Idea Notebook: Forms of Engagement

The Idea Note/Marx and Berheide

Idea Notebook: Forms of Student Engagement

Our analysis of the Final Evaluation of the Idea Notebook completed by twenty students in the class suggests that students experienced three primary forms of academic and intellectual engagement by keeping an Idea Notebook:

Engagement with content materials
Engagement with thought processes
Engagement with other learning situations

Engagement with content materials	"When looking at the Idea Notebook's role in my overall LS 1 experience, it served one very important purpose for me. Through the notebook, I was able to address lectures, readings, etc.that we may not have had time for in class discussion. In this way, the Idea Notebook made it so nothing what we did in LS 1 went without some form of examination, either by me in my Notebook or by the class during discussion. . . . For me, the Idea Notebook was the LS 1 version of the weekly one-page responses, it gave me a chance to look at something in depth that I didn't do in class." KKKK "The Idea Notebook let me respond to LS 1 materials in such a way that is different than class or papers. Class discussions are often hectic, where ideas are constantly being thrown around, taken, changed, and spitted out again. The notebook was like a patient listener, telling me to take a seat, calm down, not worry about responding to other ideas and allowing me to formulate my won. Writing a paper in class usually entails a specific thesis, and though this lets me formulate my own ideas, it is a text-based argument--not a [Me]-based argument. Papers analyze texts, but the idea notebook let me analyze ...me. Though my own opinions often came through in my formal paper writings, I seldom had a chance to question them--something about the idea notebook let me formulate and discuss ideas however I liked."
	KKK
Engagement with thought processes	"From keeping an Idea Notebook I was able to learn a tremendous amount about my own thought processes, patterns, and critical thinking. I was able to see the types and patterns of thinking I naturally side toward, and thus realized the strengths I have in those areas. I could then see if these types of thinking were also effective and if I should continue to use them, make an effort to use certain types more or less, or would benefit from new process altogether." KKKK ". . . in the Idea Notebook I had the chance to notice patterns in my thought processes by examining my 'thinking categories' in the second column. The metacognitive task of thinking was valuable to forming my thought processes in a better, more meaningful way, because it enabled me to learn more about my own throught processes, patterns, and critical thinking. Previous, I had always believed in Descarte's [sic] statement, 'I think, therefore I am.' After having the opportunity to write in an Idea Notebook, I realized the importance of thinking about one's own thought processes. It enabled me to learn that I often play the middle ground when it comes to my thought processes, since sometimes it makes me uncomfortable to take sides. Writing in the Idea Notebook helped me to learn how to come to a meaningful conclusion after thinking thoughtfully about both sides of an issue. I also noticed that some of my thought processes were muddled by examining my thought patterns. I noticed that sometimes I examine things too broadly to be able to come to them 'main point' and come to a conclusion. These types of critical thinking skills are important for all citizens." KKK "I'm slightly disappointed in my critical thought processes in that they basically were reduced to one dominate taxonomy: Compare and contrast, and its subcategories, Creating parallels, noting similarities and differences, etc. . . . seem to be the only path of critical thought I follow. This is how I exist in the world, judging relativities, comparing and contrasting. I can't think of another way to think!"
	KKKK
Engagement with other learning situations	"I am able to notice in other classes and for other assignments what types of thinking I engage i, and make an effort to use the ones I have been most successful with in my Ideas Notebook." KKK "[T]he use of critical thinking, whether it be in regard to your own ideas or to someone else's, is an extremely useful [skill]. Such a talent can certainly be utilized in some of my other courses." kkkk "I also learned that I thought that critical thinking was finding fault. I relate this concept to the many analytical essays I have written in which I have been encouraged to challenge the writer;/philosopher. However, I think that it has been very beneficial for me to learn that I do not always have to find fault to analyze critically. In fact, for my last paper in my history class this semester I was asked to write a critical analysis of a book, and it was stressed by my professor that critical did not simply mean refuting the author's thesis."