Strategies for College Success Chapter 6 & 7 Effective Note-taking and Reading Original source: http://www.life.arizona.edu/academicsuccess/tips/powerpoint/Strats%20for%20College%20Succ.ppt

Note taking What we’ll be covering: what to do before, during, and after class picking out main points in a lecture the Cornell Method mind mapping

What to do before class Pick the right notebook there are numerous advantages to picking a 3-ring binder handouts can be inserted into the relevant sections pages of notes can be removed and replaced dividers can be used to separate sections or topics

What to do before class Read your textbook reading your textbook can help you to understand what is being discussed in lecture

What to do before class Skim the notes from the last class this will refresh your memory and focus you for the next lesson

What to do before class Make a commitment to attend all classes You may be getting only a partial set of notes if you copy from other students or get these on-line Note taking is a skill and you may be copying from someone who is a poor note taker and not realize it

What to do during class Try to sit in the front, center portion of the classroom fewer distractions can see and hear better less likely to doze off

What to do during class You will need to identify the visual and verbal cues given by the professor that indicate an important topic is being addressed examples of visual cues: gesturing, writing on board, underlining examples of verbal cues: repetition, summaries, listing

Identifying important points Think of three additional verbal cues that would indicate an important point Think of three additional visual cues that would indicate an important point

What to do during class Use a method of note taking Use Cornell Method Create Mind maps

The Cornell Method Split page method of note taking Allows space for possible exam questions Allows space for student reflections and summary Good for self-testing

Practice using the Cornell Method Refer to your textbook (Chapter 6 for a sample of notes using the Cornell Method Recopy a page of your notes using the Cornell Method

Mind Mapping Pictorial representation of ideas Good for visual learners, which a majority of students are Shows how topics and ideas are related Uses both sides of your brain

Steps to mind mapping Identify the topic of the lecture or reading, place in the center and circle it Branch out the main ideas, each stemming from the main topic From each branch, mark key words and examples Don’t be afraid to personalize it with pictures or symbols

Mind Mapping Practice Note examples in book at the beginning of Chapter 7. Useful technique advancing comprehension for note-taking and reading.

What to do during class Identify possible exam questions Use them to self-test yourself later

What to do after class Review your notes within 24 hours Are they complete? Do they make sense?

What to do after class Identify any questions that you may have and find the answers Re-copy or re-organize if necessary

Summary Class notes will be a better study tool for you if they have the proper content (the main points of a lecture) and are organized in a way that makes sense. Try using the methods that we discussed to accomplish those two crucial aspects of note taking.

Reading Textbooks What we’ll be covering: previewing annotating

Why preview? improves concentration, memory, and understanding only takes 5 minutes to preview an entire chapter if you don’t have enough time to read before class, previewing may give you enough information to understand what is being discussed

Steps to previewing material (1) Read the chapter title The title announces the topic or subject. Try to remember what you already know about the topic.

Steps to previewing material (2) Read the introduction or first paragraph This is a lead-in to the material and will often itemize what the chapter will cover. If it is long, read only the first 5 or 6 lines.

Steps to previewing material (3) Read the closing paragraph or chapter summary These sections are often used to draw conclusions based on the facts that have already been presented or to restate key ideas.

Steps to previewing material (4) Read questions or vocabulary at the end of the chapter This section is used to test your knowledge of the material. Reading them beforehand alerts you to what is most important within the chapter.

Steps to previewing material (5) Read each boldface heading Headings separate chapters into main divisions and indicate important concepts. By looking at these headings, you can detect the organization of the chapter and the general approach of the author.

Steps to previewing material (6) Look at any pictures, graphs, or charts Pictures, illustrations, or captions may help you clarify ideas and give direction to your thinking.

Why annotate? Have you ever felt that you’ve been reading for hours and can’t remember what you’ve read? annotating can keep you focused annotations tell you WHY important points are important See Chapter 7 (pages 137-138) for examples of this technique

Steps to Annotating Text First, preview a chapter or subunit of text Next, read one or more paragraphs. Then stop (the amount will vary, so judge according to your text’s difficulty and organization).

Steps to Annotating Text After reading, go back and underline the key word, phrase, or idea to which your annotation will refer. These key ideas often occur as: definitions, examples, lists, causes/effects, characteristics, similarities/differences, and names/dates.

Steps to Annotating Text Check your annotations to be sure that they make sense and that you are not merely copying the text into the margins. In order to be most effective, your annotations must be in your own words, except in the case of technical definitions.

Steps to Annotating Text If you have no annotating, you should have no underlining.

Steps to Annotating Text Go on to the next paragraph or section. Remember, not every section of text will have a key concept that should be annotated, but every page or section usually does.

Vocabulary and Jargon Many fields use jargon or a specific vocabulary which you may or may not be familiar with. Use glossary in book or a dictionary. Ask!!!!

Primary Sources and Literature Peer-reviewed literature as in research journals can give you the latest information that you won’t find in your textbook. Reading the original source of a play, novel, short-story, historical account and other literature will give you insight that may not be available from the textbook. Read for fun to expand your general vocabulary.

Summary Reading your text numerous times is often not enough to insure that you have understood and retained the information covered. You must actively participate in the reading process by thinking about what you already know, identifying topics that you don’t understand and picking out important points that are likely to be on a test.