The added value of writing it down

Why do we encourage students to 'write it down'? Do we encourage them to do such a thing? Some students sit in a class or the library and take not a single note. Do they pass or fail? Others assiduously strive to capture every word. Still others record, in an abbreviated form, a selection of what they hear, see or read. Are some students learning more effectively than others? Does the variation in preferred learning styles of students explain the differences in behaviour?

Some students listen in a class and attempt to make sense of what they hear as they hear it. Depending on how quick they are in this process, they have more or less time to make some sort of record of their understanding. Often the struggle to understand and record their understanding of one concept distracts them from the next concept explored.

Some students read for learning, struggling to come to grips with the complexities of what is written. They may be constructing in their minds images of what the writing has meant to them. During this process they may represent on paper their own rendition of the constructs presented to them through print and illustrations.

Some students come to seminars and tutorials prepared with written notes of ideas to which they have been exposed. Some of them talk from detailed notes or just read their notes. Others talk with little recourse to their own writing.

So what is the value of students writing things down? This will vary considerably depending on the discipline but may include some or all of the following:

• the pure creative challenge of presenting one’s own thoughts in written or diagramatic form
• the opportunity to capture thoughts or representations of ideas in a more permanent form
• the opportunity to capture and then re-shape and re-order thoughts in written form
• the development of discipline and skill in the creation and ordering of ideas
• the opportunity to observe and analyse a relatively stable representation of one’s own thoughts and ideas and compare these against an established body of writing on the subject
• the opportunity to demonstrate to others one’s understanding of ideas and skills of analysis and synthesis.

Why do your students write things down?