Page Contents
Motivation | Four
Phases of Note-taking | Note-taking Systems
| Lecture Styles|
Note-taking Formats | Coping
with Poor Lecturers | Improving Your
Note-taking Skills |
Test Your Note-taking Habits | References
Motivation
Why take notes?
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Professors share information not available in
textbooks, and they make connections.
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Notes are a storehouse of information for later
use, e.g., when you take more advanced courses.
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We remember more when we write things down.
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Taking notes helps you to listen attentively and
to think critically.
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Note-taking is a skill required in many jobs.
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Studies show that people may forget 50% of a
lecture within 24 hours, 80% in two weeks, and 95% within one month
if they do not take notes.
Excuses we use to avoid taking notes
This is boring.
This isn't important.
I'm tired.
I'm hungry.
I've been sitting too long.
I shouldn't have to do this.Taking notes will benefit me.
No more excuses
This will be interesting when I get involved.
This is important to me.
I can keep going a little longer.
I need to stay focused.
Later, I'll be glad I stuck with it.
Four
Phases of Note-taking
1) get yourself ready, 2) before
class, 3) during class, 4) after
class.
GET YOURSELF READY TO TAKE
NOTES
Listen actively.
Note-taking skills can be improved by working on your listening
abilities. Try to identify the speaker's pattern of organization and
identify the main ideas. Watch for the lecturer's gestures. Listen for
changes in the lecturer's voice. Listen especially carefully at the
beginning and end of the lecture. (Sometimes, a lecturer will list all
the main topics the lecture will cover at the beginning of the lecture
and will summarize at the end.)
Set a goal. The general
goal is to record enough information to be able to reconstruct the
important elements of the lecture.
Be organized. Carry all
necessary items to class and study periods every time (notebook,
planner, pens, pencils, calculator, paper clips, hole punch, small
dictionary, etc.)
Keep the syllabus and all course material together.
Choose the kind of notebook/binder that works best for you in your
classes.
BEFORE CLASS
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Read the assigned textbook material.
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Shortly before class, review the last session's
notes and skim the textbook.
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Sit near the front of the class in the center of
the room
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Begin notes for each lecture on a new page.
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Date each page of your notebook, and date/number
each handout. Keep handouts together.
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Identify the chapter being covered and the title
of lecture at the top of the page.
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Determine whether your professor gives textbook
dependent lecture or textbook independent lectures.
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Anticipate your instructor's goal for the
lecture. What are you supposed to learn?
DURING CLASS
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Don't let your mind wander.
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Stay focused on what the instructor is saying.
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Participate in class activities.
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Watch for clues to identify the most important
information: repetition, vocal emphasis/excitement, information
written on the board.
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Highlight information the professor states is
important or will be on the test.
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Use symbols and abbreviations whenever possible.
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Form abbreviations for commonly used words by
writing the first few letters.
AFTER CLASS
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Edit/revise your notes as soon as possible after
class.
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Fill in the gaps
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Add words to clarify your ideas.
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Add any missing information.
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Add any additional details to help to clarify
points.
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Use textbook or a friend's notes to help fill in
the gaps when necessary.
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Check for accuracy.
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Reorganize/Rewrite your notes.
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Reorganize your information to help you study
more easily.
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Organize your notes using concept maps, diagrams,
charts, matrixes, etc.
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Add recall words or questions in left margin.
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Review your notes
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Review notes immediately after a lecture.
-
Review notes regularly; information is retained
better when learned in small chunks.
Choose
a Note-taking System
Cornell Method
A loose-leaf notebook is recommended to allow you to insert handouts
into your notes, and so you can move notes around.
Draw a vertical line down your notebook about two inches from the
left margin.
Use only one side of the page.
Avoid using a formal outline, but use a style appropriate to the
lecturer's style.
Use short telegraphic sentences and phrases.
Phrase most things in your own words.
Listen, think, then write.
Use the left hand column as a recall column. After editing your
notes, write key words or questions in the margin and use these key
words as a study aid to test your knowledge.
Use the bottom of the page to summarize information.
Six Steps of the Cornell
Method: Record, Reduce, Recite, Reflect, Review and Recapitulate.
1. Record - Take notes in an appropriate format in
right hand column.
2. Reduce - Fill in gaps in notes and reduce the
information to keywords for the recall column.
3. Recite - Read each cue word out loud, and state in
your own words the information in the right hand column.
4. Reflect - Think and apply the facts you have
learned.
5. Review - Do steps 3 and 4 frequently.
6. Recapitulate - Summarize your notes at the bottom
of the page.
PARR Method: Prepare-Abbreviate-Revise-Review
Prepare:
The first step in taking good notes is to be prepared for the lecture.
Don't postpone reading the assignments. Sit as close to the front of the
room as possible. Be a selective listener. Listen for important
information. Write down main ideas, examples of main ideas, important
details, and unfamiliar terms. Think about the best format for taking
notes for each lecture.
Abbreviate:
Writing speed is important. Create your own abbreviations. Use symbols,
don't dot i's, or capitalize unnecessarily. Omit unimportant words, like
"a" and "the."
Revise: Revise
notes within 24 hours when the content is still fresh in your mind.
Expand abbreviations, circle new/unknown terms, make sentences out of
important phrases, place stars next to critical information, correct
mistakes.
