Why take lecture notes?

To create your own text.To help you stay active & awake in class.Education research indicated that students who take notes tend to emphasize & remember important information & discard the less important information.Learning depends on the capacity for attention as well as the related function of concentration.

Why take lecture notes?The notes provide a record of the topics, ideas and specific information presented by the professor, and an indication of what aspects of each topic the professor considers most important.

The notes can be used to identify those areas which require further study and can provide the basis for deciding what to read in the textbook and how best to approach studying a specific topic.

The exam questions will be drawn from the lecture material.

If done well, the act of taking notes contribute significantly to learning the material and reduces the amount of additional study-time needed.

• LISTENING - Be an Active Listener.

• Improving your listening skills will increase the amount you learn in lecture and decrease the amount of time you will need to study.

• Sit in a place where you can hear and see clearly (i.e., sit close to the lecturer).

• Keep an open mind. Do not decide ahead of time that you are not going to like the lecture.

• Listen for content rather than style of delivery. Try to transcend any annoying mannerisms of the lecturer.

• Have an active mind. Because you can think faster than the lecturer can talk, make connections between what the lecturer is saying and other topics relevant to the course or you

• Get your whole body into it. Keep your feet on the ground and lean forward. It's amazing how posture affects attentiveness.

• Listen selectively. Tune out background noise. Concentrate on the lecture.

• Search for a lecturer's patterns. How does the professor express what he or she considers to be important?

• Key in on important words and phrases (e.g., "therefore" and "in conclusion"). Anything that is repeated is likely to be significant.

• Pre-read the text concerning the material to be covered in lecture. When you hear terms in class they won't seem so alien to you.

• We always learn more efficiently when we can relate new information to our prior knowledge, that is why it is important to be armed with as much background information as you can, before you go to the lecture.

• Review yesterday's notes and edit them. Think about what may be presented today. Study today's lesson, text, or readings. Survey or preview the next lesson.

• Be positive. Tell yourself you will get something valuable out of the lecture. Remember that you are in control of your own learning. Learning isn't something that is "done to you".

• Some mild exercise before a lecture (a brisk) will increase blood and oxygen circulation and help your brain function efficiently. A 10km run may be going a bit far!

• "Being there" sure is helpful and once there, getting involved is essential.

• By sitting in the front rows, you see, hear, participate and concentrate better. This will help you become an active learner in the lecture and will assist you to take better notes.

• Do more listening, thinking, and less writing if you understand the material.

• Watch for verbal, visual, or postural clues which indicate main points. Examples: voice inflections, material on board, repetitions, gestures.

• Ask questions or write them down for further clarification when you disagree or are unsure.

• To get the most out of this activity, you will need to view the video "Note-taking Mini-lesson" which is available from your Study Skills Advisers.

• After you have taken your own notes, compare them with the samples provided here. Did you get all the main points? Do you see some possibilities for you in the examples provided. Did you leave plenty of spaces to later add comments? You could post a message to WebBoard with your observations.

• By avoiding writing every word uttered by the lecturer, you will reduce the amount of material and restrict yourself to essential facts and ideas.

• Using key words allows you to expand on them in your first review. Looking for key words, patterns and ideas, will help to reduce the material.

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• By writing notes in your own words, you are forcing yourself to be an active learner. Non-linear (mind maps) also encourage you to link concepts and be an active and visual learner.

• Anything which a lecturer takes the time to write up on the board or produce as a diagram, graph or handout, should be regarded as an exam clue.

• And finally, readable notes with lots of blank spaces will aid the review process.

• Did you notice how many times review is mentioned in this section?

• It is simply essential to be an active learner (read, hear, see, say and do) if you want to remember as much as possible.

• This really applies to the entire learning process: before the lecture, during the lecture, and after the lecture.

Labels are subheadings ,or identifying words that organize cluster of details that affect or relate to one another.

Write your labels in the margins of your notes within the first 24hafter class.

Use different colour to write notes.

Labels can be used to construct flash cards and charts.

