The Surprising History of School! - Mental Floss Scatterbrained

Today, we learn the history of school in the United States! Then, we get study tips straight from science. We take it back to the eighties to learn about a historic prank done by some MIT fraternity brothers at an Ivy League football game. We give you the scoop on why writing down your notes helps you retain the information. A few child prodigies are discussed. Finally, we answer the question: “Why do kids get summers off?” in this episode presented by the Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds.

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Follow our hosts on Twitter:
John Green: @johngreen
Amanda Suk: @sukiestyles
Becca Scott: @thebeccascott
Elliott Morgan: @elliottcmorgan
Dani Fernandez: @msdanifernandez
Mike Rugnetta: @mikerugnetta

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[RoxanneRichardson]

The surprise is that there is no "history of school" content in this video.

[TheSnoo]

Gee, based on the title, I was sort of hoping for some, you know, history, of like, school.

[QD]

i love when the hosts are so passionate about history that their eyes start slowly moving side to side

[pig]

Confession, I only watch scatterbrained for Mike Rugnetta and John Green.

[vwhite]

In graduate school, I typed notes on a laptop, but reinforced what I learned when I edited my notes. The copious notes through typing followed by editing was very beneficial. I also found that studying right before bed helped me recall notes and other materials the next day.

[thwilbury]

"When you take notes by hand, you can't possibly write everything down, so you have to pay attention to process the lecture and analyze what's important before writing it down..."

This is why I took very, very few notes in college, only jotting little facts that I didn't think I could remember. It absolutely forced me to digest the info on the spot. Of course, if it was a course that required more rote memorization, then I'd scribble away. However, I tended not to take those classes, preferring to gravitate toward subjects that were much more conceptual in nature (e.g. math, physical sciences, economics).

[ErgoCogita]

Not very much about the history of school but whatever

[BThings]

*A Reminder:* Just because a study shows that things generally work better one way does not mean they work better for everyone. If you have a disability that makes handwriting difficult, you'll probably get more value out of taking your notes on a laptop than trying and failing to do it by hand. Also, make sure to get the appropriate documentation from your school's Disability Services Office, so that professors can't bully you into doing what they prefer. I say this from personal experience, because I get tired of teachers using this study to justify a one-size-fits-all policy that is ostensibly based on science, but really just creates a hostile environment for people with disabilities. Students in general should be allowed to find-out what works best for them, even if that isn't what a research study has shown to be "better."

Also, the "whys" of this study always bother me, because they're based so much on supposition and hypothesis. There is no clear way to get into someone's mind and know how they're contending with a concept, unless they ask the person, so it leads to a question of biases. For instance, perhaps the issue is more a matter of _misuse_ of laptops as a note-taking tool, rather than typing actually being "worse." I use a computer for almost all of my writing/note-taking, and I still get A's on almost everything, but I also don't try to re-write slides. I try to encapsulate the information that is relevant, similar to how people who write by hand do, so that it is concise and easy to refer back to. Yes, typing can facilitate transcribing the whole thing, but you can make a conscious effort not to, and then have the benefit of more legible notes when you're studying (and, if you're like me, notes at all).

[skunko]

How come we still do school during summer in South Africa? Sometimes it can get as hot as 40 degrees celsius (104 fahrenheit)! Imagine sitting in a small class with 40 children stuffed in with the sun scorching us with no ac!

[rayebell]

I always did small doodles or drawing when I toke notes. Always helped me remember where certain things were. For example when Alexander Hamilton had published his affair with Maria Renyolds only after Thomas Jefferson gave a reporter and political gossip, James Canlladar, love letters between Alex and Maria. Next to that was a small doodle of a couple with 1 of scratch out and a broken heart.

[UFBMusic]

One year at school I missed PE signup day. This means that as far as the PE dept. was concerned, I was a nonperson.

I could have gotten up to hi-jinks, but I actually used to go to the library and read back issues of New Scientist!

I can still remember getting rumbled by running into Mr Rawlins in the corridor. The fact that I had been studying while skiving didn't do me any favours.

[RangerRuby]

Thank you for this video! I love Facts and I love school! This video was very interesting to me and I loved all the tips, studies, and facts!

[LikeTheBuffalo]

Ah yes. Harmless, easy-breathing Freon! So refreshing!

[SenoritaSevilla]

I really like this new format and all these hosts! Really interesting video!

[DerMitWieWoOhneNamen]

What's with the sharpness setting on this video? :o

[therealeightabove]

And we're back to the crazy artifacting! I thought y'all had fixed this.

[PolarBearChoujin]

3rd Comment! Also this was a very fun watch, and informative. I'll be sure to use those study tips when I go back to school later this month!

[Mikelovesmuseums]

Becca Scott is on point with those accents

[Marco_Onyxheart]

Taking notes doesn't work for me. I always miss parts of the lecture.

[marisokami]

i just want to say you missed the fact that you can use the best study techniques, but what really matters is motivation, if you don't want to learn then it will be harder. and you can't just flip a switch and be motivated, there is a reason why i can memorise names of pokemon and facts about movies but most stuff you're forced to learn in school doesn't want to stick. yeah i was talking about myself all along... there are a lot of things wrong with the school system i won't tell you because you won't read the whole comment but let me just say, if you don't want to have an existencial crisis every time you think of school then don't look it up.