Writing and Study Skills Seminar Writing Centre Seminar

Rosie Gronthos How to Take Great Notes

Welcome I hope this talk will develop your note-taking skills by providing you with useful strategies to take efficient and accurate notes from your readings and during lectures. University of Adelaide3

Outline Why is note-taking an important skill? Taking notes during lectures Note-taking strategies for reading Note taking abbreviations Five Rs of Note-Taking How to structure and maintain notes? Mind Mapping Useful Learning Guides University of Adelaide4

Why is note-taking an important skill? Requires critical thinking and active listening Interactive activity The purpose of your note-taking will determine how you make notes. NOTETAKING INVOLVES ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION University of Adelaide5

Taking notes during lectures Make your notes brief Use abbreviations and symbols but be consistent Put most notes in your own words Use outline form and/or a numbering system If you miss a statement, write keywords, skip a few spaces and get the information later Don't try to use every space on the page Date your notes and number the pages University of Adelaide6

Ways to organise information in notes Give each lecture a title. Ask yourself, “What is this all about?” Highlight headings and subheadings Indent information under the related heading Under headings and subheadings, list important details with bullets, numbers/letters Use different note structuring techniques for different kinds of material Make graphs and diagrams large enough to read easily and label them University of Adelaide7

Effective note-taking The more you think about the lecture (listen actively and take good notes) the more you will understand. University of Adelaide8

Note-taking strategies for reading Start with a thesis statement and only note the main points Add your own comments in brackets to make links with other readings  What is the text actually saying?  What is being assumed? Ask questions to prompt further thinking about the topic Put direct quotes in quotation marks with the page number University of Adelaide9

Note-taking abbreviations Leave out most articles and conjunctions (the, a, and, but) Shorten words by leaving out vowels/other letters (word truncation) Use abbreviations/symbols for commonly used words and phrases University of Adelaide10

Examples of word truncations Ppl: people res: research natl: national eqn: equation ed: education gov: government dep: department esp: especially ustand: understand University of Adelaide11

Common symbols and abbreviations ∵ because ∴ therefore OR consequently +&and OR plus ?question OR doubt OR possibility >greater than <less than University of Adelaide12

Note-taking tips Don't write down everything that you read/hear Use keywords/short sentences Take accurate notes Think a minute about your material before you start making notes Use a punctuation & abbreviation system that makes sense to you Don't worry about missing a point Keep orderly and clear notes Shortly after making your notes go back and rework (not redo) your notes Review your notes regularly University of Adelaide13

Save time on note-taking DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! As you make notes, you will develop skill in selecting important material and in discarding unimportant material. University of Adelaide14

Importance of active listening Use active listening skills when note- taking The aim is to recall more information from your lectures through active listening and purposeful note-taking. University of Adelaide15

Five Rs of Note-Taking Record Reduce Summarising as you study helps to:  Clarify meanings & relationships of ideas  Reinforce continuity  Strengthen memory retention  Prepare for exams Recite Reflect Review Pauk, W 1989 How to Study in College 4 th edn Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA. University of Adelaide16

How to structure and maintain notes? Make your notes brief Abbreviate whenever possible Put notes into your own words Formulas, definitions & specific facts (use exact wording) Number/indent items to distinguish between major & minor points Highlight unfamiliar terminology & unclear areas Develop questions for your classmates /tutor to help clarify concepts If you miss something completely leave a blank space & locate information later Develop a coding system to mark your notes University of Adelaide17

Mind Mapping Begin in the middle of the page Add ideas on branches that radiate from the central idea or from previous branches Arrows and words can be used to show links between parts of the concept map Colour and symbols help illustrate ideas and trigger your own thoughts University of Adelaide18

How to mind map? University of Adelaide19

Useful Learning Guides Making Notes Note-taking Abbreviations Active Listening Mind Mapping Reading Effectively University of Adelaide20

To sum up Note-taking is an interactive activity that requires critical thinking Using abbreviations, keywords and symbols will enable you to take notes more quickly Find your own method of taking notes by developing your active listening and purposeful note-taking skills University of Adelaide21

For further thoughts Thank you. Are there any questions? University of Adelaide22

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