She thinks this might be the key to their findings: Take notes by hand, and you have to process information as well as write it down. That initial selectivity leads to long-term comprehension.

Get tips on how to take effective notes and find different strategies for taking notes, compiled by the Writing & Speaking Center at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Writing by hand can also lend itself to verbatim note-taking too, though—especially if educators couple their lectures with wordy PowerPoint presentations or dense textbook readings.