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DEL.ICIO.USCopying Off the Board
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A friend who teaches middle school was lamenting the demise of copying off the board as an acceptable teaching technique. She said she used to employ this low-tech strategy for social studies, and had good results. Nowadays, her administrators mention this as a “what not to do,” so she comes up with games, role-playing, group projects and other ideas more in sync with the “hands on” mantra.
But she thinks her students learned better when they copied a fact-filled paragraph off the board, followed by a discussion and later a quiz. Also, she thinks copying prepared them for note-taking, which she also taught them on occasion as part of social studies lessons.
Did you copy paragraphs off the board as a child? Is this a strategy worth returning to? Do some teachers still have their students do this? Would their be a student protest if a teacher even attempted to assign such a task?
Comments
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By Nikole
March 22, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this
I did have to copy off of the board and my classmates and I loved it, because all we did was socialize,laughing and joking, as we copied. If your friend had good results, I don’t see why she can’t do it sometimes, but today’s teachers need a variety of methods to use in the classroom. so I wouldn’t rely on doing one thing ALL of the time. I have also known “master” teachers that refuse to change and try new things, even when the kids are not doing as well as they think they are. (not saying this is the case with your friend) This field is constantly evolving and it’s up to teachers to do what works best for your students, but you have to keep in mind that what was best for last year’s class may not work with this year’s class, and different students in one class do better in different settings or with different methods.
By Joe
March 22, 2006 12:27 PM | Link to this
Notetaking is a very important skill, in addition to the social skills that the “hands-on mantra” tries to develop. Why does the administrator assume there is somehow room for one, but not the other?
By sped teacher
March 22, 2006 12:45 PM | Link to this
I had to copy off the board as a child…I honestly hated it b/c I thought the teacher just wanted to keep us occupied.
I don’t see a problem with it as long as it’s not the only strategy used in the classroom.
By Becca
March 22, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this
We are actually encouraged to use our boards because it saves paper. I sometimes put short quizes on the board and cover them until it is time for the test.
By Robert
March 22, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this
Administrators should BUTT OUT of the classroom if the teacher is producing results (EOCT scores, etc.). There is no reason for there to be any school “policy” or any administrator setting any rules if the teacher can get students to learn. I don’t care if the students would run naked around a mound of poison ivy, if they learn the course content, that is all that should matter….
By Jeff
March 22, 2006 01:01 PM | Link to this
My kids copy off the board. Even though better strategies for one of the classes I teach would be to do more hands on (Advanced Geometry), I simply don’t have the resources nor the time. In my other class, 2 out of 3 periods don’t even get the notes in a lecture! (due to behavior problems) Do y’all honestly suggest I give them an ACTUAL social hour that “group work” becomes?
This is, again, one of the issues that comes down to simply “Can the class handle it?” If the class is mature enough to actualy DO THEIR WORK, then I say by all means diversify your approach. If the class can’t handle it, put em in rows, be a drill instructor with the rules, and do a standard lecture.
By oldteacher
March 22, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this
Amen, Jeff. Just like so many things, it depends on the maturity of the students.
By Nikole
March 22, 2006 01:15 PM | Link to this
Jeff- I have given those same arguments to some hard core constructivist teachers and they have answered with structure and routine have helped their classes go smoothly, I have even observed a constructivist class with students that I was sure would be bouncing off of the walls. Those who are committed to that kind of teaching do a great job at making it work.
By OldSchool
March 22, 2006 01:18 PM | Link to this
I can’t imagine copying paragraphs off the board but short statements, facts, even quiz questions aren’t a problem for my grades 9-12 students. If you think of a marker/chalk board like a powerpoint slide, you should present concise important information without being wordy. Too much info will zone a kid out quicker than a paint-drying video.
By Laura
March 22, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this
Copying from the board accurately is one skill. Taking notes from someone lecturing with no visual prompts is another skill. The second one is more important in college. Both need to be expressly taught.
You can use numbers to teach it. List lots of numbers on the board, have them copy it, and then check it to see if they copied it correctly.
Do the same exercise orally and then check it for accuracy.
Do both several days in a row and then switch to words. Check to make sure board work is copied down verbatim and for the oral work check to make sure the important points were written down.
I had an entire high school class about this and it was brilliant. I took it because it was an easy A and I was busy with drill team, but I learned more in that class than any other. It was the only class that was relevant to preparing me for college. It also helps me to this day with my attention to detail in the workplace.
By jim d
March 22, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this
I could be wrong but I feel copying notes from the board might be beneficial in middle school to prepare students for taking notes in HS, but when they get to HS its a waste of time. Students should have the skills at this point.
By V for Vendetta
March 22, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this
Many teachers use note copying methods such as copying off the board/overhead because it fits with their subject matter better than “hands on” approaches. Math teachers use this method often, as do science teachers. There is nothing wrong with a little rote memory work now and then.
I agree with Jeff, much of it depends on the maturity of your class. Some classes can handle more freedom than others (honors) while others need constant discipline and attention (tech). You just have to do whatever works best for your situation.
By SET
March 22, 2006 02:10 PM | Link to this
I can’t relate to copying from a chalkboard because we had handouts when I was in high school and there wasn’t a lot of chalkboarding. There was some lecturing and discussion and some notes were taken but nothing like what we experienced in college and professional school.
They copying that is going on now I believe is when the students lift whole passages from the internet in doing their homework and writing assignments.
By Leia
March 22, 2006 02:12 PM | Link to this
jim d - yes, you are wrong. High school students still require note-taking skills to help them prepare for college. You don’t know how many of my students have come back to me and thanked me for making them keep organized notes in high school because it helped them so much in college.
Many students learn by copying the information. I don’t give a ghastly amount of notes in class, but, if I take the time to write it - I expect them to copy it!
By jim d
March 22, 2006 02:23 PM | Link to this
Leia,
Sorry maybe I wasn’t clear.
I agree they should be taking notes. My point is that they shouldn’t have to be told which notes. The skills to know what they should be noting should be well embedded by the time they reach HS. and yes they should be well organized.
By Dan
March 22, 2006 03:56 PM | Link to this
I think it is a good tool. Rewriting what you have already read (sounds like a tongue twister ;o) reinforces the material. In college even if I didn’t get a chance to review written notes, I found the act of writing them creates more of a mental imprint. Obviously cutting and pasting off of the web would not have the same effect
By Nikole
March 23, 2006 10:22 AM | Link to this
As an undergrad, I was given a retention probability index chart that showed how much material is retained after 24 hours.
Lecture=5% Reading=10% A/V=20% Demo=30% Discuss=50% Do=75% Teach=90% So it’s important that students do what you are teaching or teach it to others after copying off of the board.
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