Ink & Pixels Memory Effects of Note-Taking Methods

RAMOS, VALENZUELA, COGNITIVE VALEROS, GAHUMAN PSYCHOLOGY INK & PIXELS MEMORY EFFECTS OF NOTE-TAKING METHODS

INK & PIXELS: MEMORY EFFECTS OF NOTE-TAKING METHODS Table of Contents

1 Introduction 3 Traversing the Realm of Note-taking: A Case Study 6 Handwritten vs. Digital Notes: What Works Best? 9 Conclusion and the Future of Note Taking

INTRODUCTION Nearly all human operations and activities advanced digital technology before, the have changed from using traditional ways traditional method of notetaking was to using digital methods as generations used. However, the old way of taking go by as a result of the development of notes no longer stands alone; it now has a the digital world. The use of digital digital counterpart that requires less technology has advanced even in tangible items. Since the introduction of straightforward tasks like taking notes. the digital way of taking notes, individuals Taking notes is one of the behaviors that now have another option, which has has been shown to aid with memory caused them to divert their focus from retention. Memory retention is the ability utilizing the conventional approach. to recall, identify, repeat, or relearn previously learned behavior or experience The preservation and storage of a during a time when it is not being memory are significant factors because performed or practiced. they allow a person to employ their stored memories of previously learned Taking notes helps us recall what we read lessons for a variety of future activities. because it helps us retain the Due to its significance, it is seen as a information. This is due to the fact that crucial subject to discuss, and the taking notes requires effort, which optimal way for memory retention is also creates new neural connections in the a source of contention. As a result, the brain and encodes the information in a best and most efficient method for way that helps us better retain it. memory retention is up for debate. Is it Traditionally, taking notes has been done the traditional approach, which relies on by writing down relevant information on a the user having access to physical tangible surface, such as a pad of paper things? or a pen and notebook, with the intention of storing it in one’s memory. Due to the lack of 1

Or is it the digital approach, which makes use of technological advancements like digital typing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method that we have to consider? For the readers' enlightenment, the distinctions between the two methods will be tackled in greater detail in the perspective of Daya, a graduate from University of the Philippines Los Baños- Laguna. Traditional Memory Digital Retention 2

TRAVERSING THE REALM OF NOTE-TAKING: A CASE STUDY As we delve on to the intriguing realm of journey traversed the analog era of memory retention, investigating the handwritten notes as well as the modern contrasting impact of digital and digital landscape of note-taking, making traditional note-taking approaches, the her perspective a compelling focal point researchers had the opportunity to for a case study of the given topic at hand. interview an individual who had experienced both methods extensively To start off, Daya’s achievements when throughout her academic and professional she graduated from college were quite journey. The participant, who we shall call compelling. She graduated from a Daya, provided valuable insights regarding renowned school in Laguna called the her personal experiences with note-taking University of the Philippines - Los Baños and its subsequent effect on memory campus, with a bachelor’s degree in retention. Daya's 3

Agriculture, Major in Entomology. She finished her college journey with a Magna Cum Laude and received additional awards namely Recipient of CAFS Dean’s Medal of Academic Excellence and Department of Agriculture Bar Scholarship Grant Medal. During the interview, Daya highlighted her experiences and perspective apropos of both note-taking methods. Back in college, her usual way of note- taking was the traditional method, which was the pen and paper. She mentioned that back then, digital note taking was neither an unheard method nor a popular one but there were other students who already use the approach unless professors prohibit the use of gadgets during class. Daya further elaborated that the traditional note- taking method enables her to write important points stated by her professor during lectures way faster. She emphasized on the concept of re-writing her notes and how this helped them greatly with memory retention of information about lessons she encountered in class. Through this process, the act of manually transcribing information over and over again appeared to require a more active cognitive processing, fostering a deeper level of engagement and understanding with the subject matter. Simply put, re-writing helped her in memory retention through reading the information all over again which also helped her in understanding the lesson better that resulted in information embedding in her mind. Conversely, Daya’s interaction with digital note-taking was presented in a rather contrasting narrative. During the interview, Daya emphasized her preference of traditional note-taking over digital note-taking. Even so, as technology 4

