Understanding Will - Part 4. I can't take notes and follow the lesson at the same time

This is part of a series of blog posts about how Will has developed learning and organizational strategies that have helped him succeed both academically and socially. A short introduction to this series of posts can be found here

Will said:

"I find it difficult to make notes and follow lessons at the same time."

What is going on in Will's brain?

1. Will has to combine the storing information with the processing of information under a time pressure.This makes high demands on his working memory because he has to keep switching his attention between the two.

2. Will has to simultaneously listen to information, encode task relevant information, inhibit task irrelevant information and hold information in his working memory.

3. Will also has to link information with information stored in his long-term memory in a way that creates meaning.

4. He has to do all of these whilst writing notes, a dynamic cognitive process in itself.

The Impact:

• Will is unable to take in verbal information whilst switching attention.
• He struggles to encode, hold and probe information and loses focus.
• He makes errors and often gives up.
• His acquisition of knowledge and his understanding is limited.

Strategies that help Will learn:

• Providing Will with lesson/lecture content before the session. This allows him to familiarize himself with the information to be delivered and encode objective/task relevant information before the lesson. This reduces attentional demands and enables Will to focus on handling and probing information in the session.

• Providing Will with printed copies of lectures/lessons, PowerPoints etc. that he can follow and annotate. Providing Will with copies of lectures ensures that key concepts are not missed. The inclusion/addition of visual cues e.g. drawings, highlighting etc. enhances text, facilitates place keeping and promotes multi-sensory input.

• Providing Will with note-taking structures that highlight key concepts prior to the session so that he can annotate them, e.g. headings, bullet points, mind maps.

• Using multi-sensory methods to convey information. The use of audio recordings/photographs etc. supplements lesson/lecture notes and reduces holding and probing demands. Along with paraphrasing, they promote focus on key information, long-term retention and automaticity. Concepts missed can be independently revisited after the lesson and understanding developed.

• Ensuring that key concepts are explained in simple grammatical terms and their relevance made clear.

• Pausing frequently will allow Will the time he needs to take in information and catch up.

• Providing Will with supplementary materials, e.g key vocabulary lists.

• Allowing Will to access lesson/lecture materials, e.g. PowerPoints on a laptop so that he can follow and annotate them as they are presented.

• Allowing Will to record lessons/lectures so that he can revisit/review them later.

(Will used a Livescribe Smartpen at college, provided by the college’s Learning Support Services. Notability app is an option for iOS devices and OneNote for Microsoft devices. Schools/colleges may be able to help with resourcing these, or other options, and you will need their permission to record lessons/lectures.)

• Allowing Will to photograph displayed information to supplement notes.

• Encouraging Will to use graphic organizers, e.g. Mind Maps, to record notes.

Will finds that Mind maps help him to understand the connections between ideas/concepts. Mind maps are a way of presenting information visually in a spatially organised framework that promotes the development of structured thinking, relational understanding and generalisation.

Will personally likes using the software, Mindnode, to create his own Mind Maps ( other Mind Mapping software is available). My daughter also finds Mind Mapping a useful learning tool but prefers to use paper, coloured pens and highlighters to create Mind Maps.