for Looking Forward to Higher Education (LFtoHE) Note Taking Skills for Looking Forward to Higher Education (LFtoHE)

At the need of this session you will be able to: Understand why you need to take notes Know some of the most effective note taking strategies for: written text ( books, journals etc) oral information (lectures, presentations, external speakers etc)

Why bother? Taking notes will help you to remember what you have heard or read. We learn more effectively when we actively engage in inputting information. Note taking helps you to organise the ideas you are learning about. Taking notes will help you to extend your attention span.

How to take notes When reading or listening, don’t write out notes word for word.   If you copy directly from a textbook, you might forget that you have done this, leading to unintentional plagiarism. Notes should be a summary of the main ideas and should be used to help jog your memory.   If you don’t understand, notes copied from a book or lecture won’t be much help in future!

Taking Notes from Text

How to take notes Notes can take two main forms: Linear: see example ‘A’ spider diagram/mind maps: see example ‘B’  There are many different techniques and you will find one that is best for you.  Try different ways until you find your preferred method.

Activity Your tutor will give you a short passage of written text (see short passage ‘A’). Use this to make a summary of the ideas using: Linear notes (to be done individually) A mind map (to be done individually). Which method did you prefer (in groups)? Why was this (in groups)?

Notes from a book : SQ3RRR (Survey, Question, Read, Record and Review) Rowntree (1976: 40-64) outlines what he calls the ‘SQ3RRR’ approach to reading and note taking from text.   Survey: flip through the chapter or book and note the layout, first and last chapters or paragraphs, look at the headings used, familiarise yourself with the reading.

Notes from a book : SQ3RRR Question: think about the questions you will need to keep in mind while reading.  Read: take the first (fairly small) section and read actively but quickly, looking for the main points of the reading – don’t take any notes – you might want to read through twice quickly.

Notes from a book : SQ3RRR Recall: From memory: Write down the main points of the reading. Also record the bibliographic details. Review: repeat the first three steps over and make sure you haven’t missed anything. Make sure the material you’ve covered relates to your question(s) and task.

Activity Your tutor will give you another short passage of information (short passage B). Read through the information carefully. Summarise the key points on the Note taking Review form. Share your summary with a partner- did you both record the same information

Taking Notes from a lecture

Preparation Why are you going to the lecture? What do you hope to find out? Write down some questions beforehand. Actively listen for key information – just hearing the lecturer’s voice is not enough! Ask questions for clarification (when appropriate).

How to take notes Students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities may find the use of a tape recorder beneficial to learning.  Tape recording is not the easy option – if you have no notes, you will need to listen to the whole lecture again….. Ethical issue : don’t try to tape record secretly – this is not ethical. Just explain to your tutor that you need to do this and position the microphone in the best place for clarity.

Abbreviations eg for example nb note well ie that is cf compare etc and the rest & and = equals > greater than < less than C19 nineteenth century Therefore Develop your own code for words e.g. PP for Public Policy

Taking notes in a lecture Take enough paper! A4 size is best. Leave a wide margin down one side for future notes or to add comments or references to other notes or reading materials. 

After the Lecture What you do with your notes after the lecture is almost as important as taking them in the first place. As soon as it is possible after the lecture, re-read your notes and add in any extra comments. Organise and file your notes.

Activity Your tutor will now deliver a short lecture on ... (need to think of a couple of questions you need answers to!) Take some notes during the lecture Share your summary with a partner- did you both record the same information?

Note taking reading list Kesselman-Turkel, J. and Peterson, F. (1982) Note-taking made easy, Lincolnwood (IL): Contemporary Books. Rowntree, Derek. (1976) Learn how to study, 2nd edition, London: Macdonald and Co. http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/note1.html www.canterbury.ac.uk/graduate-skills/preview/ reading-notes

Materials/sources used Adapted by Elizabeth Day from materials produced by: http://education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/note_taking_skills.htm