NOTE TAKING SKILLS BY MISS IZZATUL SABRIN BINTI

NOTE TAKING SKILLS BY: MISS IZZATUL SABRIN BINTI HAMSAN

WHY ARE EFFECTIVE NOTE TAKING SKILLS IMPORTANT? • Learning how to take better study notes in class helps improve recall and understanding of what you are learning because it: • Ensures you are actively listening to what the teacher is saying • Requires you to think about what you are writing • Helps you make connections between topics • Serves as quality review material for after class

NOTE TAKING SKILLS • 10 tips on how to be an efficient and successful note-taker. These can apply equally to taking notes from someone else's verbal presentation or from a written text. • Don't write down every word • Decide what is important • Be an active listener/reader • Use symbols and abbreviations • Use colours • Revise your notes as soon as possible • Be consistent • Improve your handwriting • Forget spelling and grammar (as long as your meaning is clear)! • How to avoid plagiarism and use paraphrasing instead

TIPS #1 Don't write down every word • The whole point of note taking is to be able to summarise information in a different, shorter form to use later. • Therefore if you try to write down every word of a lecture or book then you will soon get behind and lose thread of what is being presented to you.

TIPS #2 Decide what is important • Listen/look out for key phrases such as ‘the most important factor is. . . ' which is like a large signpost directing you to the fact that a vital piece of information is coming up and instructs you to ready your pen to take a note of it. • The author or lecturer you are working with will have their own particular style and phrases that you should look out for, so become familiar with their signposts.

TIPS #3 Be an active listener/reader • It is easy to drift off and lose thread of a lecture or written argument, so try some of these tips to help keep your concentration.

TIPS #4 Use symbols and abbreviations • When you take notes you will not have time to write in full sentences, and sometimes the information comes so thick and fast that you cannot even write full words. • Develop your own set of symbols and abbreviations. • Some obvious ones are + or & for ‘and'; = for equals. • Other examples seen less often are w/ for ‘with' or wch for ‘which'. There will be subject specific short hands that you can use too.

TIPS #5 Use colours • For extra clarification and to improve your active listening/reading techniques make sure you use different coloured inks when taking notes. • You can show different themes and approaches by changing to a different colour for example. • This is especially useful if you will need your notes later for report writing or revising for exams.

TIPS #6 Revise your notes as soon as possible • Do not simply take your notes and then file them away and forget about them. • The best use of your notes is to read over them a short time after and perhaps re-write them again, more neatly or in a different order, depending on how or why you want to use them. • This will help you to use the information actively and it will stay in your memory for longer.

TIPS #7 Be consistent • If you are listening to an hour-long lecture, don't be tempted to take a lot of notes for the first 10 minutes and nothing at all for the rest of the session. • Make sure you pace yourself and gather information consistently throughout the lecture.

TIPS #8 Improve your handwriting • Do not be so immersed in note taking that you forgot to notice that your handwriting has become unreadable! • Remember to write or type clearly and legibly throughout, however tired your hand becomes.

TIPS #9 • Forget spelling and grammar (as long as your meaning is clear)! • This is the one time in academic or professional life when no one is going to blame you for a few spelling and grammar mistakes • Achieving perfection in these areas is not important; rather, focus on the gathering and recording of information.

TIPS #10 How to avoid plagiarism and use paraphrasing instead. • This is an issue especially when taking notes from written texts. • Do not copy down material from another source without putting it in quotation marks and noting its origin. • If you do, you will forget that these words are not your own, include them as yours in a report or essay and then you will have committed plagiarism. • If you do not want to use someone else's words, while you are note taking make sure you paraphrase (i. e. put a passage into your own words). • If you do this at the note-taking stage, there can be no confusion later on.

NOTE TAKING METHODS 1: THE CORNELL METHOD • The Cornell note taking method helps organize class notes into easily digestible summaries. This method is effective because the main points, details, study cues, and summary are all written in one place. • ADVANTAGES: • Notes are neatly organized, summarized, and easy to review • Allows you to pull out major ideas and concepts

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • The paper is divided into 3 sections: a 2. 5” margin to the left, a 2” summary section on the bottom, and a main 6” in-class note section. • Use the main notes section to take notes during class. • Use the cues section to review your notes. • After class, write down things you’ll need to remember and a prompt for each. You can also use this section for vocabulary words and study questions. • In the summary segment at the bottom, write a summary of your notes. This is where you will highlight the main points.

THE CORNELL METHOD

NOTE TAKING METHODS 2: THE MAPPING METHOD • The Mapping note taking method is a more visual way to organize your class notes. This technique is useful when learning about relationships between topics. • ADVANTAGES: • Useful for visual learners who struggle with studying from notes. • Helps you remember and connect relationships between topics.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • The page is organized by topic. • The main topics branch out into subtopics with detailed information about each.

HOW DO YOU USE IT? • While in class, begin the map with the main topic. • Branching off the main topic, write a heading for each of the subtopics. • Write any important notes underneath each subtopic. • Continue the pattern.

THE MAPPING METHOD

NOTE TAKING METHODS 3: THE OUTLINING METHOD • The Outlining note taking method uses headings and bullet points to organize topics. This method is most useful when learning about topics that include a lot of detail. • ADVANTAGES: • Allows notes to be neatly organized. • It is easy to see the relationship between topics and subtopics. • It is easy to turn points into study questions.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • Each section starts with a heading of the main topic. • Each subtopic and supporting fact is written underneath the proper heading.

HOW DO YOU USE IT? • During a lesson, begin your notes with a single bullet point and write the main topic. • Place the first subtopic below and indented slightly to the right. • List any details below your heading and slightly to the right.

THE OUTLINING METHOD

NOTE TAKING METHODS 4: THE CHARTING METHOD • Charting note taking method uses columns to organize information. This method is useful for lessons that cover a lot of facts or relationships between topics. • ADVANTAGES: • Facts are organized and easy to review. • Highlights key pieces of information for each topic.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • The page is divided into columns labeled by category. • The details of each category are filled out in the rows below.

HOW DO YOU USE IT? • When information about a category is mentioned, jot it down underneath the proper column. • When the next topic begins move down one row and begin again.

THE CHARTING METHOD

NOTE TAKING METHODS 5: THE SENTENCE METHOD • The Sentence note taking method is simply writing down each topic as a jot note sentence. This method works well for fast paced lessons where a lot of information is being covered. • ADVANTAGES: • Jotting main points helps you determine which information is important and which is not. • You are able to cover a lot of details and information quickly. • Notes are simplified for study and review.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • Each line on the page is a new and separate topic. • To organize your notes even more, you can use headings for each main topic

HOW DO YOU USE IT? • Write down important information the teacher has emphasized. This can be in sentence form or point form. • Start a new sentence or point for each new detail. • Use headings to organize points by main topics.

THE SENTENCE METHOD