How to Develop Note Making Skill

07/27/13 1" Teaching is an art". Rajeev Ranjan

“””’ Weapon for success/achievement””””
Objectives of Note Making
• Recall and remember information quickly
• Understand the text in a better way
• Helpful to gather information in key points of all the subjects
• Mirror of a large text
• Taking notes will help you to extend your attention span
(Rowntree, 1976: 112).

Objectives of Note Making
• Note taking helps you to organise the ideas you are learning
about (Kesselman-Turkel and Peterson, 1982: 3-6)
• Time Saving
• Helpful in examination time
• Help to get good marks in different examination
• Large text can be condensed/compacted
• Condensed text can be enlarged i.e. twenty pages becomes
one page and one page note can be enlarged into twenty
pages

Memory is what defines our lives, our personalities, and our very existence. The dictionary defines memory as the faculty be which things
are recalled or kept in the mind; the recovery of one’s knowledge by mental effort. But for most of us memory is just the ability to recall facts
and figures, the faces of people we know and the recollection of things in the past. But memory is far more complex than this. Without
memory, as in the case of Amnesia, the personality changes and is distorted without any point of reference. Memory is of vital importance in
defining our personalities as it enriches our lives with complicated personal remembrances. Without this we turn into walking zombies. As
people grow older they suffer memory loss in some form or other and diseases like Alzheimer’s can obliterate memory centres of the brain,
making the sufferer into a different, less coherent and less rational personality. Science has discovered that there are many different types of
memory and we can lose one kind and still retain others.
Human Beings have a long term memory and a working memory. Working memory is the ability to recall telephone numbers, addresses and
relevant such as those needed in our daily lives. Many elderly people seem to lose this form of memory while still retaining their f long term
memory. Even perfectly normal people may have only one part of the brain active under stress or illness. In addition to ling term memory
and working memory, there is also recent memory, there is also recent memory, semantic memory (the memory of facts) and Episodic
memory (The memory of something with actually happened), explicit and implicit memory and source memory, which enables us to recall
from where we learnt certain facts. A loss of source memory seems to affect most people at some time or the other.
Without memory we become different people. It is what most elderly people fear, but it need not be so. Unless illness is the cause of memory
loss, participating fully in life can make a world of difference. Scientists, musicians, writers, doctors, architects, engineers, and artists, all use
their brains and memory censer to maximum effect. In fact, anyone who is absorbed in some sort of project, work or hobby whereby the
mind is stimulated and used, can keep the memory in good working condition. Reading and paying attention to what you are reading,
learning poetry by heart, and taking a deep interest in the world around you, stimulate memory. We must also learn to breathe deeply. If the
brain does not receive sufficient oxygen for the process of cerebration, hallucination and negative psychic reactions occur. Yoga tells us that
for good mental health and emotional stability, we need to be good, deep breathers. Without memory, we are nothing. Our closest family
members are nothing to us. We are alone, drifting in a world of which we appear to know nothing. The preservation of dignity, empathy, and
love depend almost entirely on the preservation of memory.

Process: Steps for note making
• 1. Underline the important words and phrases.
• 2. Write down points without fully expanded verbs, numbering them as you do.
• 3. Combine related points.
• 4. Group related points.
• 5. Change the verbs to nouns and begin points with them.
• 6. Number the points.
Note: Read the passage carefully and asks questions to yourself and answer
them as you read the text.
Love to use (WH) question words i.e. who, what, where, how many, whom,
why---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------

Memory is what defines our lives, our personalities, and our very existence. The dictionary defines memory as the faculty be which things
are recalled or kept in the mind; the recovery of one’s knowledge by mental effort. But for most of us memory is just the ability to recall facts
and figures, the faces of people we know and the recollection of things in the past. But memory is far more complex than this. Without
memory, as in the case of Amnesia, the personality changes and is distorted without any point of reference. Memory is of vital importance in
defining our personalities as it enriches our lives with complicated personal remembrances. Without this we turn into walking zombies. As
people grow older they suffer memory loss in some form or other and diseases like Alzheimer’s can obliterate memory centres of the brain,
making the sufferer into a different, less coherent and less rational personality. Science has discovered that there are many different types of
memory and we can lose one kind and still retain others.
Human Beings have a long term memory and a working memory. Working memory is the ability to recall telephone numbers, addresses and
relevant such as those needed in our daily lives. Many elderly people seem to lose this form of memory while still retaining their f long term
memory. Even perfectly normal people may have only one part of the brain active under stress or illness. In addition to ling term memory
and working memory, there is also recent memory, there is also recent memory, semantic memory (the memory of facts) and Episodic
memory (The memory of something with actually happened), explicit and implicit memory and source memory, which enables us to recall
from where we learnt certain facts. A loss of source memory seems to affect most people at some time or the other.
Without memory we become different people. It is what most elderly people fear, but it need not be so. Unless illness is the cause of memory
loss, participating fully in life can make a world of difference. Scientists, musicians, writers, doctors, architects, engineers, and artists, all use
their brains and memory censer to maximum effect. In fact, anyone who is absorbed in some sort of project, work or hobby whereby the
mind is stimulated and used, can keep the memory in good working condition. Reading and paying attention to what you are reading,
learning poetry by heart, and taking a deep interest in the world around you, stimulate memory. We must also learn to breathe deeply. If the
brain does not receive sufficient oxygen for the process of cerebration, hallucination and negative psychic reactions occur. Yoga tells us that
for good mental health and emotional stability, we need to be good, deep breathers. Without memory, we are nothing. Our closest family
members are nothing to us. We are alone, drifting in a world of which we appear to know nothing. The preservation of dignity, empathy, and
love depend almost entirely on the preservation of memory.

