The 5 Phases of Focused Note-Taking

As educators we ask students to take notes for a variety of reasons. For the most part students comply to those demands, but typically do not go beyond the actual note-taking step, if not prompted. By giving students the opportunity to understand why they are taking the notes and applying them to an activity, students tend to engage more in processing what they are learning. The five phases of Focused Note-Taking helps students to start thinking about the format of the notes they are taking, processing the information by using a variety of annotations, connecting their thinking by using leveled questions, summarizing and reflecting and applying what they have taken to the work being completed. The AVID Site Team would like to encourage you to post the five phases of Focused Note-Taking on your white boards so our students can see that each step is important in all of their different classes. Then as their teachers, intentionally teach and encourage them to follow through with each of the phases so they can get the most out of their learning.