Have an attitude of gratitude, always. First and foremost, I’d like to thank you (yup, you!) for bearing with me as I get this space up and running. If you know me well, you know I like to do many things and do them well. For that reason, I’ve purposefully dedicated my first few blog posts as an introduction to interactive notebooks.
Anyone that has ever stepped foot in or around my classroom knows interactive notebooks (INBs from here on out) are a HUGE part of my pedagogy and teaching style. Through this four-part miniseries, I hope to leave you with a better understanding of INBs and how you can leverage their awesomeness in your own areas of expertise. Let’s get started and dive right in!
Defining Interactive Notebooks
First things first: let’s define what an interactive notebook actually is and is not. For the purposes of this series, an interactive notebook is essentially a notebook used to store and organize information. The notebooks are interactive in the sense that both teachers and students contribute to filling the notebook with information. At a later date, students again can interact with the INB material, for example, in preparation for an upcoming assessment or portfolio review.
Left Side, Right Side
Traditionally speaking, INBs have a left and right side. The right side is reserved for input. Here, the expert (teacher) provides notes, essential questions, anchor charts, etc. These pages are the teacher’s tools for instruction and front-loading material to students. The left side of an INB is reserved for output. Here, the learner will process the right side information and make sense of it in their own creative way, be it through drawings, personalized brain maps, diary entries, etc.
When thinking of an interactive notebook’s input and output pages, it’s important to think of our brain anatomy and function. Have you ever heard someone refer to themselves as being right-brained or left-brained? The human brain is divided into the left and right hemispheres. The left side is thought to be more analytical; it focuses on language and sequencing, order and procedure. This next part might trip you up so pay attention: the right side of an INB mimics the left side of the brain. The left side of the brain is responsible for controlling the right side of the body. Think of INBs as the body; the right side is teacher-directed, full of facts and information for students to digest.
Back to the brain. The right side is thought to be responsible for creativity. The left side of an INB mimics the right side of the brain. Students will process teacher input and express the newly acquired material in an artistic manner. Where one student may draw a picture of a vocabulary term, another might reword the teacher’s definition or construct a heartfelt poem.
Real Talk, Real Life
Now, for some teacher truths. Personally, I’m pretty flexible with the right and left sides of my interactive notebooks. I tend to cross hemispheres.. a lot. I’m definitely one to make things my own, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and be the exception to the rule. In my classrooms, I give input for both the left and right sides of the notebook. Learners manipulate content on both the right and left sides of their notebooks. We tackle INBs together. I facilitate creativity with scaffolded support. I try and provide my learners multiple intelligence options when working in our INBs.
Still with me? Great! Stay tuned for next week’s post when I talk about who benefits from interactive notebook use. The answer may surprise you! Any guesses? Comment below and let’s connect.
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Comment any questions you have surrounding INBs. Take a guess at who benefits from INBs and what those benefits might be.
