Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teaching has fallen off

Has nothing to do with teaching. It has to do with public education.

We expect algebra/calculus but a finance class is optional at MCPS.

Most legit private schools have study skills, public speaking, and executive function courses that are mandatory in middle school.

Public school does study skills and public speaking in the curricular classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is mind-blowing that they don't teach kids how to take notes or study in middle school.

Note taking was important when the teacher (and the text book) was the only source of the information. And then came the internet with all the information taught in MS/HS easily available in multiple formats. What really is the point of notes anymore? Good classroom teachers don't just "lecture" to students anymore. They have a variety of activities, simulations, labs, readings, etc. to engage students in the material. Copying from slides is not engaging to students at all, and a terrible way to learn material.

They better learn how to take notes from a lecture because that was college is for most kids. Nobody taught me how to take notes but you figure out what works and what doesn't as you go along.

My kid's teachers teach note-taking all year long, in English, math, and history.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is mind-blowing that they don't teach kids how to take notes or study in middle school.

Note taking was important when the teacher (and the text book) was the only source of the information. And then came the internet with all the information taught in MS/HS easily available in multiple formats. What really is the point of notes anymore? Good classroom teachers don't just "lecture" to students anymore. They have a variety of activities, simulations, labs, readings, etc. to engage students in the material. Copying from slides is not engaging to students at all, and a terrible way to learn material.

It’s not all or nothing. If done appropriately, it actually is a very engaging way for students to learn brand new material by teaching them how to paraphrase new concepts or vocabulary into to their own words/way/drawings. I always have my students reference their “notes” as a as we I start to incorporate more challenging materials of the same subject matter. My students rarely fail my class if they follow along. I find it’s a really great way to build in scaffolding for each student because they all learn the material at the same time but are required to rewrite it in a way to help them remember it better. That’s at least what I do for my 8th graders. It’s not doing students a disservice to have them learn a skill such as note taking. It’s a life skill in all actuality.

Anonymous wrote:It is mind-blowing that they don't teach kids how to take notes or study in middle school.

Note taking was important when the teacher (and the text book) was the only source of the information. And then came the internet with all the information taught in MS/HS easily available in multiple formats. What really is the point of notes anymore? Good classroom teachers don't just "lecture" to students anymore. They have a variety of activities, simulations, labs, readings, etc. to engage students in the material. Copying from slides is not engaging to students at all, and a terrible way to learn material.

Anonymous wrote:Teaching has fallen off

Has nothing to do with teaching. It has to do with public education.

We expect algebra/calculus but a finance class is optional at MCPS.

Most legit private schools have study skills, public speaking, and executive function courses that are mandatory in middle school.

Anonymous wrote:The Chromebook already exists.

Most teachers don’t allow note taking on electronic devices. It is distracting. Pencil and paper. Redo notes on electronics at home.

I am in middle and I teach them as best as I can in my lessons!!! Believe me I get it! Instead of canned advisory lessons that no one is invested in we really should be teaching these skills. Drives me nuts!

Anonymous wrote:It is mind-blowing that they don't teach kids how to take notes or study in middle school.

Every year for 22 years, I taken time to teach it. Last year, I was marked down for doing so because the administrator thinks it is a waste of time.

Teaching has fallen off

It is mind-blowing that they don't teach kids how to take notes or study in middle school.

Anonymous wrote:The Chromebook already exists.

And personal devices are generally not allowed.

My now 10th grader hardly took notes in MS, but if they did, they just used paper. Yes, the binders were ridiculously big, but both my kids (one now in college) did it.

BTW, teach your kids how to take notes because MS doesn't teach them how to do this, or prepare them for the rigors of AP classes in HS. When they get to HS and start taking AP classes, they will be in for a surprise on the expectations. My DC would basically write a book as their notes in the first AP class, but this obviously wasn't the best or efficient way to take notes and study. I had to teach DC how to write notes.

The Chromebook already exists.

Do any of your MCPS middle/high schoolers use an iPad or something like a Remarkable/Kindle Scribe for their notes in school? Carrying around these massive binders seems like overkill. Maybe a small binder with some loose leaf and an electronic notetaking option would suffice?