The Road to Successful Note-Taking: Note-Taking

Strategies for 12th Grade ELA

Donika Zherka

Abstract

Research on the Problem

Two 12th grade classes for English Language Arts in the Bronx were observed on
multiple instances. Through the observations, it was evident that students lacked the
necessary skill for effective note-taking. As the teacher provided students with notes
on the SmartBoard, the students did not copy anything down. Additionally, students
did not take notes as the teacher spoke, and they did not take notes while reading. I
proposed a plan to help students develop the skill for note-taking. It is a valuable skill
that the students will need in college next year. A lesson was given to students about
note-taking, and two different strategies were given to students to see which works
better. The Cornell Method and a Three Column Strategy were the selected notetaking styles (Figure 1 and figure 2). After working with the students on note-taking,
specifically as they read their assigned text, the conclusion was unexpected.
Students did not prefer one strategy over the other. Both strategies were seen as
valuable and helpful to the students after reflection. After analyzing the collected data
(notes), and reflecting on student responses during class discussion of the assigned
readings, a conclusion was made that both note-taking strategies were beneficial for
the students. It was proved that the skill itself is necessary and must be taught.

-Note-taking is more than just recording facts

Keywords: Note-Taking, The Cornell Method, Three Column Strategy, 12th Grade,
English Language Arts

Background and Problem

Question

Results

-Leads to deeper student engagement and reflection

-Effective note-taking means the teacher doesnt have to teach students how to
study for every assessment
-Graduation rate increases
-Students usually miss the central idea/focus of the topic
-Students are incomplete note-takers
-Students will underperform without good notes

Plan

Observe students
Choose two note-taking strategies that students can benefit from
Teach the strategies
Analyze data
Determine which strategy works best

Interpretations & Conclusions

12th grade English Language Arts

Urban high need school
Majority of the students are Hispanic
Half of the students in the two ELA classes are ELLs

Methods

Students dont take effective notes

-Teach note-taking

Grades suffer because of the lack of notes

-Practice with the students

-Students understood the strategies for the most part

-Both strategies have an equal success rate
-Both strategies have a low amount of students who didnt understand how to do
it
-Students benefited from the strategies

-Have students independently read and take notes using the strategies

How can I help?

-Three days (Teach about note-taking, strategy #1, strategy #2)

-Use group discussion to analyze learning

Teach students note-taking strategies and help practice them

-Collect notes

Significance

Results

Directions for the Future

-Note-taking is an important skill to possess

Students did not prefer one strategy over the other

1) Work on the strategy on consecutive days instead of sporadically

-Students benefit from the skill in all content areas, and even college

-Students did not perform better with one strategy over the other

2) Choose note-taking strategies that are more different from one another

-There isnt much research for secondary education so this is a helpful add on

-Both strategies were beneficial for students

3) Spend a longer amount of time practicing note-taking with the students so

they are more comfortable with it