Louise Livesey Academic Skills Adviser Note-taking Skills Provide some guidelines for taking effective notes in lectures and from reading Explore strategies for taking traditional notes Introduce less-traditional methods of note-taking Complete register and LHS grid on feedback sheet Is aimed at Level 1 undergraduates Louise Livesey Academic Skills Adviser 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice The Plan… Why take notes? Note-taking dos and don’ts Strategies for traditional note-taking Strategies for less traditional note-taking All appear on click 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Activity 1: In at the deep end. Listen to the brief practice lecture Take notes exactly as you would normally do in a lecture Debrief your strategies with the person next to you. All appear on click Explain exercise, students to take notes for Darwin ppt on 2nd page. Deliver mini-lecture After completed mini-lecture, have students compare different ways they made notes 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 1.Why Take Notes? Summary An overview of a topic. Memory Aids retention by double processing Revision The basis of revision or a guide for further reading Concentration Is active, rather than passive. If you are not actively engaged you can be easily distracted Active Listening OR Reading = Active Learning Each heading and explanation flies in on click Ask how notes help with each heading 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

WHAT the notes will be used for: 1.Why Take Notes? WHAT the notes will be used for: A supplement to detailed lecture materials The basis of a revision ‘pack’ that must be learnt for an exam To fuel critical thinking when researching assignments or essay questions As evidence to back up arguments in assignments or essays? An aide-mémoire when on a work placement Purely a process to maintain concentration during learning activities Each answer on a click so ask students what the notes will be used for then reveal answers pg 3 Help with more in-depth lecture information Foundation for exam learning Ideas to start critical thinking Evidence for assessments Reminder when you are in workplace Just assist with concentration 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 2.Note-taking dos & don’ts Do… prepare be brief and selective listen/look for keywords & ‘signposts’ follow up keep glossaries Each bullet point has a click Be prepared: what questions are you trying to answer; what do you already know; check out the topic etc. Main ideas/concepts Line of argument Some illustrative detail Information about other sources of information/ideas Make decisions – based on active listening: Keep it brief and to the point – focus on what’s important Use symbols & abbreviations (see workbook page 5 for examples) – some are conventional but it’s fine to use your own – as long as you remember what they are! Keywords can come from your preparation and questions you have set for yourself Signposts/ signal words (workbook page 4) Think about lecture plan, handout headings, contents page etc. Summaries; conclusions; abstracts Definitions: “I’ll first define the term…” Examples: “Let’s look at an example…” Descriptions of sequences/processes: “The first step…” Connections: “Therefore”, “It can be seen that…” “Critical” “Essential” “Crucial” Stress and emphasis/ repetition Conclusions: “take-home message” “bumper sticker” “key aspects” References: to text books or other sources – these will often provide a useful starting point when you come to research for essays etc. Things to follow up: Ideas, facts or concepts which you don’t understand/ with which you agree or disagree. The difference between facts and opinions. Note any questions or comments that occur to you whilst listening/reading. Note if there is a gap in your knowledge. Before click – what is a glossary? 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 2.Note-taking dos & don’ts Don’t… Try to take a note of everything Take notes of material already available e.g. handout, textbook Rely on the hand-out/BlackBoard materials. Each line appears on click and ask students what shouldn’t do? Making a note of everything is impossible for most of us and not helpful, even if you are able (short-hand example) – similarly, don’t copy large chunks of text from books etc. – you are not just recording information, you are processing it Hand-outs rarely contain everything you need – same goes for BlackBoard so don’t rely on these in lieu of either lecture notes or proper reading for assignments etc. It’s good to have a friend’s notes if you have to miss a lecture, but make sure you go through them for yourself and review them. In relation to reading, it can sometimes be useful to share out a reading list for a first trawl but you will need to make notes on the most important sources for yourself 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.Strategies for traditional note-taking Most common style Don’t just make a list Organise: Use indentations/ subsections Use bullet points or numbering Underline, circle etc. Leave good margins “Wordy” All appear on click These are the notes most people are used to taking even if it does not appeal to their learning style (although possibly it is the best for most people) Linear notes tend to look like this (written or typed). They may be less neat and have bullets and relevant symbols but they use lots of words and are often done in phrases or sometimes in sentences. See