What's the deal with the notes?

1. To have a record of what happened on every day in class
2. To process into long-term memory the big ideas
3. To practice note-taking as a valuable skill in itself
4. To be able to notice interesting things, one must record them so they can be reflected upon

The notetaking system is confusing, and takes some getting used to. The reason I insist on everyone taking a turn is that there is no way to get better at if you don't practice it, but the mental load of taking notes and paying attention or thinking about figuring things out at the same time is too much -- so it is better if one student is designated as the note-taker each day, freeing the others to think without having to worry about whether or not the results are being recorded.

Thus each student takes one turn taking notes each week, and in turn is provided with notes by their teammates the other days. For this to work, you have to be able to trust that your team will do their jobs. We will achieve that trust by sharing the notes each day, so we can see what has been recorded, and by giving feedback when the notes can be improved.

Each student must write their own summary of the most important points of the day every day as homework. This is the only way you will be able to process what we have done to figure out what is important and to make sure it gets put in your long-term memory so you can improve. I got the idea from a soccer coach, who always asked his team at halftime, "What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? What are they doing right? What do we need to change right now?" That thought process, repeated every game, turned his players into strategists, enabling them to raise the level of their own game. This is why I ask you to answer the key questions in the summary:

1. What did I do today?
2. Why did I do it?
3. What does it help me do or understand that I couldn't before?
4. What do I need to do tomorrow to keep improving?

If you repeat that process, honestly, every day, you will turn yourself into a learning strategist (and scientist)

Finally, when I grade the notes, I am looking for completion of the daily record and for thoughtful reflection in the summary.