Use the blank page opposite your notes to fill in information from your textbook, handouts.

Use a different coloured- pen to distinguish the notes you took in class from information you got from another source.

Additional information can be enhancing or clarifying.

On the blank facing page add possible exam questions , diagrams & charts.

At the end of the lecture , before you gather your books & leave the class , fill in the blank spaces from your colleagues or the lecturer.

Review your notes as soon as possible after the lecture. This is the time you fill in those gaps, expand on key words and ideas, highlight areas of uncertainty and areas of importance.

Review your notes again about a week after the lecture. This is the time to quickly test yourself on some of the key areas. This weekly review also serves as pre-reading for the next lecture. It activates your prior knowledge before being exposed to new material. A monthly review is important to your long term retention of the material. Rehearse important points, amplify points which have become clearer and again, test yourselfAll of these reviews can be done in 10 - 20 minutes per subject. The value of those 10 -20 minutes is equal to hours of re-learning and cramming later in the semester. The next section proves this statement.

• Edit your notes as soon as possible -- the sooner you do so, the less you will forget.

• Reorganize notes. – Number, label or underline to stress major

and minor points. – Take out repetitions or irrelevancies. – Add or clarify where needed. – Code the margins with key topics. – Reduce notes.

• Set up for review.

• Write summary statements.

• Turn major headings into questions to use in selective reviewing.

• Mark points you expect will be included on the test.

• Write possible questions over the material given.

• This graph clearly demonstrates that short reviews will help you retain the lecture information. With no reviews, you virtually have to re-learn the material after about a month.

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• Much of what we have discovered about note-taking in lectures also applies to note-taking when you are reading.

• This time, however, you do not have a lecturer guiding you and providing you with diagrams, questions or tutorials.

• You now have to be more disciplined and generate these aspects of active learning yourself.

• The Cornell note taking system, developed by former Cornell professor Walter Pauk features three areas. One area is for note taking, one for review notes, and one for summarizing.

• The Lecture FormatMost lectures include an introduction to get your attention, a thesis statement to tell what the day's topic will be, a body of content about the topic, a summary statement, and a certain number of irrelevancies. The body of the content is generally organized around one of the following formats:

• Inductive - begins with a small fact, building upon that to a major conclusion.

• Deductive - starts with a major point and gradually defends that point down to the smallest fact.

• Chronological - organized according to time, often earliest to most recent.

• Spatial - uses diagrams, maps, or pictures to guide the direction of the lecture.

• Logical - follows some sequence of events or steps in an evolutionary manner.

• Topical - presents several content areas with no apparent connection.

• The Cornell Method• The Cornell method provides a systematic format for condensing

and organizing notes without laborious recopying. After writing the notes in the main space, use the left-hand space to label each idea and detail with a key word or "cue."

• Method - Rule your paper with a 2 ½ inch margin on the left leaving a six-inch area on the right in which to make notes. During class, take down information in the six-inch area. When the instructor moves to a new point, skip a few lines. After class, complete phrases and sentences as much as possible. For every significant bit of information, write a cue in the left margin. To review, cover your notes with a card, leaving the cues exposed. Say the cue out loud, then say as much as you can of the material underneath the card. When you have said as much as you can, move the card and see if what you said matches what is written. If you can say it, you know it.

• Advantages - Organized and systematic for recording and reviewing notes. Easy format for pulling out major concept and ideas. Simple and efficient. Saves time and effort. "Do-it-right-in-the-first-place" system.

• Disadvantages - None• When to Use - In any lecture situation.

• The Outlining Method• Dash or indented outlining is usually best except for some science

classes such as physics or math.• The information which is most general begins at the left with each

more specific group of facts indented with spaces to the right. • The relationships between the different parts is carried out through

indenting. • No numbers, letters, or Roman numerals are needed. • Method - Listening and then write in points in an organized pattern

based on space indention. Place major points farthest to the left. Indent each more specific point to the right. Levels of importance will be indicated by distance away from the major point. Indention can be as simple as or as complex as labeling the indentations with Roman numerals or decimals. Markings are not necessary as space relationships will indicate the major/minor points.

