Students writing very slowly
I teach at a university and one issue I've been having recently is just how slowly many of my students write now. This is a relatively new phenomenon, I think coming from the fact that much of high school work is now done on computers/tablets/etc. But it may come from other reasons too.
I remember one time actually timing to see how long it would take my class to catch up to something I wrote. I wrote a sentence on the board, something like "Example: Evaluate $\int_0^1 e^{x^2}dx$ using Taylor series." I wrote this on the board, then turned around, and timed how long students were writing. I'm not exaggerating when I say it took ~3 minutes to finish writing this for some students. This is not including actually doing the example, or anything else. 3 minutes past what it took me, just physically copying this sentence. I see this in office hours, too. You may think you can see what's going on better then, but I haven't found anything interesting -- they just write very slowly.
Many students have resorted to just taking pictures of the board, which I am not in principle opposed to. However, it seems like there is an important skill gap. Again, it's not just about taking notes but when I help them in office hours they still write incredibly slowly and this makes helping them with the math quite challenging.
Is this just because of computers/tablets/etc. or is something else going on? How should I handle this?
3 Answers
One of my colleagues would print out partially completed notes for their students with blanks for them to fill in important information. I haven't tried it myself, but from what I heard it went well.
Talk to the students about the problem You cannot fix their handwriting, but you can encourage them to improve it themselves.
In the lectures, I would not wait for the students to finish writing. It is ok if they take pictures or copy the notes later from faster writers. Of course, it is not ideal, but again, you cannot fix their handwriting.
In office hours, you probably have to write down most of the stuff yourself if the student writes very slowly. It is clear that this is not optimal for learning, but on the other side, you cannot spend your time waiting for someone writing down a simple sentence.
One potential explanation for the slow writing speed of your students is that they're accustomed to using digital tools, but not necessarily in a way that's translating to their note-taking skills. While they may be proficient in typing or swiping on their devices, this doesn't necessarily translate to the physical act of writing. Consider asking yourself whether your students are using note-taking strategies that are optimized for digital devices, but not necessarily for handwriting. For instance, are they using abbreviations or shorthand that work well on a keyboard, but might be cumbersome or illegible in handwriting? Another possibility is that your students are relying too heavily on their devices to capture information, rather than actively engaging with the material and writing down key concepts themselves. This could be due to a lack of practice with handwriting, or a preference for digital tools that make it easier to capture information, but less engaging to write down. To address this issue, you might consider incorporating handwriting activities into your lectures or office hours, such as asking students to write down key concepts or formulas by hand. This can help them develop the necessary skills and build confidence in their handwriting abilities. Additionally, you could encourage students to use a notebook or paper during lectures, rather than relying on their devices, to help them stay engaged and focused on the material. Ultimately, the key is to help your students develop the skills and strategies they need to succeed in note-taking, regardless of whether they're using digital or handwriting methods. By providing targeted support and practice, you can help your students overcome their slow writing speed and develop the skills they need to succeed in your class.
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