Note Taking and Study Techniques

Note

Taking &

Study TechniquesPresented BY:

The English Academy

91 88666 80407/97279 19756

[email protected]

Corporate Training │ Personality Development │ Mentoring │ Hand Holding

Note Taking &

Study Techniques

Why to take notes

Taking notes during

lectures improves

listening & comprehension.

Students who review their

lecture notes remember

1 ½ times more after 6 weeks.

Those who don’t take notes in

class, forget about 80% of the

lecture by the end of 2 weeks.

(Walter Pauk)

When you are reviewing, notes provide a gauge to

what is important in the text.

Personal notes are easier to remember.

The writing down of important points helps you to

remember them even before you have studied the

material formally.

Why to take notes

Instructors usually give clues to what is

important to note. Some of the common clues are:A. Material written on the blackboard.

B. Repetition

C. Emphasis

1. Emphasis can be judged by tone of voice and gesture.

2. Emphasis can be judged by the amount of time the instructor

spends on points and the number of examples he or she uses.

D. Word signals (e.g. "There are two points of view on . . . "

"The third reason is . . . " " In conclusion . . . ")

E. Summaries given at the end of class.

F. Reviews given at the beginning of class.

What to note

Go to all classes.

Include date, topic and chapter at the top of your notes.

Sit where you can see and hear the instructor.

Watch for signals of importance.

◦ material on the board -definitions –repeated information

Write instructor’s examples in your notes and label as EX.

Keep an open mind. Resist reacting to emotional words.

Evaluate later.

Note taking tips

A. Make your notes brief.

1. Never use a sentence where you can use a phrase.

Never use a phrase where you can use a word.

2. Use abbreviations and symbols, but be consistent.

B. Put most notes in your words; except

1. Formulas

2. Definitions

3. Specific facts

They should be noted exactly.

How to take notes

C. Use outline form and/or a numbering system. Indention

helps you distinguish major from minor points.

D. If you miss a statement, write key words, skip a few

spaces, and get the information later.

E. Don't try to use every space on the page. Leave room

for coordinating your notes with the text after the lecture.

(You may want to list key terms in the margin or make a

summary of the contents of the page.)

F. Date your notes and number the pages.

How to take notes

For Lectures

Cornell Method

Outline Method

Paragraph Method

Fish Bone Method

For Textbooks

SQ3R

Time Lines

Visual Mapping

Popular note taking systems

2 1/2”

Reduce ideas &

facts to concise

summaries for

Reciting,

Reviewing,

& Reflecting.

6”

Record the lecture as fully

& meaningfully as possible

Page of a Register/Copy

Cornell notes taking system

The format provides an opportunity to follow through the 5 R's of note-taking.

1. RECORD. During the lecture, record in the main column as many

meaningful facts and ideas as you can. Write legibly.

2. REDUCE. As soon after as possible, summarize these ideas and facts

concisely in the Recall Column. Summarizing clarifies meanings and

relationships, reinforces continuity, and strengthens memory. Also, it is a

way of preparing for examinations gradually and well ahead of time.

3. RECITE. Now cover the column, using only your jottings in the Recall

Column as cues or "flags" to help you recall, say over facts and ideas of

the lecture as fully as you can, not mechanically, but in your own words

and with as much appreciation of the meaning as you can. Then,

uncovering your notes, verify what you have said. This procedure helps

to transfer the facts and ideas of your long term memory.

Cornell notes taking system

4. REFLECT. Reflective students create their opinions from

their notes. They make such opinions the starting point for

their thinking about subjects under study. Such thinking aids

them to make sense out of their courses. Reflective students

continually write their ideas, put them into structures,

outlines, summaries. They keep reflecting about it. Unless

notes are revised from time to time, they soon be forgotten.

5. REVIEW. If you will spend 10 minutes every week or so in a

quick review of these notes, you will retain most of what you

have learned, and you will be able to use your knowledge

currently to greater and greater effectiveness.

Cornell notes taking system

Use headings and

subheadings followed

by course material

Easiest method with

organized lectures

Formal

Outline

Informal

Outline

The Outline system

Often works best when a lot of

notes are given in a short period of

time and the instructor is a fast

talker or the lecture is

disorganized.

Listen critically for important facts.