Review: A few
minutes of steady review will save time later. Ask yourself questions to
review the material and to check your comprehension.
Lecture
Styles (Organizational
Patterns)
Topic-list: The instructor introduces
a topic, covers several subtopics, and provides details about the
subtopics.
Question-answer:- The instructor introduces a topic, asks questions
about the topic, answers the questions, and provides details.
Compare-contrast:- The instructor identifies two things that are going
to be compared and contrasted. The instructor then states how these
things are alike and how they are different.
Series of events: The instructor identifies a topic; talks about an
initial event, step, or stage; and then provides information about
subsequent events, steps or stages.
Cause-effect: The instructor talks about a cause then talks about its
effects.
Problem-solution: The instructor presents a problem, explains why it is
a problem, talks about attempts to solve the problem, and concludes by
talking about the status of the current situation or the solution that
was implemented.
Choose
a Note-taking Format
Indent note-taking format
Goals of psychology
1. describe
gather data
e.g. looking for patterns of clouds
2. explain
generate theories
e.g. what causes clouds to form
3. predict
use
theories
e.g.
weather forecast
4. influence
generate change
e.g. seed clouds
Abbreviated note-taking format
Thales - first western philosopher - search for first
principles of metaphysics - reductionist who thought everything was made
of water.
Plato - Greek philosopher - pupil of Socrates - lived 427-347 B.C. -
believed in the separation of the mind and sense perceived world -
in early dialogues believed in anamnesis (we forgot all that we once
knew as souls) - knowledge is gained by power of reasoning
Aristotle - pupil of Plato's - father of science - behavior is
subject to rules and laws - observation is important - we can generalize
from particulars - division of topics
Wundt - father of psychology- founded first lab in 1879 -
structuralist (primitive mental elements) - introspection (psychology
was aimed at identifying the contents of the mind) - Titchener was his
student
Math Note-taking Format
The order of operations
1. Perform operations within parentheses
(-3) + (9-3) x 5 + (-2) 3rd power
2. Simplify any numbers with exponents
(-3) + 6 x 5 + (-2) 3rd power
3. Perform the operations of multiplication
(-3) + 6 x 5 + (-8)
and division from left to right
4. Add and subtract from left to right
(-3) + 30 + (-8)
27 + (-8)
19
Coping
with Poor Lecturers
The Expert. Forgets that material that is elementary
for him or her is difficult for students.
Mentions things rather than explaining them. Leaves out connections
between ideas.
Coping Strategy--Ask questions.
The Rambler. Consistently goes off track.
Coping Strategy--Ask carefully worded questions related to the last
main point when the teacher rambles.
The Mumbler. Speaks too softly, talks into notes,
does not enunciate well, etc.
Coping Strategy--Sit up front, listen closely, ask lecturer to repeat
information, compare your notes with others.
The Tortoise and The Hare. Speaks too quickly or too
slowly.
Coping Strategy (tortoise)--Ask to repeat or clarify.
Coping Strategy (hare)--Step up your internal dialogue, review what
has been said, anticipate what is to come, make connections.
The Star of the Show
More interested in the impression he or she makes than in conveying
information.
Coping Strategy--Focus on what is said; try not to be distracted.
Work
at Improving Your Note-taking Skills
1. Go back to the notes that you took yesterday in
one of your classes and read them.
A. Do they make sense to you?
B. Do you feel as though you are sitting in the lecture and hearing
your professor talk about the topic?
2. Now go back to the notes that you took at the beginning of the
semester.
A. Do they still make sense?
B. Do you feel as though you are sitting in the lecture and hearing
your professor talk about the topic?
3. After an exam, reread your lecture notes, looking for information
that appeared on the exam.
A. Did you find the answers to most of the questions that were on the
exam?
B. Did you find that the answers to many of the questions were
missing?
4. Using only your notes, reconstruct the lecture for a friend who
did not attend the class.
A. Can you able to explain the material?
B. Does your friend understand the main points?
Test
Your Note-taking Habits
1. Do you review and edit your notes within
twenty-four hours after each of your classes?
2. Do you tend to write down exactly what your professor says in
class?
3. Do you separate the main points form the supporting points in your
notes?
4. Are you able to read and understand your notes when you study for
your exam?
5. Do your notes include Roman numbers, capital and small letters,
and numbers?
6. Do you tend to write down only important or key words when you
take notes?
7. Do you review your notes by reciting them out loud?
8. Do you tend to miss a lot of information when you take notes?
9. Do you rely on a tape recorder instead of taking notes in some of
your classes?
10. Do you read your textbook before you go to your lecture class?
Answers to note-taking habits quiz
Give yourself one point for each yes answer to
questions 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10 and one point for each no answer to
questions 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9. How many points did you get?
References
The information used in this web page was assembled
from the following sources:
* Baldwin, R. S. (1985). Passports to college
success. Dubuque, IO: Kendall Hunt.
* Iannuzzi, P., Strichart, S. S., Mangrum, C. T. (1998). Teaching
study skills and strategies in college. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
* Knight, T. O. (1993). Study strategies for college.
Homewood, IL: Irwin Career Education Division.
* Reynolds, J.A. (1996). College success: Study strategies and
skills. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
* Van Blerkom, D. L. (1994). College study skills: Becoming a
strategic learner. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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