In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus published his famous forgetting curve — we tend to start forgetting what we learn within twenty minutes, and the loss is significant through the first hour 🕐.
To retain the information, effective note-taking and regular revision of notes are critical. I believe investing the time and effort to create excellent notes contributed to my learning success over the past years.
This is a skill that can be picked up from young.
In my math Olympiad class for 9- to 10-year olds, I create worksheets with note-taking sections to aid revision of key concepts.
As this is a new tool, some students took notes diligently and asked questions (active learning), while others didn’t complete the notes (passive learning).
It’s ok, they’ll get better with guidance.
Back at home, Vee resumed his interest in solving the Rubik’s cube. This time, he wanted to tackle the 5x5x5 cube. He asked for a YouTube tutorial, looking for a specific YouTuber, who taught the 4x4x4 solution techniques well.
He armed himself with a favourite pen and a new notebook. Foreseeing he’d need to make frequent corrections and be frustrated by the pen, I suggested a pencil and eraser instead.
How do I know this? Because I took mind-boggling tutorial notes for the 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 Rubik’s cubes! This was how Vee first learnt to take organised notes from a lesson.
The boy spent the next hour glued to the screen, creating notes and practising on his cube with much success. After the session, he kept praising how clear the tutorial was. I highlighted that he could also learn from such effective communication skills.
🔑 Key reflections:
- Being a lifelong learner (across disciplines) allows me to better understand what a learner needs.
- Active note-taking skill can be picked up from young. Perhaps around 9 to 10 years old.
- Start with a topic the child is highly interested in. This provides the motivation to learn note-taking skills.
- oday’s technology enables motivated learners to learn almost anything they’re interested in. I’m so grateful for this.
Happy note-taking!
~ Carol (aka MieVee)
Certified Accelerated Learning Practitioner
P.S. Want more posts on note-taking tools and techniques? Just let me know in the comments.