Create your own summary of what

has been presented.

Write down summary in your own

words.

Did you

get that?

No, we’d

better

summarize!

The paragraph system

The Problem or outcome is

printed in the “head” of the

fish.

Identify the primary factors

and connect as ribs to the

backbone.

Elaborate each rib with the

details related to the

primary factor.

The Fishbone method

Other Note-Taking Tips

Always date your notes!

Paraphrase your notes!

Don’t Erase Mistakes!

For Lectures with fast talkers, consider writing

in cursive or tape recording.

Use Abbreviations!

Be Organized!

Evaluate your note-taking style strategy regularly!

SQ3R

A reading technique

to improve attention and recall!

SQ3R Technique

Advantages Organized and systematic for recording and reviewing

notes. Easy format for pulling out major concept and

ideas. Simple and efficient. Saves time and effort.

"Do-it-right-in-the-first-place system.“

Disadvantages

None

When to Use In any lecture situation.

SQ3R Steps

1.Survey

2.Question

3.Read

4.Recite

5.Review

SQ3R Steps

1. First Survey the reading,

2. Next ask yourself questions what

you want to learn from the reading,

3. Then read the assignment in

manageable 15 minute blocks

4. Then recite to yourself the information

that you have learned

5. By review the reading and class notes

you can improve attention and recall.

Survey

You need to know the general picture of what is to

be read before you can meaningfully understand

and make intelligent decisions about the its details.

Conduct a survey of reading assignments in

order to get the best possible overall picture of

what you are going to study (before you study it).

How do I Survey?Check out / skim the Chapter Summary

This helps in assessing how difficult the material is; How much

do you know already … how much are you seeing for the first

time?

Scan the section Headings

What can you learn about how the material is organized, or

about what concepts the author thinks are more or less

important …

Look through the Diagrams/Figures/Graphics

Which diagrams, figures or graphics help you to remember

material presented in lecture? Copy good examples to include

with your notes. Create a list of important figures on a note

card

Question

Emphasizes importance of asking questions for

learning. People seem to remember what they learn

in answer to a question better than things just read or

memorized. Questions give purpose to our learning.

After you’ve surveyed your reading assignment, come

up with some questions you want to find the answers

to once you read the assignment.

Read the assignment

Read actively - read in order to answer the questions

that have been raised in your mind.

Take a break every 15 minutes and take 5 minutes to

take notes and summarize what you’ve just read in

your own words to check for understanding and to

maintain your focus.

Reading tipsDo I have to read it all??

Remember: You don’t have to read the material in chronological order –

you can skip & move around – for example, unlike a mystery novel that

you would read from first to last page (avoiding the temptation to read the

ending), go for it with a chapter or textbook - read the summary/conclusion

first (to preview what you’re about to read).

Prioritize your reading – survey the parts you may already know (or may

have been discussed in lecture) and identify the parts that are really new to

you (or may have been confusing in lecture).

Make the new and/or confusing parts a priority and read them first (while

your mind is focused and alert). Save the familiar material for later or skip

it if you know it well.

ReciteRecitation is an effective device for learning while

reading a book.

The only way you can really find out what you have

remembered and understood from your reading is to

recite to yourself.

To make sure that you understand and remember,

you should stop periodically and try to recall to

yourself what you have read.

This keeps your mind from wandering too much and

your eyes from going on auto pilot (reading with no

recall).

ReviewReview is a survey of what

one has already studied.

This look over all of the notes

from the reading assignment

and class notes.

You should review every

time you finish reading.

Limit reading sessions to

max 4 hours. Take a 5 minute

break every 15 minutes. What was that I just read?

by:

Sarwan Singh,

Corporate Training │ Education │ Mentoring │ Coaching

Find us at

[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/TheEnglishAcademyBaroda

@sarwan_singh

(91)88666 80407, (91)97279 19756

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sarwan-singh/17/722/313

http://sarwansingh6644.blogspot.in

http://writebetter-speakbetter-english.blogspot.in

[email protected]

Note

Taking &

Study TechniquesPresented BY:

The English Academy

91 88666 80407

[email protected]

Visit us at: http://indiamart.com/english-academy/

Corporate Training │ Personality Development │ Mentoring │ Hand Holding