Note Taking for Students
- 1. Notes How to Improve your Note Taking & Note Making Skills
- 2. Aims of the Session The following slides will help you to understand the basics of successful note taking & making At the end of the session you should be able to: • Understand the difference between note taking and note making • Be able to successfully take notes from an audio source • Be able to identify and highlight important parts of a piece of text • Be able to create a concept map from highlighted notes
- 3. Before we start however, there is no right or wrong way of taking notes! Try to keep your notes brief and succinct. Don’t try and write everything down. Just focus on the important bits. Your notes should reflect the main themes and areas you have identified as important You should leave out any bit of information which is not useful to your work Some useful questions are posed by Stella Cottrell (2003): • Do you really need this information? If so, which bits? • Will you really use it? When, and how? • Have you noted similar information already? • What questions do you want to answer with this information?” Cottrell S. (2003) The study skills handbook. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
- 4. Note Taking and Note Making Note TAKING and note MAKING are two different things…. They refer to two different processes in using notes for study The next 2 slides will explain the differences
- 5. Note TAKING This process involves taking notes from general speech (lectures, videos, audio tapes and dictation) and writing them down as the person speaks The note taker has less control of this process as you are dependent on being able to decipher, interpret and write down what is said This process is also done at someone else’s pace – not at your own!
- 6. Note MAKING This involves reorganising your thoughts and ideas and putting them into your own words Note making is usually something you do after the event eg. after a lecture you may rewrite the notes you made in class. It also refers to when you make notes from another source eg. when you make notes from a textbook or a website This process allows more control for the student as you can do it in your own time
- 7. Reasons for Note Taking & Making 1. To engage/interact with the material being studied 2. To assist in writing essays and assignments 3. To formulate ideas 4. To remember and make sense of material 5. For revision purposes 6. For reviewing and reformulating ideas 7. Enables you to avoid unintentional plagiarism
- 9. Note Styles There are many different styles of note taking and making that you can use It is entirely your personal preference and you may use a combination of more than one type Some types may suit visual learners better, whilst some may suit audio or kinaesthetic learners So experiment until you find a type of note taking/making that works best for you! We will look at 4 of the best known types next….
- 10. Linear Notes Taking notes in a linear or sequential fashion is probably the most common way of laying out your notes. A wide left-hand margin is used so that you can add material at a later date. Advantages • Conventional, as it is similar to other writings such as essays and reports • Organises material effectively • Neat • Chronological, as it should reflect logically the argument and points made in the order they were made
- 11. Concept Maps This method can also be known as mind maps or brain patterns. It is a way of organising your notes using images, colours, symbols, arrows and capital letters. It helps to convey meaning by showing the relationship between concepts and highlighting important points. Using concept maps can help you to think creatively and is especially good for visual learners. Advantages • Using images and colour can stimulate the mind and aid memory • Limited use of words leads to conciseness • New ideas and information can easily be inserted • It promotes the free flow of ideas by being open-ended • Revision is made easier as their uniqueness aids recall
- 12. Four Quarter Method This is where you divide your pages into quarters, each quarter representing a 15 minute slot of an hour lecture. Psychologically and visually this is a satisfying method, since you are always aware of just how far into the lesson you are. Furthermore, because space is limited, it encourages you to use abbreviations and key words. Once the notes have been written they will become a user-friendly and efficient tool for revision as all the information you want is written on just one side of paper. Advantages • Encourages interactive note taking • Encourages you to be concise and brief • Psychologically encouraging as it helps keep concentration throughout a lecture 1st Quarter 15 mins 2nd Quarter 15 mins 3rd Quarter 15 mins 4th Quarter 15 mins
- 13. The Two Column Method This method is also known as the Cornell method. You divide the paper into two columns: 1. The left hand column is smaller and is used to record the main points/keywords 2. The right hand column is larger and is used for taking notes and expanding on your keywords. Advantages • It can be used as a useful study aid. Simply cover up the right hand column and see if you can recall the information using the keyword prompts • It is efficient and encourages you to think about your subject in more detail • Creates efficient study sheets
- 14. Using Highlighters You can use highlighters to identify and highlight key terms and phrases in a piece of text This allows you to be an active learner. This is much more effective than simply reading a piece of text as you then have the danger you will glaze over and miss the important parts! Active learning will help you to remember and retain the information much more successfully
- 15. Congratulations! You have now completed your Study Skills session on Notes