1. How to save yourself a LOT of time and effort
Note-Taking:
How to save yourself a LOT of time and effort
NOTE: for this class, after going through each slide I asked the students to dictate what I should write to take good notes on that slide. I wrote on the board, next to the powerpoint, an example of good notes. It was surprisingly effective – despite the boring topic, even my most disruptive class was engaged with it.

2. Good note taking will… Save you an enormous amount of time and effort
Focus your attention during class
Help you understand the information better…
…and develop your own opinions on it
Help you identify questions or missing information
Prepare you for quizzes, exams, conferences, etc

3. 1. For Class & Presentations
Note-Taking:
1. For Class & Presentations

4. Before you start:
Before class starts, glance through your notes from the day before, and write down any questions
Bring everything you need (notebook, pen or pencil, etc)
Sit somewhere where you will not be distracted
Be ready to pay attention as soon as class starts
Prepare yourself mentally to take good notes, learn a lot, and think carefully about whatever the topic may be

5. What you should write down
Headings: class, date, topics, subtopics
Anything you think is important
Use the powerpoint, but do not copy it
Listen for keywords (important, pay attention, you need to know this, etc)
Any questions you have
Any thoughts / ideas you have
 Write down enough to trigger your own memory

6. After class:
Read through your notes (when you’re doing your homework, for example)
Supplement your notes if you are missing information
Write down questions you have for next class
Look up any words you don’t know

7. General Tips
Develop a style that works for you (color coding, outlines, boxes, etc)
Use abbreviations
Listen for organizational words (‘for example,’ ‘three types of’…, etc)
Distinguish essential information from examples, details, etc
Write your own thoughts / reactions with an arrow or in the margin
Note any questions you have with a question mark

8. Questions?

9. 2. For Readings & Research
Note-Taking:
2. For Readings & Research

10. Similarities & Differences
Less time pressure
Mental requirements (focus, intention, etc)
You are deciding what’s important
Organization
Keep track of sources
What to write down
Connect to your research questions
Process (before you start, review afterwards)

11. Deciding what’s important
Does it connect to your research question?
Is it an important fact that you should know?
Does it give important background information about your topic / country?
Do you think it’s important for some other reason?
 Make note of which category this information falls into

12. Keeping track of sources
Two main options:
Organize your notes by source:
UN website: Refugees & Migrants – Definitions (
- ‘refugee’ is not the same as ‘migrant’
- more notes from this page
Make small citation after each paragraph / section / note:
notes…
terms ‘Refugee’ and ‘Migrant’ are NOT interchangeable (UN website,

13. Other tips Reorganize your notes as you go
Discard irrelevant information
Organize by topic / question
Put them in logical order (preparing to shape into a speech or paper)
PARAPHRASE – you do not want to write down everything
For quotes you know you want, write them down carefully

14. A special kind of note-taking
Paraphrasing:
A special kind of note-taking

15. What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrase (noun): “a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

16. Paraphrasing is NOT: Copying the text exactly
Changing just one or two words
Changing just the order of the words or sentences
Adding information that isn’t in the original text

17. To paraphrase well you should…
Replace words with synonyms AND change the order of the words AND change the order of the sentences
Basically: put the text into your own words!

18. When you paraphrase, do you still have to cite your source?

19. Example
“Around the world, over 46,000 migrants have lost their lives along migratory routes across the globe since In 2014 and 2015 alone the global count was over 10,400 and many more unaccounted for” (UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, 2016).
Paraphrase: Not including unreported deaths, more than 10,400 migrants have died while travelling in the past two years, and more than 46,000 in the past six years (UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, 2016).
Source:

20. Paraphrasing practice
Original Text:
“The main obstacle to education is poverty: it makes children go to work instead of classes; it prevents parents from being able to pay school fees; and it interferes with government efforts to provide safe, clean classrooms”
(taken from Fulbright Global Classrooms Handbook)

21. Paraphrase 1:
Because poverty interferes with government efforts to provide safe, clean classrooms, prevents parents from being able to pay school fees, and makes children go to work instead of classes, it is the main obstacle to education.
Original Text: “The main obstacle to education is poverty: it makes children go to work instead of classes; it prevents parents from being able to pay school fees; and it interferes with government efforts to provide safe, clean classrooms”

22. Paraphrase 2:
The biggest barrier against education is poverty: it creates child labor, it makes parents unable to pay for schools, and it prevents governments from providing good classrooms.
Original Text: “The main obstacle to education is poverty: it makes children go to work instead of classes; it prevents parents from being able to pay school fees; and it interferes with government efforts to provide safe, clean classrooms”

23. So now…write a good paraphrase of the text
Original Text:
“The main obstacle to education is poverty: it makes children go to work instead of classes; it prevents parents from being able to pay school fees; and it interferes with government efforts to provide safe, clean classrooms”
(taken from Fulbright Global Classrooms Handbook)

24. More practice
“There is strong scientific consensus that the global climate is changing and that human activity contributes to this trend” (UN Climate Change website)

25. More practice
“Violence against women is not confined to a specific culture, region or country, or to particular groups of women within a society. The roots of violence against women lie in persistent discrimination against women” (Violence Against Women: the Situation, UN website)
essmaterials/unite_the_situation_en.pdf

26. More practice
During the debate, “Trump never openly insulted Clinton, never called her ‘Crooked Hillary’, nor did he cross the stage at any point, as a former senate opponent famously did with Clinton in a move that was seen as physically intimidating towards a female candidate. Despite that, gender and sexism did feature prominently during several exchanges in the debate, and in the initial feedback on the candidates' performance on social media.” (Presidential debate 2016: Four ways gender played a role – BBC)