Some high school students have the option to take in-class notes on a laptop. But even for the many students who still take notes  the old-fashioned way, by putting pen to paper, I’m sharing this NPR story about why note-taking by hand is the superior method because it reinforces a simple concept—don’t try to write everything down verbatim. Instead, use note-taking as a way to keep yourself engaged and really thinking about what’s being presented.

When you write down questions, draw connections, and paraphrase, you’re actually learning the material as you write. But furiously trying to copy everything that’s being said just means that you’ll have to spend that much more time actually learning the material later.

You can read two past posts on active note-taking here and here.