By: Don
Penven
The student
can take 2 approaches toward note-taking:
• The casual
approach: This approach to note-raking reveals that you look at note-taking as
just one more chore in the overall scheme of things. At some point during your
school years, someone, a teacher no doubt, stressed the need for taking good
notes if you expect to get good grades. Yes…that’s a big part of the picture,
but approaching this task in a casual manner will generally result in pages of
meaningless gibberish. A good instructor/professor has a “method in this
madness.” A good educator will deliver each lecture or classroom review that
encompasses a theme. He/she is revealing certain key elements of the subject
matter that you are expected to grasp and retain. Why…? Because the upcoming
exam will test your note-taking skills.
• The
scientific approach: This approach is solely dependent on you. The casual
approach is one in which you tend to treat the whole matter as a joke. The
scientific approach is one wherein you recognize the seriousness of the
endeavor and make a sincere effort to write down those key points that the
instructor is trying to make. In reality, many educators are actually handing
you a copy of the upcoming exam—but those following the Casual Approach seem to
miss the whole point of these sessions. The objective, you see, is to provide
yourself with an outline of the subject material, which saves you the time and
effort in re-reading pages and chapters of textbook material. Of course you
will review the formal textbook material but having good notes will direct you
toward a glimpse of what the exam will cover.
The tips
listed below will only be helpful to you if you are genuinely committed to
creating notes that offer you a snapshot of the lecture or classroom coverage
of the subject matter, which in reality may be the instructor’s method of
virtually handing you a copy of the exam in advance. Now the choice is
yours—you can do the right thing and record this vital information or you can
shrug it off.
1. Please do
not rely on someone else to take notes for you. This is often a direct route to
self-destruction. Be prepared to take your own notes. This will eliminate
having to figure out or interpret what your classmate is trying to convey.
2.
Preparation: A good note-taking technique is to use a 3-ring binder. Lecture
material isn’t always given in the same order it is found in the textbook so
move pages around to maintain a degree of order. Use 3-ring separators to keep
lecture material and subject matter in order.
3. While it
may seem painful to you—sit near or even on the front row—towards the center of
the room. You will be less likely to miss keys points this way.
4. When the
instructor goes the extra step of listing points on the board, overhead
projector or PowerPoint slide, you can be certain that information is
important—so record this in it your notes.
5. Be sure
to date your notes and add headings and subheadings to keep the trend of the
subject matter in some form of logical order.
6. A handy
device to have on hand is a portable voice recorder, which is another reason to
sit close to the speaker. A fast-talking instructor may overwhelm your manual
note-taking, but you can rerun his/her lecture as many times as needed to get a
grasp on what was being said.
7. Most
instructors will post reading assignments in advance of lectures. Spend the
time during the day before to at least skim the material. You are
better-equipped to grasp the key points of a lecture if you are at least
familiar with the main topics of discussion.
Note-taking
can actually be fun if you don’t look at it as a bore. Each key point
represents a potential exam question. Educators, good educators, plan out the
semester from beginning to end. They hope for the majority of their students to
get good final grades. This equates to a kind of job security for them. If their
students do consistently well year after year, this is a mark of a true
educator and not an individual who is just filling a slot in the faculty
roster.
I sincerely
hope these note-taking tips will benefit your quest for good grades. My website
has much more valuable information Drop by and browse these articles anytime.
They are crafted to help students just like you. When you first learn how to
study, you have a leg up on those other students who just seem to flounder
along, and then wonder why they are not getting the top grades.
How to Take Notes in Class-Note-Taking Part 2
In Part 1 of this series we explained note-taking as merely a
means of creating an outline of the subject matter being covered in the lecture
or classroom discussion. Now we’ll take that a step farther . The
lecturer/instructor will most likely have several key points that he/she
emphasizes.
What is a “Keyword?”
What you must do is to recognize these “keywords,” since they will more than likely be included in the exam. For example: In physics a keyword might be “fulcrum.” You may be challenged to define this keyword: “A fulcrum, or pivot point, is the area around which a lever turns.” And here we have another keyword—“Lever.”
In chemistry a keyword could be, “catalyst.” A good answer is, “A Catalyst is any substance that works to accelerate a chemical reaction.” Do you see what I’m getting at here? The point is to jot down keywords and list an example or two. Of course if the explanation of the keyword is lengthy, you can always go online and find the answer.
What you must do is to recognize these “keywords,” since they will more than likely be included in the exam. For example: In physics a keyword might be “fulcrum.” You may be challenged to define this keyword: “A fulcrum, or pivot point, is the area around which a lever turns.” And here we have another keyword—“Lever.”