Students’ note making skill in the examination hall
• Please see the hard work of students and judge the qualities of note-making
• How did students attempt to do note making in the examination?
• Peer assessment and discussion !

How to make notes
• Read the text carefully
• Be full of doubts to asks a number of questions related to the
text
• Be lovable to these questioning words i.e. who, what, how,
why , when
• Use a sieve to filter your information in different categories
i.e.

How to make notes
• Use a sieve to filter your information in different categories
i.e.
• Main points of text
• Sub- points of main points
• Sub- sub points of main points

How to make notes: format
• (i) Information is logically divided and subdivided by the use of figures/letters.
• (ii) The divisions are made like this:
• 1. Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc.
• Sub-sections : (i), (ii), (iii), etc.
• Sub-sub-sections : (a), (b), (c), etc.
• 2. Another common method is the ‘decimal’ system.
• Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc.
• Sub-sections : 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.
• Sub-sub-sections : 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.2.1,
• 1.2.2, etc.
• Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-----------------------------------------------

How to make notes: format example
Title
1. Main Point
1.1 Sub Point
1.2 Sub Point
1.2.1 Sub- Sub Point
2. Main Point
2.1 Sub Point
2.2 Sub Point
2.2.1 Sub- Sub Point
Abbreviation:
a.
b.

How to make notes: abbreviation example
• Capitalized initial information:-E.g. U.N. for United Nation
M.L.A. B.Sc M.P. U.S.A.
• Taking the first two letters of the words :- Pract –Practical,
Edu—Education
• Taking the first and the last two letters of the word:- admn
-Administration, pds-Periods
• Symbol that are universally recognized:- E.g : Therefore,
E.g :For example
• Arithmetic symbol:- %- Percentage, + ive – Positive, < >-
Greater than or less than

• Leadership does not exist without follower ship. A leader has to be accepted by the group which the former is
supposed to lead. To gain acceptability the leader should cause an emotive impact on the group members.
• The character exhibited by leaders make them dear to their followers. A leader is one who effectively inspires
employees to achieve worthwhile things. What character of the leader motivates the followers? It is not pomp and
show not flattery nor sanctioning more incentives. Pomp and show create a sense of awe and the leader is defied
rather than emulated. Flattery is unrealistic and cannot serve as a long term motivational tool.
• A leader’s style should be one that can be emulated by all, irrespective of cadre, class or calibre. Simplicity is
one’s day to day conduct as the only thing that can be adopted by all, when the leader is simple; he is counted as
one belonging to the group of which he is the leader. That’s enough to motivate the people. Motivation is the
innate quality that enables individual or group to contribute unlimitedly with limited means. It is the proud
prerogative of enlightened human beings.
• A leader needs to assume the role of a guide; quintessential to fulfilling the role is knowledge ability. Technical
and administrative knowledge of the guide in a balanced quantity and of the right kind are essential. He has to
master the human relations aspect of administration in all detail. And when the leader is good at this, his guidance
is sought and accepted and then he fulfils the role of a guide. The leader is a negotiator within and outside the
organization.
• The leader shapes people and moulds their character. To achieve this, the leader should maintain equanimity.
Equanimity is keeping oneself poised and balanced at all times.
• A leader is simply great if he can mould his followers with the frame of mind. He does this by his own example.

Students’ note making skill in the examination hall
• Please see the hard work of students and judge the qualities of note-making
• How did students attempt to do note making in the examination?
• Compare and contrast which is the best note-making?
• Analyze loopholes of these note-making example and modify it at a standard
level?
• What is your concept of note-making?

For notes to be useful they need to:
• Have the full reference – do this first, so you don’t forget
• Be clear, easy to read and accurate
• Be selective, well organised, and well-spaced
• Contain enough information to remind you of the main points
• Be brief – so you do not have to spend too much time re-reading them
• Be filed away within a simple and logical system for easy retrieval (e.g. a box file
for each module)

Rowntree (1976: 40-64) outlines what he calls the 'SQ3R' approach to reading and
note taking from text. It will certainly help you to prepare good “ NM”.
• Survey – flip through & layout
• Question – structure and relevance
• Read – read actively but quickly looking for the main point --twice through quickly
• Recall – main points, facts & biblio. Details
• Review – repeat steps & relate to task

Dear students/Teachers
Note-making is a skill. You will be master
of note-making only by doing practice. The
more you practice, the more you become
skilled in note-making skill. It helps you to
become master of all the subjects. Let us
start doing practices.
Rajeev Ranjan

07/27/13 " Teaching is an art". Rajeev Ranjan 27

Rajeev Ranjan
B.Ed(English), PGDTE & Psy. Counsellor
English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad
Email .Id : rajeevbhuvns@gmail.com

• Photos of Answer sheet of Class XI & XII students i.e. Sukhman, Lovepreet, Himanshi , Sheela
Dwivedi, Santosh Nain
• Hornbill (NCERT ) Class XI , Writing Skill (page number 87-93)
• http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/sta/A5_Research_2_Making_useful_notes.pdf
• http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Note_taking#Definition
• http://www.charteredbanker.com/home/member_and_students/student_support/how_to_
study/note_making/
• www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice
• www.nvs.com
• Department of Lifelong Learning: Study Skills Series
• Reading Passage : Aruna Sankaranarayanan(The Hindu)

How to Develop Note Making Skill

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