Effective Note-taking

Good notes: trigger total recall of relevant material; can be used for all study purposes including: revision assignment writing exam preparation

Take Notes, Study Notes And Recite Them! Lecture Note-taking Take Notes, Study Notes And Recite Them!

Features of good notes

Efficient notes display the following features: are organized into key points and minor points; record relevant source ; use visual techniques, e.g. highlighting, graphics; use abbreviations and symbols; have line spaces so that you can add to your notes later.

The 5R’s of Note-taking Record During the lecture, write all meaningful information legibly.

The 5R’s of Note-taking Reduce Record After the lecture, write a summary of the ideas and facts using key words as cue words. Summarizing as you study helps to: clarify meanings and relationships of ideas; reinforce continuity; strengthen memory retention; prepare for exams in advance.

The 5R’s of Note-taking Recite Record Reduce To study properly, you must recite all the information in your own words without looking at your notes or the text.

The 5R’s of Note-taking Reflect Record Reduce Recite Think about your own ideas as you read over your notes. Raise questions, then try to answer them creatively. Record original ideas in your notebook and review them regularly. Use your creative ideas when answering exam questions, in classroom discussions, and when writing papers.

The 5R’s of Note-taking Review Record Reduce Recite Reflect Before reading or studying new material: take 10 minutes to review your older notes; skim over the main ideas and details. Review enhances more effective retention of old material when adding new material to your memory system.

Note-taking Systems The Cornell Method; The Outline Method; The Mapping Method; The Charting Method; The Sentence Method.

1-Cornell Method Use 2 columns, a review or key word column on the left, the note taking or detail column on the right (summary paper); Use point form; Follow through with the 5R’s of note-taking.

Cue Column: As you are taking notes, keep cue column empty; Soon after the lecture, reduce your notes to concise jottings as clues for Reciting, Reviewing and Reflecting.

Note-taking Area: Record lectures as fully and as meaningfully as possible.

Summary: Sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.

2- The Outline Method Example: Extrasensory perception definition: means of perceiving without use of sense organs. - three kinds: - telepathy: sending messages - clairvoyance: forecasting - psychokinesis: perceiving external events - current status: -no current research to support or refute - few psychologists say impossible - door open to future Listen and then write in points in an organized pattern based on space indentation; Place major points farthest to the left; Indent each more specific point to the right.

3- The Mapping Method make a graphic representation of the content of a lecture; relate facts and ideas to each other.

4- The Charting Method Set up your paper in advance by columns headed by categories; As you listen, record information into the appropriate category.

5- The Sentence Method Write every thought, fact or topic on a separate line, numbering as you progress; Use abbreviations. Example : A revolution is any occurrence that affects other aspects of life, such as economic life, social life, and so forth. Therefore revolutions cause change. (See page 29 to 30 in your text about this.) Sample Notes: Revolution - occurrence that affects other aspects of life: e.g., econ., socl., etc. C.f. text, pp. 29-30

Remember Don't take down every word! Don't write sentences!

You may take notes in a number of ways. Textbook Note-taking You may take notes in a number of ways.

1- Marginal Notes Write key ideas and their brief explanation opposite the paragraph in which they appear; Summarize in the bottom margin the main ideas; Use your own personal system of symbols to mark significant ideas: check marks, asterisks, highlighting….etc.

2- Binder Notes Restate briefly the major theme from introductory paragraphs; Use simple outline form to show logical important relationships between ideas; Review notes immediately after completing the reading.

3- Underlining Underline sparingly—ONLY key terms and significant ideas in a sentence; Reviewing these underlined concepts will assumingly bring forth the necessary understanding without reading the paragraph. Don’t: underline too much. Example

Model example Look at the following paragraph that has the key and minor points identified.                                                                                    

Now look at how the information has been organised into key points and minor points:                                                                            

Using Abbreviations for Note-taking Abbreviations are useful because they: save time; connect key points.

Cont’d Use standard abbreviations and develop your own. Shortening commonly used words is also a way to save time when note-taking, e.g. nec - necessary imp - important b/f - before How to abbreviate Examples of abbreviations

Sources: http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl.html http://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/1_StudySkills/05notetaking.htm http://www.ulrc.psu.edu/studyskills/note_taking.html#5r http://www.dvc.edu/English/Learning_Resources/textbook_note_taking.htm