Note Taking NoteTaking Five activities involved in notetaking

Note Taking

Note-Taking Five activities involved in note-taking: 1) Listen actively 2) Select pertinent information 3) Condense the information 4) Sort and organize the information 5) Interpret the information

Note-Taking First, know the reason you are taking notes, know whom you are taking notes from (e. g. , do they write important ideas on the board or do they only lecture? )

Note-Taking Know that there are several categories information falls into: Information not contained in the class texts or reading Explanations of obscure material covered in the text BUT with which students may have difficulty Demonstrations or examples to further explain a concept, process, or subject Background information to put course material in context.

Note-Taking Take notes on what you DON'T know. Teachers present background material to 'set the stage', if you already know something, you do not need to write it down!

Note-Taking As you listen to your teacher, try to figure out which category his or her remarks fall into. Verbal cues Non-verbal cues

Verbal Cues Pauses, repeating the same point, slowing down their speed, speaking more loudly, or simply saying, “I think this is important” Phrases to look for (and may help you organize your notes: First of all Most importantly Therefore As a result

Verbal Cues Phrases to look for (and may help you organize your notes (con't): To summarize On the other hand On the contrary “The following (number of) reasons (causes, effects, decisions, facts, etc. )

Non-Verbal Cues If a teacher doesn't look like he or she is paying attention, this might not be important Writing things on the whiteboard = generally important If a teacher gestures, or makes eye-contact all of a sudden

Strategies Key terms OR ideas Avoid Complete Sentences

Strategies Don't take too many notes. If you are constantly writing, this means that you do not know what is and what is not important. And it means that you might not be paying very good attention!!! BUT the quantity of notes is ultimately up to you, the note-taker. Longer ≠ Better!!

Strategies Develop “shorthand”--writing more quickly 1) Eliminate vowels 2) Use word beginnings 3) Don't put periods after abbreviations 4) Use symbols in place of words 5) Create your own symbols (if there is specific subject matter)

Cornell System

Cornell System

Other note-taking systems: Drawing

If you still feel overwhelmed, try to take a step back, remember some of these note-taking strategies, and continue.

After Class 1) Review your notes after class as soon as you can. This permits you to re-write any abbreviations you used which you might forget It also will help you to identify anything you did not understand or have more questions about.

After Class 2) Construct a rough outline Group terms together Write your main topics with enough spaces underneath to fill them in It does not have to be perfect!

After Class 3) Ask yourself questions Identify what you don't know or what you missed. Look for specific terms How do these terms fit into the big picture?

After Class 4) Take notes on your notes. (see the Cornell System)

After Class 5) Go to other sources Internet (we'll talk more about this later— “Using the Internet as a Resource” Borrow a friend's notes Check a textbook or readings Ask the professor

After Class 6) Fill in additional information

Take notes.