Class Notes

What are Good Notes?

What you write in your daily Class Notes (recorded as Replies to the daily Agenda) is a report about What I Learned as contrasted with What Happened.

The difference between “What Happened” and “What I Learned”:

• What Happened: We got into groups to discuss the Island of Stone Money topic.
  • What I Learned: Realized the importance of studying the source materials when they’re assigned, before coming to class. Found out some of my classmates are well prepared.
• What Happened: We went into detail about how the class will use certain features on the blog.
  • What I Learned: Discovered that when I publish, I need to put my posts into categories (my Username, the name of the assignment).
• What Happened: Had class discussion on the topic of money.
  • What I Learned: Instructor expects us to interact with the source material, not just summarize or cite it. “As much a thinking course as a writing course.”

Why Class Notes Matter

Later in the course, we’ll make a similar distinction between What the Author Talked About, and What the Author Claimed.

• What the Author talked about: The Author made several observations about the effect on the environment of burning huge amounts of fossil fuel.
  (This summary wastes 18 words telling us nothing.)
• What the Author claimed: The Author blamed the continuing irresponsible burning of fossil fuel for the catastrophic rise in the temperature of the globe.
  (This summary tells us in 20 words what argument the Author made.)

A Current Example

Just this week, I impressed on one of your classmates the importance of Making Claims instead of “talking about” someone else’s claims. Here’s the exchange.

• Professor’s Reply to Snowman’s analysis of the “Faithful Rat” video

First of all, Snowman, this is brilliant.
Second, you too, most likely, are brilliant.
Third, I would not want to read this description.
Fourth, with a few tweaks, this reply can be both brilliant and readable.

This Reply is hard to read because it buries your opinions. It talks “around and about” what you want to claim without actually making claims. We eventually find out what you believe, if we get that far, but most readers won’t get that far. I, who read you out of love and commitment, am the exception.

What’s the difference between making claims and “talking about” claims? Compare these sets of sentences, one each from you and one from me.

YOUR SENTENCE: My reaction to the story’s message about the strength of belief was strong, and I found myself nodding along with it as I read it.
—MY PARAPHRASE: My reaction to the story’s message that faith can overcome despair and even imminent death was strong, and I found myself nodding along with it as I read it.

YOUR SENTENCE: As events progressed, I grew increasingly convinced, especially about the critical role that mindset plays in survival.
—MY PARAPHRASE: As the comparison progressed between hopeful rats and those who had no reason to believe I grew increasingly convinced that a hopeful mindset kept rats alive.

YOUR SENTENCE: In summary, the story emphasizes the impact of belief on resiliency and determination by using a rat experiment to vividly illustrate its power.
—MY PARAPHRASE: In summary, the story emphasizes the power of belief to make us more resilient by using a rat experiment to vividly illustrate the life-sustaining value of faith

YOUR SENTENCE: It also provides a poignant lesson in human perseverance.
—MY PARAPHRASE: By analogy, it also provides a poignant lesson in human perseverance.

You might dispute how I characterized the claims I think you meant to make, but I hope you’ll agree that the revised version expresses opinions rather than leaving readers to guess.

PARAPHRASED SENTENCES IN THE ORIGINAL SEQUENCE:
My reaction to the story’s message that faith can overcome despair and even imminent death was strong, and I found myself nodding along with it as I read it. As the comparison progressed between hopeful rats and those who had no reason to believe, I grew increasingly convinced that a hopeful mindset kept rats alive. In summary, the story emphasizes the power of belief to make us more resilient by using a rat experiment to vividly illustrate the life-sustaining value of faith. By analogy, it also provides a poignant lesson in human perseverance.

Your reactions, please?
Feel free to revise your entire response in a Reply below.

• SNOWMAN’S RESPONSE

I value your perceptive analysis, which highlights the distinction between discussing and stating unequivocally. Your examples improve clarity by expressing opinions in a more straightforward manner. Your analysis emphasizes how important it is to be explicit when expressing opinions, and I concur that the changes make the text easier to read. Your changes help to a more direct expression of opinions while also successfully highlighting the message of the story. To put it briefly, your input is insightful, and I concur that it is important to voice opinions honestly in order to make them impactful and readable.

• PROFESSOR’S FINAL RESPONSE

Nicely stated, Snowman. Your opinions come through loud and clear.

🙂

• What the Author talked about: The Author made several observations about the effect on the environment of burning huge amounts of fossil fuel.
  (This summary wastes 18 words telling us nothing.)
• What the Author claimed: The Author blamed the continuing irresponsible burning of fossil fuel for the catastrophic rise in the temperature of the globe.
  (This summary tells us in 20 words what argument the Author made.)