2. 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.

3. 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.

5. 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.

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

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

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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 http://oer.oum.edu.my.http://oer.oum.edu.my Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.oum.edu.my.http://www.oum.edu.my