86. Is Writing Notes by Hand Better Than Typing?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report. Many college students¹ have given up² taking class notes by hand³. Instead⁴, they type⁵ on laptop or tablet computers. But scientists from Princeton University and the University of California say that that method is less effective⁶.

If you need to remember something⁷, write it. Writing notes by hand is much better⁸ for long-term⁹ memory of ideas, or conceptual information. That is the finding¹⁰ of a 2014 study published¹¹ in the journal Psychological Science.

So, turn off¹² your computer if you want to remember something. Computers can take your attention away from¹³ your work. They can be distracting¹⁴. Computers provide¹⁵ the chance to send¹⁶ a quick message to a friend, check¹⁷ a sports’ score¹⁸, shop or watch a funny¹⁹ cat video.

It is really hard to resist a funny cat video. But scientists say computers may hurt performance²⁰ in school, called academic performance. Here is what the research²¹ showed.

Students who type notes on a keyboard²² often transcribe, or write down²³ what the professor says word-for-word²⁴. They may write without²⁵ really thinking about what they are writing. These electronic notes contained²⁶ more words. But scientists say it leads to²⁷ "mindless²⁸ transcription." Transcription means²⁹ to record something exactly as³⁰ you hear it.

However³¹, students taking notes long-hand, or by writing them, need to first process the information they hear. Then they record just the main points³², or summarize³³. They use fewer words³⁴. This is because people usually³⁵ write slower than³⁶ they type. This process of summarizing³⁷ information leads to a deeper understanding³⁸, say the researchers.

In the study, students listened to a teacher and then took a test³⁹.  Some took notes by typing on a computer. The others took notes by writing them down. Both⁴⁰ groups performed⁴¹ about the same⁴² in remembering facts. But students who typed their notes did much worse⁴³ on conceptual questions. These questions required them to understand⁴⁴ an idea.

Those who typed⁴⁵ also could not stop⁴⁶ transcribing even after⁴⁷ they were told to try to avoid⁴⁸ it. So even if you want⁴⁹ to stop typing what you hear word-for-word, you might not be able to⁵⁰.

Also⁵¹, researchers found that those who wrote their notes remembered conceptual information better a week later. Researchers believe that the students who wrote notes long-hand had a deeper understanding of ideas and concepts.

Taking notes by typing on the computer may not be the best way⁵² to study. Scientists know that students probably⁵³ will still use their laptops and tablets in class⁵⁴. But they suggest using some of the available technologies⁵⁵ for writing notes by hand on computer screens. They say this might be a good compromise between old school and new school.

This research was contained in a classroom⁵⁶. But the findings⁵⁷ may be valuable⁵⁸ for anyone wanting to remember more of what they read, hear or see.

I’m Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story based on a VOA report and articles by Maria Konnikova in the New York Times and Kasia Galazka for Buzz Feed.

Vocabulary

1. college students = alunos da faculdade
2. have given up = tem desistido
3. by hand = à mão
4. Instead = ao invés disso
5. type = digitam
6. less effective = menos eficiente
7. something = alguma coisa
8. much better = muito melhor
9. long-term = de longo prazo
10. finding = descoberta
11. published = publicado
12. turn off = desligar
13. take your attention away from = desviar sua atenção de
14. distracting = que causa distração
15. provide = fornecem
16. send = enviar
17. check = verificar
18. score = placar, resultado
19. funny = engraçado
20. hurt performance = prejudicar o desempenho
21. research = pesquisa
22. keyboard = teclado
23. write down = anotam
24. word-for-word = palavra a palavra
25. without = sem
26. contained = continha
27. leads to = conduz a
28. mindless = negligente, descuidado
29. means = significa
30. exactly as = exatamente como
31. However = contudo
32. main points = pontos principais
33. summarize = resumem
34. fewer words = menos palavras
35. usually = normalmente
36. slower than = mais lento do que
37. process of summarizing = processo de resumir
38. deeper understanding = compreensão mais profunda
39. took a test = faziam um teste
40. Both = ambos
41. performed = desempenharam
42. the same = o mesmo
43. much worse = muito pior
44. required them to understand = exigia que eles entendessem
45. Those who typed = aqueles que digitavam
46. could not stop = não conseguiam parar
47. even after = mesmo após
48. try to avoid = tentar evitar
49. even if you want = mesmo se voce quiser
50. might not be able to = pode não ser capaz de
51. Also = além disso, também
52. may not be the best way = pode não ser a melhor maneira
53. probably = provavelmente
54. class = aula
55. available technologies = tecnologias disponiveis
56. classroom = sala de aula
57. findings = descobertas
58. may be valuable = podem ser valiosas