continuously progress in this digital age, Even though both methods are she has mentioned that since working, convenient in their own ways, she she has used digital approach in note- emphasized that she prefers the taking, but mostly using gadgets like traditional approach no matter what as her laptop and cellphone and not Ipads this is what she grew up utilizing. and digital pens, which in this day and Through this interview, we could tell time stood as substitutes for pen and that Daya’s layout of her perspective paper counterparts of the traditional and experience in using both the way. traditional and digital methods of note- taking underscore the multifaceted As the interview unfolded, Daya dynamics that shape a person’s choice provided insights into the advantages in their preferred note-taking methods of digital notes, particularly the ease of and practices. searchability. Daya provided insights into the advantages of digital notes, particularly the ease of searchability. The convenience and efficiency digital note-taking provides, one of which is the option for easy search using tools, keys, and shortcuts to help in finding certain information enabled her to capture a substantial amount of content in a shorter span of time. However, despite the ease in life brought about by digital note-taking as its main benefit, Daya stated that she would always find herself coming back to using the traditional approach. 5

HANDWRITTEN In the study titled “Dividing Attention in VS. DIGITAL the Classroom Reduces Exam NOTES: WHAT Performance\" by Glass and Kang (2018), WORKS BEST? the effects of using an electronic device during class for a purpose other In the fast-paced academic than academics were examined and environment of today, taking notes has compared to performance on later evolved into a procedure that is more exams. In a college course that was technologically advanced thanks to the divided into two halves, students were incorporation of a variety of electronic allowed to bring electronic devices into gadgets. Combining the tried-and-true one half of the lectures. As a result, the skills of taking notes with the sleek impact of the devices was evaluated power of modern technologies such as using an experimental design that smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The included both within-student and following are studies that delve within-item counterbalances. The between the time-honored practice of students' performance on in-class taking notes and cutting-edge devices, exam questions revealed that their demonstrating how these two comprehension of the instructor's practices work together to alter the presentation did not suffer when they way that we collect and organize split their attention between the information by exhibiting how it classroom lecture and an electronic transforms the way in which we take device. notes. In addition to the possible disadvantages of using it and the different applications that students found for it. The introduction of electronic devices that can connect to the internet, such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, has turned today's education into an activity that requires split attention. 6

Instead, divided attention resulted in decreased long-term memory of the information presented in the classroom lecture, which led to decreased performance on following unit exams and final exams. The students were responsible for their own self-report regarding the use of electronic devices in each specific class. Both students who did and did not use electronic devices during the relevant class showed exam performance that was significantly lower as compared to the control condition of not using any gadgets (Glass & Kang, 2018). And while attention is a component in academic performance, note- taking is also an important factor in retaining information that later on will be utilized. The practice of making notes on laptops rather than writing them out by hand is becoming more widespread. There have been a number of studies that have demonstrated that taking notes on a laptop is not as helpful for learning as taking notes by hand. Previous research has concentrated mostly on the students' ability to multitask as well as their susceptibility to distraction when using laptops. According to the findings of the study conducted by Mueller & Oppenheimer (2014), even when computers are used for the sole purpose of taking notes, there is a possibility that their use could still hinder learning because using laptops will result in shallow processing. Students who took notes on laptops did much worse on conceptual questions, according to our findings from three separate experiments. Students who took notes by hand performed significantly better. The study demonstrates that increasing the amount of notes one takes can be useful, but that students who take notes on laptops have a tendency to reproduce lectures word for word rather than processing the information and recasting it in their own terms, which is counterproductive to learning (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014). 7

