‘It makes me think better.’
7 year old
I’m a big fan of pupils having jotters. Here are four reasons why:
It helps them to enjoy writing. There’s a big difference between writing notes for yourself and writing something which a teacher is going to mark.
It provides thinking time. What do you think about what Chloe just said? Make a note. Or, Last week we spoke about alliteration – jot down a few examples.
When pupils have notes, their confidence to talk can dramatically increase. Children who have previously seemed less vocal are more likely to contribute. Or if you randomly select a student, they can look at their jottings before speaking, or read out what they’ve written.
The quality of what a student contributes after they have noted their ideas is often much better than if they had just said the first thing that came into their head. The quality of everyone’s thinking and talking is better.
‘I won’t have an answer if there’s no thinking time.’
8 year old
