Effective Note Making

Note making is essential in college:

For lectures, which are a highly condensed methods of passing on information

For reading, because what you don't write down, you don't remember

Note making is a skill:

Most people feel deficient

It can be learned It can be learned This takes understanding of what you're doing
It takes practice, which involves effort

Note making is difficult because:

Spoken language is more diffuse than written

Speaker's organization is not immediately apparent

Immediate feedback seldom occurs

Spoken language is quickly gone Spoken language is quickly gone This makes analysis difficult

Five purposes for note making:

Provides a written record for review

Provides a definite, limited learning task

Forces you to pay attention

Requires organization, and active effort on the part of the listener

Listener must condense and rephrase, which aids understanding

Sequence

Listen and focus on meaning

Evaluate what is being said Evaluate what is being said Is it relevant to your purpose? What are the high points?

Record the information

Make use of it

Physical factors

Seating Seating Near the front and center - easier to see and hear
Avoid distractions - doorways, windows, glare; friends, foes

Materials Materials Loose leaf notebook: lies flat - organization and additions are easier
Two pens, wide-lined, easy-eye paper; use dividers
Course, date, and topic clearly labeled

Before taking notes - PREVIEW

Prepare yourself mentally - What do you need to get out of this?

Review notes from last time and homework. Nail your attention down tight.

Review the outline from your reading assignment

Think through what has happened in the class to date

Generate enthusiasm and interest Generate enthusiasm and interest Increased knowledge results in increased interest
A clear sense of purpose on your part will make the course content more relevant
Acting as if you are interested can help
Don't let the personality or mannerisms of a speaker put you off

Be ready to understand and remember

Anticipate the next step and compare what you've guessed with what happens

Get Involved!

Tune-in, look, listen for clues: Tune-in, look, listen for clues: Tone or gesture of Professor
Repetition; cue words: "remember!" "1,2,3..." reference to text, "in your book it says.."

Notice what conflicts with your current opinions Notice what conflicts with your current opinions They are harder to understand and remember

Keep thinking... Keep thinking... Look for emerging patterns
Write questions in margins to be answered later

While taking notes

Don't try for a verbatim transcript Don't try for a verbatim transcript Get all of the main ideas
Record some details. illustrations, implications, etc.

Leave plenty of white space for later additions - underscore or star major points

Note speaker's organization of material Note speaker's organization of material Organization aids memory
Organization indicates gaps when they occur - you fill in later

Be accurate Be accurate Listen carefully to what is being said
Pay attention to qualifying words like: sometimes, usually, rarely, etc.
Notice signals that a change of direction is coming: but, however, on the other hand

Be an aggressive, not a passive, listener Be an aggressive, not a passive, listener Jot questions in your notes
Do you believe what you're hearing? What do you believe?
Seek out meanings. Look for implications beyond what is being said.
Relate the material to your other classes and your life outside of school.

Develop a shorthand of your own Develop a shorthand of your own Jot down words or phrases; use contractions and abbreviations
Leave out small service words, use symbols: +, =,&, ~)

Try to get the hang of listening and writing at the same time. It can be done Try to get the hang of listening and writing at the same time. It can be done You may practice listening to the news on TV and taking notes

After taking notes (POST VIEW: Don't move - go over notes at once!

Review and reword them as soon after class as possible Review and reword them as soon after class as possible Build review time into your schedule
Don't just recopy or type without thought
"Reminiscing" may provide forgotten material later
Rewrite incomplete or skimpy parts in greater detail
Fill in gaps as you remember points heard but not recorded
Arrange with another student to compare notes
Find answers to any questions remaining unanswered
Write a brief summary of the class session
Formulate several generalized test questions based on the material

Use your notes as a learning tool Use your notes as a learning tool Review at spaced intervals it is more effective than the same effort spent cramming
We forget 50% of what we hear immediately, two days later, another 25% is gone. But relearning is rapid if regular review is used.
Compare the information in your notes with your own experience - don't swallow everything uncritically
Don't reject what seems strange or incorrect. Check it out. Be willing to hold some seeming inconsistencies in your mind over a period of time.
Build a good "thought map" of the ideas. Explain it to anyone who'll listen.
Memorize that which must be memorized.

Reading and Note Taking

Effective Note Making

Making Lecture Notes That Work

Six Reading Myths

SQ3R

The Reading Environment

The Two Column Note Taking System

Vary Your Reading Rate