1. Jennifer Ridgeway Denise Pearson
Teaching Note-taking
Jennifer Ridgeway
Denise Pearson

2. Introductions
Your Name
Subject You’re Teaching
Jenn

3. The Issue
“I have never learned how to take lecture notes. I had notebooks in high school, of course. I scribbled in them when the teacher spoke….But I didn’t know what I was doing.” – Jay Mathews
Jenn
Many students are coming into college never learning how to take notes. Here is a great quote that illustrates this.

4. The Issue
Jenn …
Some students might not think they need to take notes. They can just sit there taking it in and record the lecture.
Students will come up with all sorts of short-cuts to avoid taking notes. Reasons vary (note a good note taker, I miss things when I’m writing, I have a learning disability.) We can address this by teaching explicit note-taking strategies and explaining WHY we take notes.

5. Is note-taking necessary?
Jenn
Or just take a picture. Have you experienced this in your class? What’s good about it? What’s the downside? I will sometimes take a pic after class of the board and post it on D2L…but I tell students that this cannot replace note-taking. They have to DO SOMETHING with the info from class in order to LEARN. That’s why we take notes.
Even when students seem to know how to take notes, most do not have an effective note-taking strategy for learning. CCR and AAA classes provide an opportunity for students to learn this, but discipline-specific courses should also address note taking to enhance student learning and retention.
Image Source:

6. Why Teach Note-taking?
“If you want students to learn, teach them how to take notes.” Natalie Wexler 
Denise
Note-taking is how we learn in a lecture. It is a process of taking in information and making it your own by simplifying, restructuring and summarizing. It is a skill that is essential in college but one useful throughout your life.
Image Source: Studying With Dyslexia - Janet Godwin

7. Question What kinds or styles of note-taking can you think of? Jenn
List them on the white board. There are many different types or styles for note-taking.
What is best may depend on the content or even the teaching style of the instructor? But there are elements to a note-taking strategy that makes it effective for learning not just transcribing the information.
 LEARNING NOT TRANSCRIBING

8. What helps a note-taking strategy to be effective for learning?
Multiple “passes” – interacting with the content
Textbook
Denise
An effective note-taking strategy includes multiple “passes” at the material that are more than simple looking over the notes.
Students need to interact with the content, recognize main points versus supporting points, summarize and put information into their own words.  This increases understanding and memory.
Textbook: Preview and/or read the chapter to become familiar with the topic (understand main concepts, note new terminology, brainstorm abbreviations that could be used to reduce what you write, etc.). Develop questions that can be asked or they would be interested in finding out the answers (interest and curiosity of the content).
Lecture: Try to capture the main points and supporting details. By understanding the content available in the textbook can help students to not have to write everything because they know their resources
Studying: Consolidate and synthesize notes. Summarize concepts in their own words.  Personalize content (e.g. think of personal examples or relevancy).
Lecture
Studying

9. Cornell Notes System
Developed 1949 at Cornell University by Walter Pauk
Was a response to his frustration over student low test scores
Students create a study guide from their notes.
Jenn
Cornell Notes are probably the most versatile style of note-taking. Students who learn Cornell Notes will find that they can use them in most classes across a variety of disciplines. The Cornell system is important because it gets students to DO something with the notes they took in class. Creating cues/questions on the side and writing a summary at the bottom force them to reflect on their notes AND creates a built-in study guide. Students don’t know what to DO with their notes, and this shows them.
They are also adaptable. More practiced students may find new functions for the different sections, based on what they’re studying or their own learning styles. When I take notes, I don’t make “Summaries” – I use that section to make connections between the new subject matter and stuff I already know. I draw pictures. I make up mnemonics or jokes to help me remember the content. Visuals and connections help me retrieve info later on better than a summary does…so I’ve learned to take the Cornell structure and make it my own. One goal of teaching note-taking is to help students take OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN LEARNING.

10. Other Note-taking Methods
Matrix Notes
Table format that visually shows connections between concepts
Overall Topic
Main Topic 1
Main Topic 2
Main Topic 3
Sub-Topic 1
Sub-Topic 2
Jenn
Another way to “Do something” with lecture notes you’ve already taken.These may be difficult to take while in lecture but are great to reformat your notes to understand concepts better – put on backside.
History class:
Civil War
Name of Battle Key Players Outcome Significance
Anatomy & Physiology:
Anatomy – Skeletal System
Name of Bone Type Connects to…

11. Concept Map Visual map of concepts Jenn
Students who are linear thinkers (like myself) or Type A (me again) find mapping messing and frustrating. But they’re a perfect tool for visual learners and tactile learners because it lets you physically demonstrate the relationship between ideas.
(Ask faculty for suggestions of how a map might work for their field or how they use them themselves.)
Government Class: Great for mapping out systems of government.
state governments --- democratic republic federal government I
local governments

12. Jenn
If, as an instructor, you work from an outline, you may want to direct your students to take notes in this style. You can provide them with an outline of your lecture in advance for them to fill in as you teach. If you’re a AAA instructor, it’s a good idea to show students how to take notes in this way.
Two ideas for using outline notes: 1) It can be incorporated into the Cornell Style. Do an outline in your ‘class notes” section.
2) Can be done after-the-fact to help students organize their ideas. If their initial notes are cluttered or the subject matter was especially complex, encourage students to re-write their notes into an outline. Great reflection practice (they have to understand their notes in order to create an outline) to review material, if students have the time.