• Advantages - Well-organized system if done right. Outlining records content as well as relationships. It also reduces editing and is easy to review by turning main points into questions.

• Disadvantages - Requires more thought in class for accurate organization. This system may not show relationships by sequence when needed. It doesn't lend to diversity of a review attach for maximum learning and question application. This system cannot be used if the lecture is too fast.

• When to Use - The outline format can be used if the lecture is presented in outline organization. This may be either deductive (regular outline) or inductive (reverse outline where minor points start building to a major point). Use this format when there is enough time in the lecture to think about and make organization decisions when they are needed. This format can be most effective when your notetaking skills are super sharp and you can handle the outlining regardless of the notetaking situation.

• Example -•  • Extrasensory perception • __ definition: means of perceiving without use of sense organs.

• __ three kinds -

• __ telepathy: sending messages __ clairvoyance: forecasting the future __ psychokinesis: perceiving events external to situation

• __ current status -

• __ no current research to support or refute __ few psychologists say impossible __ door open to future

• The Mapping Method• Mapping is a method that uses comprehension/concentration skills

and evolves in a notetaking form which relates each fact or idea to every other fact or idea. Mapping is a graphic representation of the content of a lecture. It is a method that maximizes active participation, affords immediate knowledge as to its understanding, and emphasizes critical thinking.

• Advantages - This format helps you to visually track your lecture regardless of conditions. Little thinking is needed and relationships can easily be seen. It is also easy to edit your notes by adding numbers, marks, and color coding. Review will call for you to restructure thought processes which will force you to check understanding. Review by covering lines for memory drill and relationships. Main points can be written on flash or note cards and pieced together into a table or larger structure at a later date.

• Disadvantages - You may not hear changes in content from major points to facts.

• When to Use - Use when the lecture content is heavy and well-organized. May also be used effectively when you have a guest lecturer and have no idea how the lecture is going to be presented.

• Example -•

• Charting Method• If the lecture format is distinct (such as chronological), you may set

up your paper by drawing columns and labeling appropriate headings in a table.

• Method - Determine the categories to be covered in the lecture. Set up your paper in advance by columns headed by these categories. As you listen to the lecture, record information (words, phrases, main ideas, etc.) into the appropriate category.

• Advantages - Helps you track conversation and dialogues where you would normally be confused and lose out on relevant content. Reduces amount of writing necessary. Provides easy review mechanism for both memorization of facts and study of comparisons and relationships.

• Disadvantages - few disadvantages except learning how to use the system and locating the appropriate categories. You must be able to understand what's happening in the lecture

• When to Use - Test will focus on both facts and relationships. Content is heavy and presented fast. You want to reduce the amount of time you spend editing and reviewing at test time. You want to get an overview of the whole course on one big paper sequence.

• Example - Chart format for a history class:•

Example - Chart format for a history class:

                                                                                          

                                                                                     

• The Sentence Method• Method - Write every new thought, fact or topic on a

separate line, numbering as you progress.• Advantages - Slightly more organized than the

paragraph. Gets more or all of the information. Thinking to tract content is still limited.

• Disadvantages - Can't determine major/minor points from the numbered sequence. Difficult to edit without having to rewrite by clustering points which are related. Difficult to review unless editing cleans up relationship.

• When to Use - Use when the lecture is somewhat organized, but heavy with content which comes fast. You can hear the different points, but you don't know how they fit together. The instructor tends to present in point fashion, but not in grouping such as "three related points."

• Three Examples -• Example 1: • A revolution is any occurrence that affects other aspects

of life, such as economic life, social life, and so forth. Therefore revolutions cause change. (See page 29 to 30 in your text about this.)

• Sample Notes: • Revolution - occurrence that affects other aspects of life:

e.g., econ., socl., etc. C.f. text, pp. 29-30