention Decline Using Clickers. Journal of Chemical Education, 87, 1438-1443. 
  • Casale-Giannola, D., Schwarts Green, L. (2012). 41 active learning strategies for the inclusive classroom. London: Sage Publications.
  • Doyle, T. (2011). Foreward. T. Zakrajsek. Learner-centered teaching: Putting the research on learning into practice. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.
  • Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., Wenderoth, M.P.  Alberts, B. (ed.). (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111 (23), 8410-8415; first published on May May 12, 2014; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111
  • Jubain, Lin. “Using Collaborative Note-Taking to Promote an Inclusive Learning Environment.” UGuelph Office of Teaching and Learning, 2020.
  • Loadman, N. (2016, Jul 10). Punctuated Lectures: Classroom Assessment Technique. YouTube. Retrieved Dec 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AttIxRWxYF4.   
  • Nash, R. (2009). The active classroom: Practical strategies for involving students in the learning process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
  • Nash, R. (2012).  From seatwork to feetwork: Engaging students in their own learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  • Silberman, M. (1996). Active Learning: 101 strategies to teach any subject. Needham Heights, Mass: Simon & Shuster Co.  
  • Small G., Vorgan, G. (2008). iBrain: surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Twilight of the Lecture. Harvard Magazine.
  • What is active learning? University of Minnesota, Center for Teaching and Learning.
  • Why do active learning? Queen’s University.
  • University of Toronto Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation. (n.d.). Active Learning and Adapting Teaching Techniques. Retrieved Dec 6, 2022, from https://tatp.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Active-Learning-and-Adapting-Teaching-Techniques1.pdf.
 
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