Recording two or three useful details can stop a pupil having to hold them in mind while completing the next part of a task. The skill to teach is deciding what to record and making it easy to find again.

Teach a simple routine

Use the same three-part routine:

1. Listen to the short explanation.

2. Select the two or three details needed for the task.

3. Record them as keywords, numbers, a quick sketch or a short note.

Model the routine on a mini whiteboard. Think aloud as you reject interesting but unnecessary details and keep the information that will be used next.

Practise with a short example

After explaining a science observation, ask pupils what changed, what stayed the same and which measurement matters. Record one keyword or value for each.

Before planning a piece of writing, model how to note a character, a problem and an ending using three words or small sketches. The pupil can then use those cues while writing without trying to remember the whole plan.

For an oral mathematics problem such as “A class has 24 pencils, gives out 9 and then opens a new box of 10”, record the values and how they relate: 24, −9, +10. Do not write out the complete solution.

Provide enough structure

At first, give the pupil a partly completed frame or labelled boxes. Complete one example together, then ask them to select the next detail. Move towards a blank mini whiteboard or small section of the page as the routine becomes familiar.

Pause briefly after giving information so the pupil has time to record it. Expecting simultaneous listening, selection and writing may recreate the original difficulty.

Check whether the notes are useful

Ask the pupil to use what they recorded. Can they explain the task, recover the missing value or continue the plan? If the note does not help, discuss whether it contained too much, too little or the wrong information.

This reflection teaches the pupil that recording is a tool for thinking, not a copying exercise.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Asking the pupil to write full sentences when keywords would work.

• Praising the amount recorded rather than its usefulness.

• Providing a complex template that becomes another task to manage.

• Recording every detail for the pupil.

• Treating a quick sketch as less valid than written notes when it captures the required information.

Further reading

• How pupils learn: working memory (Department for Education)

• Cognitive science approaches in the classroom (Education Endowment Foundation)