Note Taking Strategies CS119 Academic Strategies for the Health Care Professional Kaplan University

Agenda for Tonight… Case Study - Richard Note Taking Systems What’s due this week Looking ahead

Case Study - Richard Richard is comfortable with online classes, since he is taking Academic Strategies for Health Professionals for the second time. This time, he realizes he needs to take better notes on his reading assignments in order to pass the course.

Case Study - Richard He takes notes on EVERYTHING, ending up with pages of notes. He prints out material so he can review it on paper, but highlights entire passages. He struggles with his responses to discussion questions and writing projects because he tries to take notes on all the information instead of only the important concepts.

Case Study – Richard How can Richard learn from the mistakes he made the first time he took the course? How can learning effective note taking strategies help him pass the class this time? How can note-taking systems help Richard retain information?

Case Study - Richard How can he apply his learning style to his note taking strategies? How can Richard choose which note taking system will work best for him?

Discussion From what you've learned from the LASSI Assessment of your online learning abilities and your learning style from Unit 3: ◦ Which of the five note-taking methods do you think fits with your learning style and why? How can using critical reading and effective note taking skills help you study more effectively and save time?

 Evaluate the information to determine whether you need to take notes to study for a test, to memorize information, to understand and apply the information, or to create a graph or diagram. You will arrange your notes according to how you plan to use them.  Write clearly so you will be able to read your notes. Or, type them up in a Word document and save them to your computer.  Experiment with the different note taking methods because you might discover a better system than you use now. Think about how you can adapt the process of taking notes to match your learning style. Basic Note Taking Strategies

Examples of the 5 basic note taking strategies

Cornell Method: provides a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes without re-writing everything on the page. Left Hand Column Use the left-hand space to label each idea. Detail with a key word or "cue." Right Hand Column During the lecture, use this column to write notes. After class, write down questions (cues) in the cue column. Study tip: Cover the note taking column. Using the cues/questions in the cue column, recite (in your own words) the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue words.

I. The Outlining Method A. Professional B. Clear C. Concise II. When to Use? A. When information is presented in an organized fashion B. When you are preparing to write a paper III. How to use A. Roman numerals are used for key points B. Capital letters are used for the minor points. C. Numbers are used for sub-points D. For Points under each sub-point, lowercase letters are used.

Mapping Method What is it? Pros Review by covering lines for memory drill and relationships. Helps you to visually track the information from the reading assignment. Helps you to visually track the information from the reading assignment. Relationships can easily be seen. Easy to edit your notes by adding numbers, marks, and color coding. You may not see changes in content from major points to facts. – Use this method when the content of the reading assignment is heavy and well- organized – Use this method when the content of the reading assignment is heavy and well- organized Cons When to Use. Main points can be written on flashcards and pieced together into a table or larger structure. Graphic representation of the content in the reading assignment It is a method that maximizes active participation, and emphasizes the reader’s critical thinking skills.

Charting Method What to do ProsConsUse? If the content presented in the reading assignment is distinct (such as chronological), you may set up your paper by drawing columns and labeling appropriate headings in a table. The first step is to determine the categories to be covered in the reading or lecture. The next step is to set up your paper in advance with columns headed by these categories. As you read, record information (words, phrases, main ideas, etc.) into the appropriate category. Charts help you track discussions where you would normally be overwhelmed with the material. They reduce the amount of writing necessary. They provide an easy review mechanism for both memorization of facts and study of comparisons & relationships. There are few disadvantages to using this method except learning how to use the system and locating the appropriate categories. You must be able to understand the purpose of the reading assignment and how the content is organized. This method should be used when you will be tested on both facts and the relationships between facts. It is effective when the content is heavy and when you want to reduce the amount of time you spend editing and reviewing. It is helpful to use when you want to get an overview of the main points discussed in the reading.

The Sentence Method 1. For the sentence Method, write every new thought, fact, or topic on a separate line, numbering as you progress. 2. Since you are the only one who will view the notes, it is helpful to use personal short-hand and/or abbreviations when writing to save time. 3. The Advantages of this method is slightly more organized than writing paragraphs, it gets most or all of the information down on paper. 4. It is best to use this method when the reading assignment is somewhat organized, but heavy with content or when you can see the different points, but you do not know how they fit together. 5. You can also use this method in live lectures/seminar when you are unsure of what material is important.

What’s Due This Week? Seminar Option One or Two Discussion question – SQ3R reading method Exam – Units 4-8

Looking Ahead… Unit 9 – Preparing your final project (action plan); be sure to look over this prior to seminar next week and come prepared with questions if you have any Next week – last live seminar

Any Questions?

References for Note Taking Bishop, J., Carter, C., & Kravits, S. (2001). Keys to success, how to achieve Your Goals (3 rd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Custom Publishing. Deese, J., & Deese. E. K. (1979). How to study (3rd ed). New York: McGraw Hill, Inc. Johnson, S. The 4 T’s: Teacher/You, text, talk, test – A systematic approach to learning success. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Pauk, W. (1974). How to study in college (2nd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Raygor, A. L., & Wark, D. (1970). Systems for study. New York: McGraw- Hill, Inc.