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Friday, July 25, 2008
10:57 PM
Cue Column: Note‐Taking Area:
As you are taking notes, Record the lecture as fully and as meaningfully as possible.
keep the cue column empty.
Soon after the lecture, This format provides the perfect opportunity for following through with the 5 R's of
reduce your notes to concise note‐taking:
jottings as clues for reciting,
reviewing, and reflecting. Record During the lecture, record in the main column as many meaningful facts
and ideas as you can.
Reduce As soon after as possible, summarize these facts and ideas concisely in
the Cue Column. Summarizing clarifies meanings and relationships,
reinforces continuity, and strengthens memory.
Recite Using only your jottings in the Cue Column, say over the facts and ideas
of the lecture as fully as you can, not mechanically, but in your own
words. Then, verify what you have said.
Reflect Draw out opinions from your notes and use them as a starting point for
your own reflections on the course and how it relates to your other
courses. Reflection will help prevent ideas from being inert and soon
forgotten.
Review Spend 10 minutes every week in quick review of your notes, and you will
retain most of what you have learned.
Summary Area:
Summarize your notes in a sentence or two.
Note‐Taking Symbols Note‐Taking Abbreviations
These note‐taking symbols can make it easier to capture Tip: To save time, don't use a period after abbreviations.
lecture notes.
And, plus, positive eg For example
+
c/o Care of
‐ Minus, negative
lb Pound
÷ Divided (by)
H2O Water
x Times, multiplied by min Minimum
= Equals, is the same as max Maximum
cc Varies, varying, varied
∠ Angle Other ways to abbreviate:
• Eliminate vowels
⊥ Perpendicular, is perpendicular to
• Use word beginnings
ll Parallel, is parallel to • As "s" to abbreviations or symbols to
show plural
f Frequency, frequent, frequently
/ Ratio, ratio of (e.g., height/weight = the ratio A word of caution:
of height to weight Make sure your abbreviations can't be
% Percent, percentage mistaken for other words.
# Number Longer words are easier to recognize when
Dollars abbreviated. Shorter words are easier to
$ read if they contain vowels.
¢ Cents
( ) Parenthetical
^ Insert
@ Amount, amount of, at
? Question, the question is
! Here's a surprising fact
Δ Delta, change, difference between
These suggestions taken from Note‐Taking Made Easy by Judi
Kesselman‐Turkel and Franklynn Peterson