Is note-taking a double-edged sword? Proponents point to research showing that note-taking is a generative act; one that can help students to organise thoughts and ideas and enhance retention. And yet those on the other side of the argument point out that juggling listening, processing and writing all at once can cause students to miss key points or even fall into the trap of mindlessly transcribing every word their teacher says.
A seminal study found that students who took notes during a lesson performed 12% better on a problem-solving test afterwards, compared to those who took no notes at all. However, the students who took no notes did marginally better on questions that required them to recall facts, stats and quotes that were said. So, if note-taking isn’t always the answer, when is it most helpful?
When Note-Taking Can Help Learning
First, let’s look at how note-taking can aid learning. We think there are three different, but related, potential ways:
- They encourage students to cognitively engage with the lesson
- They provide clear structure for thinking
- They provide an external memory field
1. Deep cognitive engagement
Recent research found that students who were cognitively engaged in the process of note-taking had a significant learning gain. By thinking hard about what notes they were taking, the students in the study assimilated the new information into their existing schema and framework. This helped them connect new information with previously learnt material, as well as think harder and more critically about the content.
2. Note-taking provides format and structure
One recent research paper has shown that implementing the Cornell Note-Taking Method in the classroom helps students obtain higher grades. More specifically, class averages for courses in which this strategy had been implemented rose 10-12% higher than they had been the previous term.
3. Provide an external memory field
One of the key benefits of note-taking is that it provides an external memory field, a physical record where students can offload information instead of relying solely on their working memory. Working memory has a limited capacity, meaning it can only hold a few pieces of information at once. By transferring ideas to paper, students free up mental space to process and analyse information. This is known as ‘Cognitive Offloading’.
The Transient Information Effect explains why writing things down can be so helpful. Spoken words or animations disappear quickly, making them harder to remember. In contrast, written notes or diagrams stay visible, reducing the strain on working memory. That’s why note-taking can improve learning, as it turns fleeting thoughts into something concrete. In essence, note-taking acts as an extension of the brain, giving students the bandwidth to engage more deeply with learning rather than struggling to remember every detail in the moment.
The Dark Side of Note-Taking
So if the evidence suggests the right type of note-taking can enhance learning, what is the downside? Here are three potential traps that students who take notes may fall into:
1. Mindless transcription
The earlier mentioned study found that students who merely transcribed every word their teacher said remembered less information afterwards. This echoes another study which compared three types of note taking; Cornell note taking, outline note taking (i.e. writing down the main ideas and sub-points) and verbatim note taking (i.e., writing down what the teacher says word for word.)
They found the Cornell Note-Taking approach to be the most effective strategy, whilst verbatim note-taking was the poorest. The difference in the success of the Cornell and verbatim note-taking methods can be attributed to the former being an active method of learning, whereas the latter is passive. When students write down word for word what a teacher says, they become fixated with this and do not pay adequate attention to the main points of the lesson, which impairs encoding.
This suggests that we should strongly discourage students from mindlessly copying down what you say. Instead, students should rephrase material where they can as well as be guided towards what the key points within the lesson are.
2. Divided attention and task switching
Requiring students to simultaneously listen to what the teacher says and write notes can cause some of them to split their attention. This task-switching comes at a cost. It takes time, effort and energy. This can lead to missing key points or misunderstandings because they are juggling two tasks at once.
Research has shown that when people try to multitask, they become distracted and consequently make more errors. In one particular study, researchers found that when students had to switch between task even if the interruption lasted for a few seconds, the number of errors the students made doubled.
3. False sense of learning
Note-taking can sometimes trick students into thinking they’re learning more than they actually are. They may confuse the quantity of notes with the amount in their long-term memory. The act of writing alone can give a false sense of mastery, making students believe they’ve grasped the material when they’ve merely created a record of it.
The danger is that this “illusion of learning” can shape study habits. Students might skim their notes later, assuming that Retrieval Practice isn’t necessary. In this way, note-taking can paradoxically make learning more superficial, giving the comfort of activity without the payoff of comprehension.
A small caveat
Remember the first study we mentioned at the start of this article? About how note-taking sometimes improved learning and sometimes didn’t? Well, part two of that study found that when students took notes made an interesting difference too. The researchers found that students who took summary notes at the end of the lesson/end of each topic did far better than those who took notes during the lesson. This suggests it’s not just the type of notes but the timing of them that matters too.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we believe that a weak note is better than a strong memory. We can’t expect students to remember everything we say. And the very act of thinking hard about what they are going to write down and how it connects to what they already know significantly helps. Furthermore, writing things down frees up headspace that allows students to think harder about the solutions to the questions they are being asked, as well as providing a concrete record they can refer back to.
However, done badly, it can hinder learning. Copying down what was said verbatim doesn’t accelerate learning and can give false confidence that the material has been learnt. And even if students do think hard about what to write down and do so in their own words, they are vulnerable to missing something that has been said, as student writing is a slower activity than teacher speaking.
This leaves teachers with one of two choices. Either they capitalise on the power of note-taking by teaching students how to take notes. Or, they try to reap the benefits of students writing things down and having a record of what has been said through a combination of mini-whiteboards in lessons and giving students a copy of key points to take home with them. Which you do is up to you.
