Speed Readers Don't Use Laptops In Class

There has been considerable discussion lately about the use of laptops in the classroom. Sadly, many students are using them to surf the web and as an excuse to not pay attention. Some have said that if the teacher is not engaging them, they feel justified doing other things. This attitude is not only sad, it is disrespectful of the instructors' time and their own as well. Why would you want to pay thousands of dollars for a college class and then not pay attention?

This attitude also reflects the classic misconception in education that it is somehow the instructor's responsibility to get the student to learn. This has never been true. The student, especially the older adult, is completely responsible for the success of their learning experiences. You decide what you want to get out of a class and how you want it to contribute to your life. The teacher gives you the means, shares examples, explains concepts, but you are responsible for using a system of information capture that facilitates your learning.

The laptop may seem like it is a help, but it is actually a hindrance. Even if you are using it to take notes, it takes you out of the discussion. You cease being engaged with the teacher and the other students. It also locks you into to a linear, left-brain notetaking technique that is rarely useful. When you try to study notes taken in this way, you find them of little use.

Teachers are finding that students who bring their laptops to class perform as poorly as students who didn't bother to come to class at all.

Speed readers from our program learn a powerful right-brained note taking technique that serves them in any situation. It turns them into very  active listeners and they are always very present for the conversation. Many students have said that the note-taking method alone is worth the price off the class.

The best part of the method is that you do not need a computer. In fact, it doesn't really work with a computer - you hand write the notes in such a way that you can fit an entire day of lectures or create a study guide of excellent notes on an entire book on just one page. Teachers who see notes taken in this way after their lectures often ask the student for a copy!

It doesn't matter if you think your teacher is boring or doing a good job. This note-taking technique transcends all of that and makes you the engaged listener and thinker you need to be for your education and your career to be successful.