13. Teaching Note-taking
Verbalize the expectation that students take notes and how they will be used.
Denise
When teaching note-taking the first step is to tell students that you expect them to take notes. Simply say – please take out your note-book and pen. Write the date and the title of the content today. Tell them how they will use their notes in class so it is not just a suggestion.

14. Teaching Note-taking
Have them experience the benefit of a first “pass” with the content from their textbook.
Provide 5-10 minutes for students to preview the reading (scan and generate 2-3 questions the reading or class lecture might answer).
At the end of class, ask students if their questions were answered from the content of class.
Denise
Set up the expectation for taking notes and explain the importance for learning.  Often students do not understand that part.
Provide 10 minutes for students to preview the reading (scan and generate 2-3 questions the reading might answer). At the end of class, ask the students if any of there questions were answered from the content of class.

15. Teaching Note-taking Scaffold guidance on how to take notes
Provide “guided” Cornell notes initially
Notes with fill in the blanks of main points
Notes with main points with fill in the blanks of supporting points
Include time for processing during class
Develop open-ended questions
Write a summary
Denise
Set up the expectation for taking notes and explain the importance for learning.  Often students do not understand that part.
Set up “guided” note cornell notes for them to take.  Give students the main ideas in the notes section and have them listen for the supporting details.  Guide them afterwards on how to develop an open ended question that the notes answer.  Ask them to write a summary at the end.  

16. Teaching Note-taking Self Reflection Peer Comparison
Practice Sessions with Feedback
Video or yourself lecturing
Four Ways
Self Reflection
Peer Comparison
Compare with Sample Notes
From You
Denise
Think about teaching note-taking as you would coaching. The only way you can improve is to practice and receive feedback. You can model note-taking if you use a video or you can ask students to take notes while you lecture. At the beginning, it can be helpful to stop and ask students to reflect on what they wrote down and why. There are also four other ways that you can incorporate feedback into these practice sessions. You might alternate those that you use.

17. Teaching Note-taking Self Reflection Denise
Ask students to reflect on what they are doing as they are taking notes. This is a powerful way for them to think about ways that they can improve.
Self-Reflection: Have students take notes and then reflect on them using these questions.
Give a detailed description of how you took your notes during this lecture; provide reasons, saying why you did what you did.
Are you satisfied with your notes? Why or why not?
If you had to start taking these notes again, what would you change? Why?
What could the speaker have done to help you with your note taking? Then, think about how you might change your approach with this speaker again?
blog.idonethis.com

18. Teaching Note-taking Self Reflection Questions
Give a detailed description of how you took your notes during this lecture; provide reasons, saying why you did what you did.
Are you satisfied with your notes? Why or why not?
If you had to start taking these notes again, what would you change? Why?
Self-Reflection: Have students take notes and then reflect on them using these questions.
Give a detailed description of how you took your notes during this lecture; provide reasons, saying why you did what you did.
Are you satisfied with your notes? Why or why not?
If you had to start taking these notes again, what would you change? Why?
What could the speaker have done to help you with your note taking? Then, think about how you might change your approach with this speaker again?

19. Teaching Note-taking Peer Comparison Questions
What were the main ideas that you missed? What were the supporting details that you missed?
What did you learn from comparing your notes with a classmate?
How could you use this strategy in the future?
Denise
Peer Comparison: Have students take notes and then compare them with notes of a peer.  Ask them to add notes they missed in another color pen so that they can visually see it.
What were the main ideas that you missed? What were the supporting details that you missed?
What did you learn from comparing your notes with a classmate?
How could you use this strategy in the future?
Image Sources: americonnews.com &

20. Teaching Note-taking Comparison with Sample Notes
What were the main ideas that you missed? What were the supporting details that you missed?
How might you change my formatting for taking notes?
Would my questions/headings be helpful to use as a study guide? Why or Why not? If not, how could you improve your questions/headings?
What did you learn most from comparing your notes?
Denise
Compare with Sample Notes: Instead of comparing notes with a peer, provide them sample notes to compare to.  Ask them to add notes they missed in another color pen so that they can visually see it.
What were the main ideas that you missed? What were the supporting details that you missed?
How might you change my formatting for taking notes?
Would my questions/headings be helpful to use as a study guide? Why or Why not? If not, how could you improve your questions/headings?
What did you learn most from comparing your notes?

21. Teaching Note-taking Your Feedback
Collect student notes and give them feedback on how they can improve.  
Denise
Your Feedback
Collect student notes and give them feedback on how they can improve.  This might be to leave more space, to develop more open ended questions that would be good “study” questions or other suggestions.  
blog.lboro.ac.uk

22. Questions