Tomorrow's Professor Message #163 MORE EFFECTIVE NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES

Folks:

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
[http://www.livhope.ac.uk/livhope/gnu/stuhelp/notes2.htm#Ideas%20for],
through their fund for the development of teaching and learning is
supporting a project to develop a geography seminar program for
non-standard entry students. The site has many helpful hints on topics
that apply to all areas of study such as:

Group work
Critical reading
Note-taking
Time management
Literature searching
Referencing
Essay writing
Writing to a brief
Oral presentations
Effective revisions
Exam techniques
Skills and careers

Below is an excerpt from the section on more effective note-taking.

Regards,

Rick Reis
Reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: The Victorian Internet

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MORE EFFECTIVE NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES

INTRODUCTION

It will soon become apparent, if it hasn't already, that not all lectures
are fascinating and stimulating, and that not all lecturers are born with a
gift for public speaking.

However, the information and ideas that they are trying to impart are just
as important, and any notes that you take in the lectures must be
understandable to you, not only five minutes after the lecture has
finished, but in several months' time, when you come to revise from them.
The question, then, is how to retain your concentration and produce a good
set of notes.

There are a few misconceptions on the part of students as to what can be
expected of a lecture session. Firstly, that the responsibility for the
success of the lecture is entirely the tutor's, and that the student's role
is to sit and listen or to take verbatim notes. Secondly, that the purpose
of a lecture is to impart information which will be needed for an exam
question. And thirdly, that attending the lecture, and taking notes, is an
individual, even competitive, activity.

This page aims to correct these ideas, and to help you develop successful
note-taking strategies.

BEFORE THE LECTURE

* If you know the subject of the lecture, do some background reading
beforehand. This way, you will go into the lecture with a better
understanding, and find it easier to distinguish the points worth noting.

* Read through the notes of the previous lecture in the series just before
the present one begins. This helps orient your thoughts to the subject in
hand, especially if you have just come from a lecture on a completely
different subject.

DURING THE LECTURE

* Think of a lecture as an active, learning process, rather than a passive,
secretarial exercise. Writing verbatim what the lecturer says, or copying
everything down from overheads, does not involve much thought, and
subsequent reading of these notes often makes little sense.

* Pages of continuous prose are the least helpful for revision. Some things
said in the lecture are obviously more important than others, and the notes
you take should reflect this. Try to give them some structure, by using
headings and sub-headings, by HIGHLIGHTING or underlining key ideas and
realizing the links between them. Alternative noting forms to linear notes,
such as flow diagrams or star charts, can be used, although these are often
more helpful to revise your notes (see After the Lecture).

* In some situations, you may be directed in the amount of note-taking
necessary. For example, the lecturer may start off by giving you some
references on the subject he/she is to lecture on. A good strategy to adopt
in this case would be to note down carefully the references, then just
LISTEN to the lecture, making brief notes about the main points or specific
examples. Taking notes from books is far easier than in lectures, as you
can go at your own pace, stop and think about something, re-read a section
etc. Use the lecture to try and understand the concepts being explained.

* Or, the lecturer may give hand-outs to accompany the lecture. In this
case, you don't need to make copious notes of your own. Again, listen to
what is being said, and annotate the hand-out with any extra information.
It gives you more time to think, and perhaps raise questions of your own.

* On the subject of questions, it is commonly believed by students that
lecturers are not to be interrupted when they are in full flow. You may
find that this isn't always the case, and there is nothing wrong with
asking individual lecturers if they mind taking questions during the
lecture. It is best to establish this at the beginning of the course of
lectures.

* However, there is also the problem of speaking out in front of your
peers, perhaps asking something foolish, or not having the time to frame
your question well. In this case, write down the question in the margin of
your notes, to ask the lecturer later, or check with friends or in a
textbook. It is far easier to recall the question you wanted to ask in this
way, rather than rely on remembering after the lecture has finished (or
even when you come to revise from your notes!)

AFTER THE LECTURE

* The best time to review your lecture notes is immediately following the
lecture, although this is not always possible if, for example, you have to
go straight to another one. However, the sooner you do it, with the lecture
still fresh in your mind, the better chance you have to produce a good set
of notes for revision.

* Revising your notes does not mean writing them out neatly!

* Try swapping notes with a friend, to check the accuracy/omissions of your
own, and your understanding of the key points.

* If you feel that your notes are incomplete, or if you jotted down any
questions during the lecture, follow this up by asking your tutor, or by
reading round the subject.

* Transforming your lecture notes by using a different noting form can
sometimes make them clearer, e.g. a flow diagram

* Highlight key points; produce summaries for revision purposes.

* Think how this topic relates to previous ones, or to other courses that
you are studying, and begin to recognize themes and relationships.

* Meet with a few friends after lectures, to discuss the lecture topic and
answer each others questions. Discussion with your peers often leads to a
better understanding of a subject, which in turn makes it easier to
remember. Your group could also establish a reading syndicate, whereby
reading lists can be divided between members, who each take notes on their
allotted texts and give copies to the rest of the group.

STORING YOUR NOTES

* A little time spent at this stage in organizing your notes will make life
much easier when you come to revise from them some months later.

* Numbering pages, making a contents page, or using dividers in your file
will all make your notes more accessible.

NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES AS A FLOW DIAGRAM (See URL above)