Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and Note-taking
Skills
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
X" INTRODUCTION
You will discover that throughout your course, you have to read various types of
information resources such as your course module, handouts and notes from
your tutors as well as a variety of reference materials in print and electronic
format from the Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi Digital Library. There is no other
way to deal with all the information resources that you have obtained and
successfully retrieved from the various sources and resources except to reduce
them to notes.
In the context of learning at OUM, you will find that note-taking and notemaking are part and parcel of learning, be it from the module, tutorials, books,
journals or the Internet. You must, however, realise that note-taking and notemaking do not mean taking down every word that the tutor says or copying
verbatim every word found in books, journals and websites.
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What to note down, how much to note down and how detailed the notes should
be, are important skills to be learned. It is critical, therefore for you to develop
basic skills in note-taking and note-making because the ability to take good notes
will save you the time and effort that could better be applied to your studies.
If you are able to take and make good notes, you will save time in terms of:
(a)"
(b)" Having to look through massive piles of notes just to retrieve the specific
information that you need.
In this topic, you will be introduced to the various techniques of note-making
and note-taking.
7.1
Annotation;
(b)
Outline notes;
(c)
Column notes;
(d)
(e)
Summary notes.
7.1.1
Annotation
This is a suitable method for making notes from print modules, textbooks,
articles or any other resources. You can make notes by writing in the margins,
underlining facts, highlighting the main points, using question marks, ticks or
crosses to show whether you agree or disagree with the points made in the text
as illustrated in Figure 7.1. This method will help you to not only remember the
main points, but will also enable you to remember without having to read the
text all over again.
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TOPIC 7
If you do not like writing in the books, you may want to use strips of paper to
mark the pages with the notes written on the strips. The test of good annotation
is when you revisit the book; you should understand the notes without having
to read the pages, the topic or paragraph all over again.
7.1.2
Outline Notes
Use only keywords and phrases. The notes are usually sequentially numbered, or
headings, subheadings and indentation can be used. Figure 7.2 illustrates the
format for outline notes.
TOPIC 7
7.1.3
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Column Notes
7.1.4
Mind Maps
Mind maps do not follow a linear sequence. The main topic forms the nucleus,
while the main ideas and concepts branch out from it. A mind map shows
relationships among ideas and concepts, with lines serving as links. Figure 7.4
shows an example of a mind map.
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7.1.5
TOPIC 7
Summary Notes
You may prefer to summarise text information when making notes. Summary
notes are a condensed version of the information, written in paragraph form, as
shown in Figure 7.5. If you decide to summarise your text information, you need
to break down the topic into smaller chunks or parts. Sometimes, you may opt
for this method of making notes when you cannot construct some sort of topic
and subtopic organisation because there is none.
7.2
In writing notes from your module or other resources, the following are some
suggestions. (Bear in mind that you can apply the annotation, outline notes,
column notes, mind maps and summary notes methods to produce effective
notes).
(a)"
(b)" Read the whole topic and then try to summarise it in a few sentences in
your own words. Do not take notes while reading through the topic
because you will tend to write too much. Use the note-making techniques
that have been suggested.
(c)"
(d)" Reread the topic and improve on the notes, providing more details.
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(e)"
Use your own words instead of copying from the text. This will help you
understand the material better.
(f)"
If you copy word for word, sentences or phrases from the topic, do not
forget to put them in inverted commas to show that they are quoted from
the topic. Do not also forget to write down the original source from where
the notes are taken (author, title, year of publication and page number).
(g)" Read over your notes to make sure you understand them. If they do not
make sense at that point, you can be sure they will not make sense at any
other time in the future!
ACTIVITY 7.1
Compare your style of making notes to the ways of writing notes
given here. Are there any differences? Write down the differences and
share this with your coursemates.
7.3
Taking notes during tutorials is a difficult task; unlike a book, you cannot control
the flow of speech, you cannot expect the tutor to repeat the entire tutorial, and
you cannot demand that the tutor organise his points or moderate his speed just
so that you can take notes more effectively during tutorial. The following
subsections are suggestions on how you can better prepare yourself for tutorials
so that it will be easier to take notes effectively.
7.3.1
No skills will be effective if you are not prepared for the class. It is important that
you read through the whole topic first before you enter your class so that whatever
is discussed in class or whatever is spoken by the tutor is familiar to you.
Pre-reading helps you in the following ways:
(a)
(b)
(c)
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TOPIC 7
This will lead to better understanding of the material you are reading and
eventually build interest in the classroom. Read critically using your own
experience and opinion. This will help you to develop background knowledge.
Thus, you will be able to conceptualise the course content discussed in the
tutorials as well as improve your understanding of the subject.
Basically, to be prepared, you must read! You have learned how to optimise your
reading in Topic 6, but reading the module alone is not enough. You have to get
more supporting material or resources to increase your knowledge of the course
content. As highlighted in these sections, while reading is crucial in getting ready
for the class, note-making is equally significant. Note-making will reinforce your
understanding of what you have read for the course. As such, you are urged to
use these skills effectively to prepare yourself for the tutorials.
Even if you do not understand all that is being presented, you will at least
understand the basic ideas. Being familiar with the issues raised during tutorials
makes note-taking easier and you will be able to improvise your own notes that
you have made while reading.
