Note-taking Strategies & Cornell Method

Note-Taking Strategies

by Ahmad Faris, Nursuria Binti Setaman & Puan Rozita Mohammad

( Modul 6 )

Definition - WRITING DOWN IDEAS FROM LECTURES AND READINGS IN OUR OWN WORDS.

As a student, this is the most important thing to get an excellent result and achieve your target on your examination and get a flying colours. This is because, by taking a notes during lecture time or make a own notes aster studying by chapter, it will helps students in many ways such as :

• Helps to pay attention in class
• Helps us study for quiz, tests or final exam
• Helps to improve our memory
• Helps us take ownership of ideas
• Helps us engage our senses
• Helps to organize and process data and information

Why we have to review notes ?

This is because as a person, we will lost around 80% of what we have hear if we are not reviewed  back within a few hours. So, we must take time EVERY DAY to review notes so that we will never lost the information that we got. 

Some of student said that if they write a notes in the class, their attention and focus will be distract at the same time. So, they cannot hear better the explanation from lecturer.

How can they do some notes during lecture time but at the same time they can give full attention in the class?

- Actually they have to study first for the chapter that they will learn during lecture time and do some notes for every chapter. This is because it will be easier to more understand during lecture time and get an idea for what they will learn about. There's have an advantage if a students do their own notes before the class.

These are the advantage :

• Can be always alert
• Not easily forget the important information
• Easily to memorize
• Increasing the creativity of mind
• Be more focus in class

But how to take notes in the right way? Many students are not notice the right way to take a notes. It is maybe looks like little things but it can effect our notes. 

Here's the details that requires to have in every notes :

• Date and Day
• Label notes
• Title
• Leave some space to add new information
• Use an outline to show - main ideas, support and examples
• Write using our own words ( only ourselves can understand what we wrote )
• Use abbreviations or symbols - to takes short time note taking

When doing a note during the lecture time, students must be aggressive not a passive and be a listener. If have anything that cannot understand, students have to quickly ask questions and ask for the explanation. If do not have any chance to ask, write out the questions in the notes.

What kind of notes that students suppose to do?

1. Cornell Note Taking

2. Two Column Method

3. Outlining 

4. Mapping Method

5. Sentence Method

How to review after a class?

• Create our own examples based on our understanding
• Discuss and compare notes to other, to check if there's some important information we missed
• Re-write notes to be more organized and practical
• Practice skills
• Ask lecturer 

Key action to note based on the Observation of the instructor

- Be alert to the repetition

• When an instructor repeats a specific point, make note of it. Might it be the questions that the instructor will ask again

-Watch in front of the class

• Watch forward to the board or the screen ( projector )
• If the instructor writes something on the board, means the material is important 

- Keep notice the instructor's interest 

• For example; if lecturer is excited to explain about some topic, mostly it will turn out on an examination

- Do not be a judgemental person

• As students, we are not allow to judge the lecturer's style of the way to teach

How to get an interested on the lecture :

• Avoid to sit behind the class it is because when the students sit at the back, they will easily to sleep because cannot hear lecturer's voice too much. Other than that, the board is hard to read and see. Sit on the behind will actually take a risk to ourselves.

SQ4R

• Survey - overview quickly scan
• Question - Establish a purpose
• Read - to answer questions
• Rite - take notes
• Review - at the short intervals
• Recite - answer to questions without open a book