Re: [Phys-L] book versus video versus lecture

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

There is some research which may or may not bear on this issue.  I recently
came across some research which showed that taking lots of pictures may not
be productive as a memory device.  People who do not take lots of pictures
tend to remember the event better.  But if a person takes lots of pictures
and then reviews them, the memory is also reinforced.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> While I have always believed that taking notes helps memory, 
> that is really just an opinion.  Even when I provide detailed 
> handouts, I still like to leave space for students to write 
> in the steps of key arguments as  we develop them together.  
> But there is something else that complicates the issue:  yes, 
> I say that note-taking is important, but it really matters 
> who is taking the notes.
>
> Some students have the ability to understand, organize and 
> record what has happened in class with an ability that to me 
> seems like alchemy.  In fact, my current "official archive" 
> notes are a collection given to me by one of those students.  
> Also, these students have an amazing ability to write in 
> clear, better-than-legible handwriting at high speed.  Not 
> everyone can do that.