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Mendoza’s Fast Learning Process Is Based On Note Taking
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- Mendoza’s Fast Learning Process Is Based On Note Taking
Mendoza’s Fast Learning Process Is Based On Note Taking
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Much has been made of the learning process of Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, including his penchant for taking, and his new quarterbacks coach, Mike Sullivan, playfully critiqued Mendoza's handwriting in some recent comments he made.
But it turns out that Mendoza's tactic is also a powerful learning tool, according to Rustin Dodd of The Athletic , who did a recent piece exploring it in that context.
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Mendoza started taking notes as a high school quarterback, and the benefits are that it can increase memory and recall. Because handwriting is slower than typing, it forces the note-taker to summarize and rephrase a teacher or coach's point in their own words. It creates a document to review, but the tactic only works when those doing it engage in that review process.
"Just taking notes isn't enough to promote deep, meaningful, long-term attention," said Abraham E. Flanigan, an assistant professor in educational psychology at the University of Georgia.
Dodd estimated that as many as 80 percent of current NFL players still take notes by hand, and this triggers a mental prompt when the review is conducted. These players, including Mendoza, have to think more deeply about the subject, so the material gets absorbed at a deeper level.
"To be able to do that, a person has to think deeply enough about the content to be able to understand it," said Daniel Oppenheimer, a professor of psychology and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon. "And being forced to think about and understand it helps people learn the material better."
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Another player who utilizes this process is Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, who says he maintains a notebook each day, jotting down notes at each practice and meeting, then reviewing it at night to help make the information stick.
"To be able to do that, a person has to think deeply enough about the content to be able to understand it," said Daniel Oppenheimer, a professor of psychology and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon. "And being forced to think about and understand it helps people learn the material better."
At the next level up, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also uses it effectivley. He takes typed notes provided by the coaching staff, then writes them out by hand.
"It helps me remember it," Mahomes told reporters in 2024. "So I'll write it down, and then I'll rewrite everything again."
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Doing this also forces the learner to match up what they write with what was in the original, and Mendoza has used this as a way to correct mistakes to make sure they don't happen again.
"When you're frustrated about it," he said about a pass where he threw an interception, "you're going to put more focus and intent on not making that mistake again."
