THE BENEFITS OF NOTE TAKING. IT HELPS STUDENTS STAY ATTENTIVE “Taking notes requires the attention to be more precisely focused on the access, sorting,

THE BENEFITS OF NOTE TAKING

IT HELPS STUDENTS STAY ATTENTIVE“Taking notes requires the attention to be more precisely focused on the access, sorting, and coding of the information than it would be when simply listening to a speaker or reading a document (Piolat, Olive, & Kellogg, 2004). Comments made by students have often referred to the fact that taking notes helps them remain attentive (van Metter et al. 1994).”

From “Note Taking and Learning: A Summary of Research”

IT HELPS YOU THINK BETTER

“[T]he taking of notes seems to ease the load on the working memory and thereby helps people resolve complex problems.”

From “Note Taking and Learning: A Summary of Research”

IT HELPS STUDENTS REMEMBER MORE, SCORE HIGHER

Research shows that students who take notes score higher on both immediate and delayed tests of recall and synthesis than students who do not take notes.

From “Research on Student Note Taking

PREPARING TO TAKE NOTES

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREPARE TO TAKE NOTES?

Before class Complete reading

assignments due before that class

Complete homework problems due before that class

Review the reading and notes taken on it shortly before class

Review the homework problems shortly before class starts

HONE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS

Avoid distractions Cell phones Stories or questions that are off-topic Chatty classmates

Prepare for potential distractions Outside obligations Dress for classroom environment Eat, drink, etc. before class

WE CAN ALL BE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LISTENERS AT DIFFERENT TIMES The daydreamer The student who only hears what related to his or her

concerns The arguer The student who wants to talk about unrelated items

IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS BY

Ask questions, offer comments, answer questions Pay close attention to clues

Signal terms: “X means….”

“Y is caused by…”

Verbal clues: “This will be on the test...”

“As I said before…”

Non-verbal cues: Instructor becomes more excited or enthusiastic

Levels of information: Practice selectivity: listen for main ideas and subordinate ideas

NOTE TAKING FORMATS

Use a consistent format Format is up to you Develop your system for labeling

content (processes, rules, examples, etc.) as you record it (common abbreviations, your own abbreviations, etc.)

Make sure you’ll be able to understand your notes in the days and weeks to come

Note-taking formats (p. 236) Outlining The Cornell System Mind Maps

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Summary is always good One method may work

well for one discipline or lecturer but not as well for another

One method may work better for you than another

A mashup of strategies may work best

PRACTICE

Watch the following videos for 5-10 minutes each and switch up note-taking strategies between each one Outlining The Cornell System Mind mapping

Reflect and discuss on which worked best and why.

How your "working memory" makes sense of the world

How your brain tells you where you are

Feats of memory anyone can do

ASSIGNMENT 1

Note taking activity—In an upcoming class, take notes using one of the strategies learned in this unit. On a separate piece of paper, assess these new notes when compared to your old way of taking notes. Which strategy helps you to record more complete and accurate information? Why? What changes will you make for future classes?

WORKS CITED

Boch, Francoise, and Annie Pioulat. “Note Taking and Learning: A Summary of Research.” The WAC Journal 16 (2005). Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

“Attentive.” CustomStock.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

Hicks, Mark A. “Turbo Thinking Cap.” Discovery Education Clip Art Gallery. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

Dezure, Deborah, Matthew Kaplan, and Martha A. Deerman. “Research on Student Note Taking: Implications for Faculty and Graduate Teaching Instructors.” CRLT Occasional Papers 16 (2001). University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.