ACTIVITY 7.2
Based on your reading style, how would you make notes from your
module before attending the tutorials?
7.3.2
Now that you are prepared with some basic knowledge of the topic, your main
goal is to get the tutors intended message in the actual classroom. However, the
message may not always be clear. Thus, it is important that you listen attentively
and take notes. Many learners feel that because they can hear, they are listening.
Hearing and listening are two different things. Letting the words flow into your
ear is not listening. Listening is a thinking activity and is the most commonly used
method of learning. Your listening can be improved with instruction and practice.
In the following section, we share with you the various strategies you can use to
become a more effective listener in a face-to-face tutorial:
(a)
Avoid distractions that may interfere with your concentration (i.e. do not sit
next to a coursemate who talks too much or whose personality or looks are
a constant distraction, or do not sit near the doorway or window where
there are too many disturbing sounds or movements).
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(b)
Listen to the message being said, paying attention to the emphasis given by
the tutor to the topic. You must know what information was transmitted in
the class.
(c)
(d)
Look for clues from the tutor that might give some indication as to what
can be considered as important points. If the tutor uses illustrations and
focuses longer on certain issues, these can be the clues to look out for.
Clues can be in vocal or visual form.
(e)
Take notes, since some information might not be in your module and you
need to record this information for your future reference. Notes can also act
as an alternative form of memory as it is impossible for you to remember
accurately everything you hear. Keep the notes, as they will help you in
preparing for your assessments.
(f)
(g)
(h)
Try to identify key issues, keywords and key phrases. Jot them if you
cannot take notes systematically. Jot them down immediately. You may
apply any of the five note-making ways i.e. annotation, outline notes,
column notes, mind maps and summary notes, whichever you are
comfortable with.
(i)
Create spaces as you take notes. There are a few formats that you can apply
in note-taking as shown in Figures 7.1 to 7.5.
(j)
Use your own abbreviations based on your needs and comfort level for
quick and short note-taking. You may try to eliminate vowels, (e.g. in
you take the y and o away; in student take the u and e away).
The following are some examples of abbreviations and symbols (please
refer to Figures 7.6 and 7.7):
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TOPIC 7
It is not easy taking notes when you also have to listen to what is being presented
by the tutor and your classmates. Apart from this, there are other challenges,
such as a boring tutor, unclear slides, faulty LCD projector, etc. These are but
some of the few obstacles to effective note-taking.
ACTIVITY 7.3
1."
2."
7.3.3
Now what should we do after the tutorial? Here are some suggestions:
(a)"
Review your notes as soon as possible after the tutorial, because the longer
you wait to review, the less you will remember.
(b)" Rewrite if necessary and fill in the gaps by using other peoples notes or
reading your library material.
(c)"
(d)" Supplement your notes with further reading to add value to your learning.
(e)"
Read and reread your notes so that by the time the examinations are due
you are familiar with the notes.
TOPIC 7
(f)"
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Use them to answer past years papers. This will be a test of their reliability.
(g)" Keep them safe and in a system that is easy for you to retrieve and use.
ACTIVITY 7.4
Specify the problems you faced in taking notes at your last tutorial.
ACTIVITY 7.5
1.
2.
3.
Read the passage below and make your own notes in the
following formats:
(a)
Outline; and
(b)
Mind map.
As individuals;
(b)"
(c)"
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7.3.4
TOPIC 7
We cannot deny that the simple pen and paper is still one of the best ways to
build information records. However, besides the good old-fashioned way, some
digital devices have excellent and reliable alternatives for capturing notes in the
electronic form. We will be introducing three of the popular electronic taking
note tools, namely Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, and Google Notebook. There
are many more tools which you can explore on your own.
(a)"
Evernote
Evernote (see Figure 7.8) is a free tool for taking and making notes. It has
built in support for text, images, audio, tagging and syncing between its
web interface and all of your desktop installations. Images you add to
Evernote are searchable by text, and Evernote even supports several mobile
devices such as the iPhone and Windows mobile phones. You can use
Evernote's web interface and clipping bookmarklet to pull anything into
your notebook. Bookmarklet are tools for making bookmarks in the digital
device. Evernote is free to use and provides 40MB per month of upload
space and if you pay a fee you will get more MB.
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(c)"
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Some of the key features that your note-taking tool and making should have are:
easy editing, efficient tools to highlight and annotate, intelligent folders for quick
search and the ability to sync with other devices. The following tips will help you
to take notes more effectively:
(a)"
Organise
Use a system to organise your lecture or research notes. You may want to
include date, topic title, author, page number or any other information that
will help in easy retrieval.
TOPIC 7
(e)"
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Choose a Tool
Find a tool that is really useful and works well for you in taking notes and
stick to it. It will be just a matter of time that you will be familiar with the
functions of the tool and you can concentrate more on getting work done
rather than searching for other tools.
So, whether you decide to take notes electronically or by pen, the note-taking
process should aid your thinking actively.
x" Note-making and note-taking are crucial to your learning because they help
you to organise and merge information and make them relevant or applicable
to your module, tutorial and online discussions.
x" Good notes will help you save time and effort (and avoid agony) when it is
time for you to write assignments or prepare for examinations.
Annotation
Mind map