Note Taking Techniques
Cornell Note Taking System
(For Lecture or Reading)
Taking good notes is one of several keys to academic success. There are several reasons why developing an effective technique of note taking is important.
Reasons for Developing Effective Note Taking Techniques
1. Prevents forgetting:
Our memory fades quickly. For most students, forgetting occurs very rapidly after listening to a lecture, or reading over informational material even if the material is engaging and interesting. After lectures, for example, research shows that we forget 50% of what we hear within an hour and more than 70% within two days.
2. Encourages concentration:
Taking effective notes requires a student to be mentally active during a lecture or while reading. One has to pay attention, interact with information, make decisions about what to record, and write. Given that the mind is occupied with a demanding task, there is less opportunity for the mind to wander.
3. Records testable material:
Instructors generally expect students to remember and apply facts and ideas presented in lecture or in texts. Tests are based on key ideas teachers emphasize in their lectures and/or written material that supports key concepts or themes. In other words, the testable material.
Cornell Note Taking: The Process
Introduction
There are a variety of note taking styles. No single method suits all students. However, many successful students and business people have found that the Cornell note taking system is very effective for lectures or reading that is organized around clearly defined topics, subtopics, and supporting details. The Cornell System is both a note taking and a study system. There are six steps to it.
Step One: Record
1) Prepare your notepaper by creating a two-column table. The lefthand column should take up about 1/3 of your writing space, leaving the remaining 2/3 for recording information. Use only one side of each sheet of notepaper. 2) Summarize and paraphrase
(For Lecture or Reading)
Taking good notes is one of several keys to academic success. There are several reasons why developing an effective technique of note taking is important.
Reasons for Developing Effective Note Taking Techniques
1. Prevents forgetting:
Our memory fades quickly. For most students, forgetting occurs very rapidly after listening to a lecture, or reading over informational material even if the material is engaging and interesting. After lectures, for example, research shows that we forget 50% of what we hear within an hour and more than 70% within two days.
2. Encourages concentration:
Taking effective notes requires a student to be mentally active during a lecture or while reading. One has to pay attention, interact with information, make decisions about what to record, and write. Given that the mind is occupied with a demanding task, there is less opportunity for the mind to wander.
3. Records testable material:
Instructors generally expect students to remember and apply facts and ideas presented in lecture or in texts. Tests are based on key ideas teachers emphasize in their lectures and/or written material that supports key concepts or themes. In other words, the testable material.
Cornell Note Taking: The Process
Introduction
There are a variety of note taking styles. No single method suits all students. However, many successful students and business people have found that the Cornell note taking system is very effective for lectures or reading that is organized around clearly defined topics, subtopics, and supporting details. The Cornell System is both a note taking and a study system. There are six steps to it.
Step One: Record
1) Prepare your notepaper by creating a two-column table. The lefthand column should take up about 1/3 of your writing space, leaving the remaining 2/3 for recording information. Use only one side of each sheet of notepaper. 2) Summarize and paraphrase