Classroom Scribe

Ever wonder how to have students pay attention while listening? Having problems with students recording something meaningful during the course?

One way that you can help out your academically bound students with note taking, check comprehension, and encourage communication is by sharing notes.

The Idea

Select "note taking groups" for the day. Their job is to record all grammar, vocabulary, test dates, homework, or any other item that was important that day. That night, they go home and rewrite their notes as a summary for the other students in the class.

How

There are many ways that sharing these summaries could work. You could use a website like Edmodo and post. Another item could be Evernote, then students can send it to other people in class. Another method could be to make a shared document and have everyone collaborate, using something like GoogleDocs.

Here is an example template that students need to fill out. You could copy this, put a student's name and the date it is their turn, and have your whole class on one document.

Benefits

Teachers can check comprehension of their students and make comments or guide the students in the right direction. It could also be a forum for sharing knowledge and resources among students, encouraging communicative practices. The teacher could insert little bonus assignments or encourage students to explore and interest and share.

Students who have to be in charge of the notes may be highly motivated to provide their follow classmates with a resource. Students could also comment on other people's work, giving input or assisting other students in understanding the idea.

What are your thoughts? What are some other ways or things students could share?