Learning Outcomes 1. Differentiate between annotation, outline notes, column notes, mind maps and summary notes; 2. Develop skills of making notes from printed matters; and 3. Use the note-taking suggestions to develop good notes based on classroom discussions.

Purpose of making & taking notes Save time and effort in:  Having to look for the original text; or  Having to look through massive piles of notes just to retrieve the specific information that you need.

a) Annotation  Suitable for print materials, ie. Print modules, textbooks, articles.  Make notes by writing in the margins, underlining facts, highlighting the main points, etc.  Help to remember main points without having to read the text all over again.

b) Outline notes  Using only keywords and phrases.  Usually sequentially numbered or headings and subheadings.

c) Column notes  More appropriate for mathematics and science courses

d) Mind maps  Show relationships among ideas and concepts, with lines serving as links.  Do not follow a linear sequence.

e) Summary notes  A condensed version of the information, written in paragraph form, using your own words.  Used when you cannot impose headings or subheadings for a text.

Making Notes from Printed Matter  Understand the objectives.  Read the whole topic, then summarise.  Leave spaces for additions/changes.  Reread topics and improve notes.  Use your own words.  Put inverted commas for sentences that you quote.  Read over your notes to make sure you understand them.

Preparing yourself for tutorials  Pre-reading helps you to: Activates your prior knowledge; Builds mental schemas; and Enables you to make intelligent connections.  Read through the whole topic to familiarised yourself with the subject. It will make note-taking easier.

Listening during tutorials  Be an effective listener in class by:  Avoiding distractions that may interfere with your concentration.  Listen to the message being said. Pay attention!  Relate ideas to previous tutorial discussions.  Look for clues from the tutor in illustrations, repetitions, etc.

Listening during tutorials  Take notes in class.  Identify noteworthy materials. Do not copy everything!  Write down details of discussion ie. date/time/tutor’s name/subject.  Identify key issues, phrases.  Create spaces for additional notes later.  Use abbreviations if needed.

Review after tutorial  Review your notes as soon as possible after the tutorial.  Rewrite if necessary and fill the gaps.  Verify your notes against the module/textbook.  Supplement your notes with further reading of other books.  Read and reread your notes.  Use them to answer past examination papers.  Keep it safe for easy retrieval.

Learning Skills: Note-Making and Note-Taking Skills by Open University Malaysia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.Open University MalaysiaCreative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License Based on a work at Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at