Note Taking

Note taking is a skill that you need to be a successful student. Since you will
not remember everything your teacher tells you, you have to write down
notes so that you have a record of the material. This way, you can go over
your notes after class and review the material. Note taking is a life-long skill
which your future employer will also want you to have: to be able to
summarize what has been said in a clear, concise form with no important
facts left out!

So how exactly can you start taking good notes? Well, read on and find out!

Listen to find out what the content is going to be.

Apart from the date and title (if it's given) don't try to write anything at the
start of a lecture. Poor listeners try write down everything, believing a
detailed outline and effective notes are the same thing. They get frustrated
when they cannot see the meaning behind what they are writing down or
they go to review their notes and don't understand the concepts that were
taught in class. Effective listeners adjust their note-taking to the lecture style.
They listen to what’s important, they try to understand concepts and they
take notes that clarify, organize and reiterated important details of the
lecture.

Write down key words and ideas. You don't have to write in
complete sentences.

Note-taking does not mean writing down everything you read or hear. Your
notes should be a clear summary of essential points in a text or lecture. Be
selective about what you write down.

Here are two ways of taking notes. Which do you prefer?

1. Mind-mapping

If you're a Visual Learner you'll find patterns easier to use than lists of ideas,
so you may want to use mind maps (which are also called spider diagrams).

Start in the middle of a page with the subject title or topic, and add major
points along a line from the centre, with additional ideas branching out from
the main points. Use connecting lines to link up ideas/points from different
branches. Like this:

2. Cornell Method

If you are an Auditory Learner, you may prefer to use a system like the
Cornell Method, an example of which is given below:

Cornell Method Use large exam pad

Write clearly

Capture main points and not examples

Leave blank lines to show end of topics

Use abbreviations to save time

Summary leave a 7cm left margin
column
Key words After the lecture, go over your notes and jot down key ideas
or key words in the summary column

You may write questions in the left hand column and answer them in the right
hand column. To revise for exam purpose, block the right side of your notes
and see whether you are able to answer the questions on the left side.

How to use your notes.

Whichever method you use, it's important that you do something with your
notes. You need to go through them while the lecture is still fresh in your
mind, within 24 hours, and make sure you tidy them up and summarize them.

Make it a rule after each lecture to go over your notes. Here are some ways
to do it effectively:

1. Fill in your notes

Fill in from memory examples and facts which you didn't have time to get
down in the lecture

2. Clarify your notes

If any parts of the lecture were unclear, ask the lecturer, tutor or a fellow-
student about them, or check your text books

3. Highlight your notes

Use highlighters and colored pens to highlight key points and to link relevant
facts and ideas.

Make the key points stand out by underlining them, highlighting them in a
bright color, or marking them with asterisks.

Use abbreviations to help you write quicker and make it shorter.

The most common abbreviations are:

eg for example etc and the rest

nb note well & and

ie that is = equals
> greater than
therefore

< less than

because
C19 nineteenth century

You can also create your own abbreviation for words you use often to save
time while taking notes.

Action Plan:

Note taking might be a new skill to some of you so why don’t we practice it
now?