Note-taking helps you refine what you hear and read into note form. The benefits of note-taking include better comprehension and retention of information, by some estimates up to 80%. Studies have shown handwriting is more effective for comprehension and retention while typing notes is faster and easier to organise. For students who handwriting too slow or overwhelming, a mixture of the approaches will result in the best overall outcome, Students can type their notes in class and then later handwrite them at home. This combination will ensure the information is captured, understood and remembered.
Introduction
There are a variety of note-taking styles. No single method suits all students. However, many successful students and business people have found that the Cornell note-taking system is very effective for lectures or reading that is organised around clearly defined topics, subtopics, and supporting details.
The Cornell System is both a note-taking and a study system. There are six steps to it.
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Step One: Record 1) Prepare your notepaper (or use a template) by creating a two-column table. The left-hand column should take up about 1/3 of your writing space, leaving the remaining 2/3 for recording information. Use only one side of each sheet of notepaper. 2) Summarise and paraphrase (restate in your own words) the facts and ideas presented. Record definitions as stated or written. 3) Indicate changes in topic with headings or by leaving a space between topics 4) Number, indent, or bullet key ideas presented with each topic. 5) Aim for brief sentences, abbreviations, and symbols. This will increase your note-taking speed. 6) Write legibly so your notes make sense to you later. 7) Edit as soon as possible |
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Step two: Question Formulate test questions based on the information recorded in notes and write them in the recall clues column on the left-hand side of notes. Questions should focus on specific definitions and “big ideas”. |
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Step three: Recite 1) Recitation means explaining the information in the notes out loud, in your own words. The information should be triggered by the test questions in the recall clues column. 2) Purposes of recitation: a. Improves learning: Psychologists who study how the memory works say that reciting aloud is a powerful technique for anchoring information in the long-term memory. b. Ensures understanding: Reciting requires you to think about and understand the information you are committing to memory. c. Facilitates retrieval: Understanding information improves your ability to retrieve it from your memory. Studies show that students who recite tend to do better on tests than students who just read their notes silently to themselves. 3) Step in recitation: a. Cover up the notes in the “record” column or fold notes back along the line separating the “clues” from the “record” column. b. Use recall clues to stimulate your memory and recite the relevant information. c. Check your answers. This gives you immediate feedback on how well you have learned and are able to retrieve the information. If you have difficulty recalling the information or if your answers are incorrect, learn and recite over again |
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Step Four: Reflect 1) Reflection has to do with thinking about the information you are learning. 2) One way to reflect is to look for connections with your own experiences and observations and with other facts and ideas discussed in class. 3) Another way to reflect is to ask questions like: How do the main ideas fit together into a “bigger picture”? How do these ideas fit in with what I have already learned? What do I agree with? What do I disagree with? Which ideas are clear? Which are confusing? What new questions do I have? |
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Step Five: Summarise 1) Write a summary of the main ideas using your own words. This is the best test of how well you understand the information. 2) Use a section at the bottom of each sheet of notes to write your summary or write a summary of all the notes on the last page of your note sheets. |
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Step Six: Review 1) A good guideline is to review nightly or several times during the week by reciting, not rereading. 2) Frequent, brief review sessions aid more complete comprehension of the material than cramming the night before a quiz/test |
Taking good notes is one of several keys to academic success. There are several reasons why developing an effective technique of note taking is important.
Reasons for Developing Effective Note-Taking Techniques
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1. Prevents forgetting: Our memory fades quickly. For most students, forgetting occurs very rapidly after listening to a lecture, or reading over informational material even if the material is engaging and interesting. After lectures, for example, research shows that we forget 50% of what we hear within an hour and more than 70% within two days. |
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2. Encourages concentration: Taking effective notes requires a student to be mentally active during a lecture or while reading. One has to pay attention, interact with information, make decisions about what to record, and write. Given that the mind is occupied with a demanding task, there is less opportunity for the mind to wander. |
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3. Records testable material: Instructors generally expect students to remember and apply facts and ideas presented in lecture or in texts. Tests are based on key ideas teachers emphasize in their lectures and/or written material that supports key concepts or themes. In other words, the testable material. |
Guide to Note Taking
Below are some tips for note taking. Remember to record all the sources you use!
Your notes don’t have to ONLY be linear.
