Taking Organized and effective notes

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Taking Organized and effective notesReading to
Remember
Brian Brausch
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Taking Organized and Effective Notes
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Taking Notes

• Involves 3 major tasks
• Effective listening
• Effective observation
• Effective note taking

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Effective Listening

• Humans are poor listeners
• FOCUS
• Be alert, be aware
• Active process which
• begins before class

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Effective Listening In Class

• Find a good seat, comfortable
• Pay attention purposefully
• Listen for cues
• Resist distractions
• Dont let your mind wander
• Take notes while you listen
• Be in the moment
• Awareness Test

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Are you easily distracted?

• Arrive at each class prepared
• Arrive on time
• Sit near the front
• Do not doodle
• Stop daydreaming
• Look at the teacher

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Before Note Taking
B E F O R E

• Be positive Attitude is everything
• Find a style that fits you
• Read
• Prepare a list of questions
• BE PREPARED!!!

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During Note Taking
DURING

• Important ideas only
• Listen and Look for cues (In other words, Most
  importantly)
• Leave open spaces if you get behind
• Use abbreviations
• Record Questions

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After Note Taking
A F T E R

• Verbalize your understanding to another student
• Compare with classmates
• Revise notes as appropriate
• Review your notes, clarify
• Rehearse aloud
• Highlight

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Note Taking

• Many methods, 5 outlined here
• The Cornell Method
• The Outline Method
• The Mapping Method
• The Charting or PEPPS Method
• The Sentence Method

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The Outlining Method

• Main points on farthest left side, subsequent
  points follow indents
• Example
• Note Taking
• 2 skills needed
• Effective listening
• Effective note taking
• 5 methods
• Cornell Met., Outlining Met., Mapping Met.,
  Outlining Met., Sentence Met.

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The Mapping Method

• A graphic representation of the lecture content

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The Cornell Method

• Draw a line down the page vertically 2 ½ inches
  from left hand side
• Take notes on right side, leave few lines between
  each point
• After class, write cues or questions in left
  margin
• Review and test yourself by covering notes and
  leaving cues
• Saves you having to rewrite your notes to study
  for exams

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The Charting Method (PEPPS)

• Good for history lectures
• Draw columns/ categories and insert notes as
  necessary

PERIOD EVENT PLACE PEOPLE SIGNIFICANCE
1939-1945 WWII Europe, West Pacific Hitler, Tojo FDR, Churchill, Mussolini Atom Bomb, Cold War, Holocaust
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The Sentence Method

• Write every new thought on separate line
• Thought 2
• Thought 3
• Thought 4
• Thought 5
• Phrases are quicker than sentence form

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Common Abbreviations

• w/ - with
• w/o without
• or - and
• ppl.- people
• _at_ - at
• Q - question
• A answer
• ? Im lost
• Ex example
• Imp- important
• -gt - leads to
• Etc and other things
• Cont- continued
• Govt- government

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Live Scribe Pen
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Reading To Remember
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Retaining Information

• Short term vs. Long term
• Ability to hold on to information.
• SQ4R method
• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
• Review
• Reflect

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SQ4R Step One

• Survey and Question
• Improve reading speed and comprehension
• Skim or survey chapter (turning subtitles into
  questions) 5-minutes or less
• Warm up for the brain
• Creates advanced organizers
• Improves comprehension and concentration.
• Questioning is important keeps you active and
  awake

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SQ4R Step 2

• Read and Recite
• Read a section at a time
• Turn subheadings into questions and find the
  answers
• Underline the main idea (if important)
• When finished with section, look at subheading
  and see if you can recite or re-say the main
  point.
• Important for storing in long term memory

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SQ4R Step 3

• Review and Reflect
• IMMEDIATELY after reading chapter, do quick
  review of what you learned. 5-minutes or less.
• Look at subheadings recall main points
• Re-read points you highlighted.
• Reflect on how you can use the info, how does it
  relate?

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Review and Reflection Points

• What is important?
• What is the significance?
• How can I use the information?
• What does it mean to me?
• What do I think about the information?
• How does this relate to what I already know?
• Can I think of a good example for this?

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More Useful Ideas

• Unfamiliar word? Look up the definition, it will
  be on the exam!
• You may need to re-read
• Speed and comprehension improves with practice
• Take notes active involvement
• Dont understand? Talk with your teacher

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• Read or skim material before class
• Review periodically throughout semester
• Learning disability?
• Albert Einstein
• Thomas Edison
• Match learning style to reading style
• Auditory read aloud
• Active move around
• Introvert quiet place
• Extrovert group study

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Additional Online Resources

• www.how-to-study.com
• www.studyhall.com
• www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat
• http//frank.mtsu.edu/studskl
• www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/study

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Questions?