Research has generally demonstrated that making notes manually increases your student’s capacity to record information more efficiently than typing. However, selecting the appropriate technique for a particular task can be even more beneficial.When capturing the information in writing, it generally takes a deeper study of the topic since individuals prefer to think about what portions of the material they intend to write down rather than simply duplicating what the speaker says word by word. It is, of course, a great way to summarise as long as you can correctly capture and rework the knowledge rather than copying it straight from the source material.
The Typing Pros & Cons
It starts with the advantages of inputting your notes directly on your laptop instead of on paper which saves you a lot of time. Usually, individuals type faster than writing words. It enables you to absorb a lot of information quicker, which results in a picture of the lecture or conversation that you may look at later in the day. In addition, with typing notes, you may read them more often if you go back over them as they are neat and much more readable. Instead, when we write quickly by hand, things may become confusing and harder to understand afterward. Also, time will make us lose the details of the topic’s context, particularly if we are getting back to our notes after some time and not rewriting them immediately.
The Benefits of Handwriting
Why should we consider the advantages of having our notes written manually nowadays? In the first place, it is a simple and uncomplicated procedure. A pen and paper are frequently handier than remembering to take your computer with you on a journey. It is also essential to remember not just to have the device with you but also to have it fully charged. Many places now provide outlets for different devices, saying that, in certain circumstances, battery life still may be a problem. However, this is not a situation that could occur with a pen and paper; since the supply of ink is a less common problem.
The Scientific Approach to Handwriting
Neuroscientists and psychologists discuss why handwriting is still so important. And if it should be further explored: young individuals who learn to write effectively by hand (before learning to type) read faster. According to research, handwriting slows down a person and helps concentrate and organize ideas throughout the writing process. Using it also increases neural areas linked with creativity, and it has always been a memory aid method to write something down using a pen and paper.
Increased Understanding and Retention of Knowledge
Although typing notes has its advantages, the research showed that typing hinders learning because your brain absorbs information. According to the findings, students are trying to write things down as they could and precisely as they heard them. Since taking notes is a great way to capture the essence of a text, it is essential to teach it with great care. It should be a focal point to teach children how to implement the appropriate technique. The research study showed that: there is something that encourages lazy processing for children and drives them not to listen and collect new information.
A Large Variety of Learning Technics
If you take notes and answer practical questions or check flashcards, the result of the learning is the same as the time spent on notes. Alternatively, you can choose great study techniques such as dispersed practices and practice tests. You can also opt for low-use approaches such as elaborative inquiry, self-explanation, and interlaced best practices. It's like having a mound of gold, a pile of silver, and a crazy number of empty bottles of plastic. You choose which bottles you want to retain. Of course, this is a worthy effort to make.
Enhanced Conceptual Awareness
You gain a better mental grasp of the topic when taking notes by hand instead of typing them. It is slower and more laborious than typing, and it is harder to absorb words. Therefore, you need to analyze and summarise the facts to make your audience understand what you are delivering.This example shows another advantage of handwritten over typing. Handwriting allows your brain to use cognitive information, which helps you improve the understanding and literacy of your reading; on the other hand, taking notes while typing encourages people not to pay attention enough to the topic. So even if you can write more words faster, this chaotic transcript may lead to inadequate comprehension of the data collected.