example in workbook page 6 Ask students what are the pros and then cons to this style? Pros: Conventional – a format we are all used to Relatively easy Maintains chronology/ order (reflects the order of the argument) Cons: Doesn’t suit all learning styles 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Use abbreviations New terms written in full Notes for follow-up Questions arising Diagrams: do they need to be accurate or representative? Decent margins for annotation later Notes appear on right but each new point needs click Not perfect but could work for you as linear notes, more or less Notes use of abbreviations, but new words written out in full (?) to indicate things I’m note sure about or might have misheard Questions that occur – why did D not publish for 20 years? Diagrams need not necessarily be accurate – the tree of life is a rough representation, which is fine in this context – others might need to be very precise Decent margins for additional notes 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.Strategies for traditional note-taking Cornell Note-taking Template Appears on click Try having a specific template (pages 7 & 8 in workbook Cornell template) which you follow for all of your notes. It should include: Each section is used for something different: This records the module lecturer, lecture or text and the date. This is where you make the bulk of your notes. This is for going through, after reading or the lecture and making key points or questions that have arisen. They are referred to as ‘cues’. This is for summarising the page of notes. This helps you flick through and find relevant pages at a later date. 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.Strategies for traditional note-taking Use the top section for lecture or source details Use the right hand side for notes Use the left hand column to add ‘cues’ Use the lower part to summarise All appears on click Example of Cornell template filled in Ask students what are the pros and cons? Pros: Separates notes from your own comments. Separates key points from detail. Shows the organisation of material more clearly and visually. Distinguishes key points for revision. Gives some discipline Cons: Too restricting for some people 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.Strategies for traditional note-taking Activity 2: Shallow end Listen to the brief practice lecture again Take notes using the Cornell template Group discussion about how useful it was to you 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Alternatives to Linear Notes 4.Strategies for less traditional note-taking Alternatives to Linear Notes Appeals to more visual learners Colours and size Plain paper Doodles and sketches Text turns into diagrams and charts E.g. Mind-mapping All appears on click This includes anything which appeals to more visual learners. Use colours and size to make things stand out. Rather than working in linear format you record the information on plain paper in any way that appeals to you – in bubbles, for instance. Use doodles and sketches to help you remember what you have heard or read. Turn lengthy text explanations or arguments into diagrams and charts. Example in booklet page 10 for an example… 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice All appears on one click MindMapping can be an extremely powerful visual tool. aim to colour code and link information. You can include small graphics/doodles to stimulate memory. They can be sometimes called memory pegs. Ask students what are the pros and cons? Pros: Appeals to people who are visual thinkers/ active learners Creative – releases ideas Good in exams – as a way to plan your answers Good for exam revision - Helps you to see what you know and also what the gaps are Cons: Does not suit everyone – the process can be difficult if you are not a visual thinker “Also, the University has a site licence for the software ‘MindGenius’ to create mind maps, with a facility to transfer document to Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, and this is available on all student machines.” © 2007 Expanding Paradigms 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 4.Strategies for less traditional note-taking Annotation is a form of note-taking. Uses pre-existing material and working on or around it. Colours important: Black = original jottings during the session Red = questions arising or understanding to be checked. Green = answers to the questions or additional detail after… Talking to a lecturer Reading a key text/researching to increase depth. All appears on one click Complete feedback form, workshop materials online over night and full workshop schedule on website 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Service Where are we? Chesham Building B0.23. Give us a call or come speak to us Monday- Friday 9am-5pm (closing at 4pm Fridays). Who am I? Louise, the dedicated workshop adviser. Who can help me with study and writing skills? Lucy and Russell run Instant Study Skills Advice sessions every weekday and Writing Skills Clinics three times a week. You can also access self-help resources on our webpage. Who can give me maths advice? Helen and Michael specialise in Maths support for students though clinics and pre-booked appointment. How do I get in touch? Email: academic-skills@brad.ac.uk Telephone: 01274 236849 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Any questions? 09/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice