Did you know that taking notes by hand is better than typing notes? Many students prefer typing notes over writing notes, but scientifically which is better? There are both negative and positive aspects for writing notes by hand.

There are many positive aspects to traditional handwritten note-taking. Computers can be distracting; when you’re on a computer taking notes, it is easy to click onto a game during a class (Doubek). Additionally, while paper and pencils might need to be replaced now and then, computers are very expensive and most schools may not be able to afford a piece of technology. Furthermore, physically writing things down on paper will help you remember what you are writing. For example, if you’re writing down a goal, such as to do better in school, you are more likely to stick to that goal and remember to follow it. Writing down information having to do with school will not only help you study for a test, but because of muscle memory, will help you remember the information better during the test (May). A last reason why writing down notes is more helpful than on a computer is that you don’t have to lug a huge computer around everywhere. All you should have to do is grab a piece of paper with your notes on it.

There are also many downsides to hand writing notes. On a computer, your notes will be together and organized, whereas papers have a history of getting lost or destroyed. Typing your notes has also been proven to be faster than writing them (Doubek). Copy and pasting, along with spell check, is also a fast way to take notes, and therefore, you would be more likely to take lengthier notes on a computer. Along with that, writing notes by hand might be difficult when the teacher during the lesson is teaching quickly. And when you don’t know how to spell certain words or phrases, the lesson will become confusing and you might get lost. While on a computer you can easily look up the definition or tell if something is misspelled.

In conclusion, there are many upsides and downsides to writing notes by hand. Even though most people enjoy typing notes over writing notes, it does not mean that typing is better. Much research is provided showing that writing notes by hand is much more effective. So, which method of note-taking do you prefer?

References:

May, Cindi. “A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop.” Scientific American, 3 June 2014, www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/.

Skenderi, Sindi. “Should Students Take Notes on Paper or Laptops? It Depends, Studies Say.” Global News, 7 Apr. 2016, globalnews.ca/news/2624632/should-students-take-notes-on-paper-or-laptops-it-depends-studies-say/.

Staff, NPR, and James Doubek. “Attention, Students: Put Your Laptops Away.” NPR, NPR, 17 Apr. 2016, www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away.