As I'm preparing for my first unit, I'm trying to figure out the best way to create guided notes. Any advice for how you create yours? - Needing Guidance with Guided Notes

Dear Guidance,

Love that you’re asking for support with guided notes. First of all, you need to know your “why” for the guided notes. What is the purpose of your guided notes? Is it just a thing that learners do just because or will learners be required/encouraged to refer back to their notes?

I tried the whole guided notes thing and my learners took 30-45 minutes watching a video AND taking notes while watching the video. I quickly realized that the focus was on the guided notes rather than the content or skill I was teaching. So here goes: I have an unpopular opinion; I believe that we, human beings, aren’t meant to multitask so I have my learners focus solely on my instructional video and provide them a one-pager with all the key takeaways rather than having guided notes. Another option that my learners really loved is retrieval notes because they were able to write down everything they remembered AFTER watching the video. This starts really powerful discussions since I can see what my learners thought were the key points and what they missed from the video. 

As the person who knows and understands your students best, I advocate for whatever you feel will help them engage and learn best, regardless of whether they are completing traditional guided notes or not. I hope this is helpful. 

Toni Rose (TR) Deanon (She/They)
Community Engagement Manager

Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that she never had growing up, so she focuses on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around her. As a queer Filipinx, she understands just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. She especially loves being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.

In her spare time, she likes to eat ice cream, take naps, force her two dogs to cuddle with her, travel, read on the beach and never get in the water, get matching tattoos, and cheer on all the strong women in her life. Sometimes, when she's in the mood, she'll run half-marathons, lift weights, and practice her arm balances.

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