By Martha Shirley, Director of Professional Development
& Barbara Wells, Lower School Principal
Perhaps one of the biggest ironies of the digital age is how society still finds incredible value in “hand-made” products. Hand-made products are personal, unique and deeply connected to the personality and effort of the individual maker. In short, we understand in most cases hand-made products are worth the price we pay for them.
This principle, rooted in Scripture and the principle of individuality, is one key reason why StoneBridge embraces the Notebook Method. Simply put, this method, while a huge commitment on the part of the student, parent and teacher, is the product of the student’s own hand: it reveals the student’s penmanship, reasoning and thinking, and personal creativity.
So what is the true value of buying all the required notebooks every year for the student, labeling every divider, and buying bookbags large enough for them to carry it all? What is the value of following up on their progress periodically throughout the academic year?
Let’s begin by how it works. The Foundation for American Christian Education states:
“The Notebook Method is an essential component to the Principle Approach that governs the teacher and student in their participation in each subject. It establishes a consistent tool and standard of Christian scholarship. The learners are producers as they build their own daily record of a subject, taking ownership of the learning process. The notebook method embraces the four steps of learning: research, reason, relate and record. It aids in the Biblical purposes of education by ‘enlightening the understanding, correcting the temper, and forming habits of youth that fit him for usefulness in his future station’ (excerpted from the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition of education). The notebook method is the product of the student’s creativity and a permanent record of his productivity. It assists parents and teachers in overseeing progress and visually demonstrates the character development, diligence and responsibility of the student.”
The Principle Approach to Notebooks
The Notebook Method is both Spirit (internal or cause) and Letter (external or effect). The Spirit is evident in the personal responsibility each student takes of his property, his conscience-his internal qualities. He grows in his diligence, perseverance and learning to govern his productivity. He develops careful study habits of inquiry and research, patterns of Biblical reasoning, and methods of recording and presenting ideas and understanding. It is the product of the student’s creativity and illustrations. The Letter, or external effect, is the filing of his work in a three-ring binder with tabs, title pages, overviews, key word studies, scripture notes, written reflections, T charts and other graphic organizers.
The Notebook Method is governed by the example of the Principle Approach® teacher who is the “living textbook” who calls forth true learning from individual students. “The student grows in his responsibility for his own learning, building strong qualities of character” (RTM, 32). In the Lower School the teacher exercises more government in providing models for the students to follow with the goal by middle school and high school for a greater degree of self-government in taking responsibility for the recording and mastery of learning.
“The Christian Principle of Private Property is taught and maintained in the Notebook Methodology. By conscientious effort, students will reap the fruits and joys of their own labor. Notebooks are a student’s property; he has invested in them his time, labor, and intellect, and they express his capacities for stewardship. Notebooks are records of individual progress. No one can take away knowledge a student lays claim to by application of his own labor. The student is in competition with his own standard of excellence which he establishes himself from work representative of his most conscientious effort. With his God-given faculties and talents, each pursues the fullest degree of achievement he can. Students are encouraged and expected always to do and manage more than they have done or managed before” (K. Dang, 140. Guide).
The Notebook Method “forms Christian character in the student by consistently practicing the standards such as faithfulness, accountability, responsibility, stewardship, thoroughness, and a work ethic” (SBS Standards, 39).
The Value of the Notebook
The value of the Notebook Method is enduring and has eternal impact. The student demonstrates how his or her scholarship, crafted by the student’s own hand, moves deep into the heart and shapes the character.
Biblical. Each subject is researched for its scriptural foundation and definitions. Students are questioned to identify the causes, the purposes, the underlying truth of God’s purpose for the subject.
Individual Product. Students learn to write their thoughts and research. Each student is encouraged to express his creativity, industry, diligence and responsibility. Reflective thinking and reasoning are the result of embracing the four steps of Christian scholarship: research, reason, relate and record.
Historical. Each notebook becomes a permanent record of a student’s progress and learning for further study and future reference.
Parent Connection. The Notebook Method fosters parent involvement and connection. The parents see what has been taught, the student’s progress and understanding.
Conclusion
The Notebook Method produces independent character for the student through reflective and critical thinking recorded in his or her own words. Writers are thinkers! In an increasingly digital age, the value of penning one’s own thoughts and ideas by hand remains a powerful tool for cognitive development and learning.
A recent paper published by a team of neuroscientists states: “The slower pace of handwriting allows more reflective and deliberate thinking, fostering creativity and critical analysis. Typing often leads to a cognitive trade-off where the speed of transcription inhibits deeper thought. This difference may explain why handwriting is often preferred for tasks requiring problem-solving or synthesis of ideas.”
StoneBridge scholars publish final drafts of their research papers in typed format, but the Notebook Method allows their daily learning in class to also become internal property, forming character and conscientiousness.
So what is the value of the Notebook Method? For students who’s minds and hearts are eternally shaped with biblical truth through their own “hand-made” scholarship, the true value becomes priceless.
References:
- Marano, G., Kotzalidis, G. D., Lisci, F. M., Anesini, M. B., Rossi, S., Barbonetti, S., Cangini, A., Ronsisvalle, A., Artuso, L., Falsini, C., Caso, R., Mandracchia, G., Brisi, C., Traversi, G., Mazza, O., Pola, R., Sani, G., Mercuri, E. M., Gaetani, E., & Mazza, M. (2025). “The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle?” Life, 15(3), 345.
- “Characteristics of the Principle Approach,” The Foundation for American Christian Education (FACE).
- Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language. San Francisco: The Foundation for American Christian Education, 1985.
- Renewing the Mind for Teaching and Learning. Chesapeake: The Foundation for American Christian Education, 2021.
- Rose, James B. A Guide to American Christian Education the Principle Approach. Camarillo, CA: The American Christian History Institute, 1987.
- The StoneBridge Standards: Essential Practices That Produce Principle Approach Results. Published for StoneBridge School. Chesapeake: The Foundation for American Christian Education, 2003.
Featured image: Sear Grayson, Unsplash.