In chemistry a keyword could be, “catalyst.” A good answer is, “A Catalyst is any substance that works to accelerate a chemical reaction.” Do you see what I’m getting at here? The point is to jot down keywords and list an example or two. Of course if the explanation of the keyword is lengthy, you can always go online and find the answer.
Preparing for a Lecture
Make it a consistent practice to review your homework assignments prior to class. In fact, Begin a page in your notebook wherein you pull out keywords from the text being studied, then during the lecture you will be better able to grasp and record the keywords spoken. When preparing for the lecture, be sure to underline or highlight what you believe to be the most significant keywords.
Keep Notes in an Orderly Fashion
Well-organized notes make review of them much easier. Begin the page with the date and topic. Create titles and sub-titles as the lecture progresses. By now you realize that your notes should be a “tickler,” and not a word-for-word essay. You are recording significant points—not the full theme of the discussion.
Include any obvious keywords as well as complex terminology that is presented.
Make it a consistent practice to review your homework assignments prior to class. In fact, Begin a page in your notebook wherein you pull out keywords from the text being studied, then during the lecture you will be better able to grasp and record the keywords spoken. When preparing for the lecture, be sure to underline or highlight what you believe to be the most significant keywords.
Keep Notes in an Orderly Fashion
Well-organized notes make review of them much easier. Begin the page with the date and topic. Create titles and sub-titles as the lecture progresses. By now you realize that your notes should be a “tickler,” and not a word-for-word essay. You are recording significant points—not the full theme of the discussion.
Include any obvious keywords as well as complex terminology that is presented.
Write Notes Legibly
Your notes will be absolutely useless if you can’t read them a few weeks or a month from when they were recorded.
Make sure that you write legibly, if you can't read them later, they'll be useless. If you have sloppy handwriting it may be wise to type your notes so that they are easier to read.
If you missed what the instructors said, ask them to repeat it or go to the instructor after class and ask for clarification. If you are in a rush, ask the instructor at the beginning of the next class or try to find the answer from a friend or the relevant text.
Compare notes with a classmate to make sure you didn't miss any important points.
Your notes will be absolutely useless if you can’t read them a few weeks or a month from when they were recorded.
Make sure that you write legibly, if you can't read them later, they'll be useless. If you have sloppy handwriting it may be wise to type your notes so that they are easier to read.
If you missed what the instructors said, ask them to repeat it or go to the instructor after class and ask for clarification. If you are in a rush, ask the instructor at the beginning of the next class or try to find the answer from a friend or the relevant text.
Compare notes with a classmate to make sure you didn't miss any important points.
Finding the Theme for Class Notes
There are a few ways to identify a theme for a framework.
First of all, if the teacher has assigned a specific chapter or passage for the next class, you can be pretty certain that the next lecture will focus on that reading. Even if the information is different from the chapter you read (and teachers often add important facts to the reading) the theme or topic will often be the same.
There are a few ways to identify a theme for a framework.
First of all, if the teacher has assigned a specific chapter or passage for the next class, you can be pretty certain that the next lecture will focus on that reading. Even if the information is different from the chapter you read (and teachers often add important facts to the reading) the theme or topic will often be the same.
Teachers are different,
however. Some teachers will assign readings on one topic and
lecture on something completely different. When this happens, you must find the
relationship between the reading and the lecture. Chances are, that
relationship will represent a theme.
Homework Tip: Where do themes end up? On tests, in the form of essay questions!
Another good way to identify a theme for the day is to ask the teacher. Before each lecture begins, simply ask if the teacher can provide a theme, title, or framework for the day's class.
Homework Tip: Where do themes end up? On tests, in the form of essay questions!
Another good way to identify a theme for the day is to ask the teacher. Before each lecture begins, simply ask if the teacher can provide a theme, title, or framework for the day's class.
Your teacher will probably be very glad you asked and may even
start providing a theme or framework for each day before the lecture begins.
Take Class Notes With Pictures
You may find that it helps to draw pictures while you take notes.
No, this doesn't mean you should doodle while the teacher is talking! Instead, you may find that you can understand a theme or overall picture of a class lecture when you turn words into diagrams or charts.
For example, if your biology teacher talks about osmosis, be sure to draw a quick and simple picture of the process. You can even ask the teacher to draw an example on the board and then copy the illustration. Don't ever hesitate to ask the teacher for visual aids! Teachers know all about visual learning.
Tips to Improve Memory
You may find that it helps to draw pictures while you take notes.
No, this doesn't mean you should doodle while the teacher is talking! Instead, you may find that you can understand a theme or overall picture of a class lecture when you turn words into diagrams or charts.
For example, if your biology teacher talks about osmosis, be sure to draw a quick and simple picture of the process. You can even ask the teacher to draw an example on the board and then copy the illustration. Don't ever hesitate to ask the teacher for visual aids! Teachers know all about visual learning.
Tips to Improve Memory
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