Taking Notes in the Classroom

You must have done these throughout your school and college days and for some like me; it becomes a habit that cannot be shed. Taking notes in the classroom, is taught to us so that we do not lose track of what is going on and are able to take down things according to our understanding and convenience.

The best example of this practice is  reporters and journalists; you will never see them without a notepad and a pen. But in the technological era, where they feel that ‘when you embrace automation, do away with the traditions’; many have already given up the age-old practice of giving importance to notes.

When there is a PowerPoint took over the classrooms and boardrooms, people were told to attend to the lectures being communicated. Writing during these sessions often annoys the speaker, many take it as an offense too. They believe that one if one is not looking at them, then they are certainly not paying heed to their words too.

Here is an overview of why one should take notes and why they shouldn’t:

Why You Should

1. It lets you pen down your observations and your viewpoint about a certain topic.
2. Everyone has their unique way of remembering important points and other details. Therefore, writing down some of these concepts, acts as quick recall criteria.
3. When you are writing notes, you are actually listening to what is being said or taught. If you are constantly staring at the slide, you might get bored and lose attention at some point of time.

Why You Should Not

1. If you are constantly taking down notes, then you might miss out on something important being said.
2. Often your not looking at the speaker might give him/her the impression that you do not have interest in their words; which might put down their confidence level.
3. When finally the presentation will be shared with you, then you had better focus on the communication of the presenter. This will help you relate and understand the topic better, when you look at it again.

The above stated arguments are logical both ways, hence one can take the middle path. When we are talking about the technically advancing world, then why not make use of its facilities and use the various other faster and better devices and services to take notes and then use it to the fullest. If you have tablets or laptops, even Smartphones are being given due importance in these cases, one can use the art of short-hand typing and prepare notes quickly.

Download free PowerPoint templates for classroom and educational PPT templates that you can use to prepare good projects for your school and use presentations in the classroom.