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Interactive Notebooks: Getting
Students Involved in Learning

Written by Morgan Heywood

As math lesson begins and notes about the new Bloom’s Taxonomy and be used as a way of

vocabulary are handed out to the students, each assessment.

student glues them or re-writes them onto the left side Key Components of Interactive Notebooks

of their notebook. After exploring, discussing, and Interactive notebooks have been in use for a while, but

gaining an understanding of the new concepts, the they are becoming more popular as time goes on.

students use the vocabulary to create something When looking at Pinterest for ideas on interactive

meaningful to them on the left side of the notebook - a notebooks, it may seem daunting and unrealistic.

picture, an explanation in their own words, or a chart. However, they are adaptable to the needs of students

The options vary, but allow for students to express, at every level.

and deepen, their understanding of the material.
This scenario is a reality in classrooms around Table of Concepts
the country and among all grade levels and subjects: A key to a successful interactive notebook is a table of
math, science, language arts, etc. While most teaching concepts. This is critical because it allows for easy
trends today are related to including more technology, navigation to a particular concept in the notebook.
Rather than taking time to thumb through the
“interactive notebooks are organizational tools for
notebook when a student needs to reference a
teachers and students alike” (Wist, 2006).
previously learned concept, they already have a quick

guide to find it.

Input
Many teachers have decided that the left side

of the notebook is for input from lectures, videos,
given notes, foldables, graphic organizers, etc. This is
a more structured note taking method and generally
uniform among the students.

Output

The right side is for output from the student

(drawing, writing prompts, personalized notes, making

connections,

“In fact, a study from Psychological Science (and etc.). This
other sources) concluded that although tech-savvy approach allows
approaches are a great way to bring resources into the a structured
classroom, students learn best when they have to write organization and
things down. Not writing down the information gives students
decreases learning drastically. Simply writing notes more charge in
does not mean you has learned the information. You how they are
must actively do something with the information learning the
before you can really understand it”(Sternquist). Not content by
only can the use of interactive notebooks deepen giving them
understanding for students, it also can implement multiple options

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