Another one from Mueller and Oppenheimer, it has been determined that taking notes by hand is a more effective method compared to typing them on a laptop keyboard. It is observed that an increasing number of students are opting to use laptops for note- taking during class. (Morehead et al., 2019) Also, as an alternative to the traditional method of handwritten note-taking using pen and paper, there is a growing trend among students to document lecture notes using computers in today's educational contexts. One of the most interesting aspects of the study by Luo et al. (2018) titled \"Laptop versus Longhand Note Taking: Effects on Lecture Notes and Achievement,\" was the investigation of the potential impact of note- taking methods, specifically using a laptop or handwriting, on the retention of lecture visuals within notes and the subsequent performance of students in activities involving images. Those who utilized laptops for note-taking 8 recorded a larger number of visual notes, such as symbols and images, than those who relied on longhand writing. The note-taking study also revealed that individuals who used laptops to take notes captured a greater number of idea units and words, as well as a greater proportion of verbatim lecture sequences, when compared to those who took notes by hand. The study's findings suggest that using a laptop for note-taking offers more advantages in terms of the note-taking process, such as enhanced learning through visual aids, than in terms of the final result, which is similar learning outcomes through text-based notes. Utilizing the product function yielded greater advantages when manually taking notes than using the process function. In particular, note- taking that emphasized textual information led to improved learning outcomes, whereas learning outcomes associated with visual information remained unchanged. This was the case when individuals engaged in the practice of painstakingly transcribing data. And as such, in a research conducted by Achievement, it was shown that the most effective note-taking medium varies depending on the type of lecture and whether the notes are evaluated (Luo et al., 2018).

CONCLUSION AND THE FUTURE OF NOTE TAKING Daya talks about how the act of method in realistic studying situations rewriting notes has personally helped the subject not just retain the (a delay in the test, and the notes information, but also helped her process the information better, being reviewed). The study by Glass making the lesson easier to understand. Still, she also uses digital and Kang (2018), while not strictly note taking and has cited the ease of searchability of notes, convenience, focused on note taking, but rather the and efficiency as some of the main advantages of the format. In the end, permission of the usage of electronic most studies agree with our interviewee, in the sense that devices, shows similar results with the handwritten notes offer better memory retention. Mueller and Oppenheimer study, The Bui study noted that on an stating that the allowance of immediate test without review, digital note takers recalled more facts than electronic gadgets in the classroom those who use the handwritten method. Mueller and Oppenheimer has no effect on immediate classroom study meanwhile has found that those who used hand written note taking did performance, but it did result in lower better when it comes to concepts, but not the facts compared to digital note performance during later takers when notes were taken but not reviewed. For delayed testing, both examinations. mediums performed comparably on fact and concept items when notes All in all, these results seem to imply were taken but not reviewed. that the more traditional method of However, when notes were reviewed, note taking may not be going away it was found that those who used the any time soon. While digital note handwritten method cored higher taking has its advantages, such as than those who used digital note more information being taken in, and taking. Despite the volume of the ease of searching of terms, verbatim notes taken by the digital handwritten is still king when it comes method being larger and more to not just the retention of the complete compared o the information, but the proper handwritten notes, the latter still understanding of the input as well. outperforms the digital This information is important as more and more students are starting to rely on digital note taking without first understanding if it is the more appropriate method for their needs. In this rapidly digitized world, students should understand the delicate balance between the convenience of digital notes, and the comprehension that the traditional, handwritten notes provide. 9

REFERENCES Glass, A. L., & Kang, M. (2018). Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance. Educational Psychology, 39(3), 395–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046 Luo, L., Kiewra, K. A., Flanigan, A. E., & Peteranetz, M. S. (2018). Laptop versus longhand note taking: effects on lecture notes and achievement. Instructional Science, 46(6), 947–971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-018-9458-0 Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2019). How Much Mightier Is the Pen than the Keyboard for Note-Taking? A Replication and Extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 753–780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09468-2 Mueller, P., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581 10 INK & PIXELS: MEMORY EFFECTS OF NOTE-TAKING METHODS