(This answer is from cdsmith on reddit. CDSmith does not wish to post here, but did not mind if I posted the answer that they provided here, which I am doing below in an attempt to add value to both communities:)

I teach at a much younger age, but just for kicks, here's what I do for middle school students.

1. I actually try to avoid note-taking, because I try to avoid lecturing for long enough that it's worth time for them to take out paper and writing instruments. So there are opportunities for significant note-taking maybe once every three classes.
2. Notes are taken by hand. I just cannot keep everyone on-task while lecturing unless I instruct them to close computers.
3. I give them a structured outlines to fill in for notes, but try to ensure that the outline organizes the content in a different way from the lecture. The goal is to move them from transcribing the words of the lecture to summarizing into their own synopsis, with some original thought about the meaning.

This form of structured note-taking would obviously be resented at the college age, and I'm not advocating it there. But it wouldn't be awful advice to give at the college level as well.

(This answer is from cdsmith on reddit. CDSmith does not wish to post here, but did not mind if the answer that they provided was also posted here, which is being done in an attempt to add value to both communities:)

I teach at a much younger age, but just for kicks, here's what I do for middle school students.

1. I actually try to avoid note-taking, because I try to avoid lecturing for long enough that it's worth time for them to take out paper and writing instruments. So there are opportunities for significant note-taking maybe once every three classes.
2. Notes are taken by hand. I just cannot keep everyone on-task while lecturing unless I instruct them to close computers.
3. I give them a structured outlines to fill in for notes, but try to ensure that the outline organizes the content in a different way from the lecture. The goal is to move them from transcribing the words of the lecture to summarizing into their own synopsis, with some original thought about the meaning.

This form of structured note-taking would obviously be resented at the college age, and I'm not advocating it there. But it wouldn't be awful advice to give at the college level as well.

(This answer is not mine, but from cdsmith on reddit. CDSmith does not wish to post here, but did not mind if I posted the answer that they provided here, which I am doing below in an attempt to add value to both communities:)

I teach at a much younger age, but just for kicks, here's what I do for middle school students.

1. I actually try to avoid note-taking, because I try to avoid lecturing for long enough that it's worth time for them to take out paper and writing instruments. So there are opportunities for significant note-taking maybe once every three classes.
2. Notes are taken by hand. I just cannot keep everyone on-task while lecturing unless I instruct them to close computers.
3. I give them a structured outlines to fill in for notes, but try to ensure that the outline organizes the content in a different way from the lecture. The goal is to move them from transcribing the words of the lecture to summarizing into their own synopsis, with some original thought about the meaning.

This form of structured note-taking would obviously be resented at the college age, and I'm not advocating it there. But it wouldn't be awful advice to give at the college level as well.

(This answer is from cdsmith on reddit. CDSmith does not wish to post here, but did not mind if I posted the answer that they provided here, which I am doing below in an attempt to add value to both communities:)

I teach at a much younger age, but just for kicks, here's what I do for middle school students.

1. I actually try to avoid note-taking, because I try to avoid lecturing for long enough that it's worth time for them to take out paper and writing instruments. So there are opportunities for significant note-taking maybe once every three classes.
2. Notes are taken by hand. I just cannot keep everyone on-task while lecturing unless I instruct them to close computers.
3. I give them a structured outlines to fill in for notes, but try to ensure that the outline organizes the content in a different way from the lecture. The goal is to move them from transcribing the words of the lecture to summarizing into their own synopsis, with some original thought about the meaning.

This form of structured note-taking would obviously be resented at the college age, and I'm not advocating it there. But it wouldn't be awful advice to give at the college level as well.