The Cornell Note Taking Method

1. The Cornell Note Taking Method A Proven Way to Make the Most of Lecture Notes

2. Cornell Note Taking Method • Keeps your notes focused. • Minimizes study time. • Maximizes study effectiveness.

3. Regular Notes Write everything teacher says. Put it down in order it is said. You don’t think about what you are writing down. Cornell System Write main topics Put it in the order it is said, but modify it later if needed. You think about what you are writing and form questions that will help you study later. Compared to other notes…

4. Advantages • Helps you store info in Long Term Memory by making you use the info while it is still fresh. • When you go over your notes, you are not just reading them, you are using them to help you review because there are summaries and questions already on the page.

5. How to take Cornell Notes • Bottom section is for summaries. • Right margin is for questions. • Left panel is for the notes. • Divide note paper into three sections. See Overhead or handout.

6. How to use your notes. • Take the notes in class. • Write questions that the teacher could ask to test or quiz you on the info. • Example: Maya Angelou is an African American poet whose work became popular during the late 1970’s. • Question: When did the work of Maya Angelou become popular?

7. How to use your notes • Example: Maya Angelou is an African American poet whose work became popular during the late 1970’s. • An even better question would be: • Why did the poetry of Maya Angelou become popular during the late 1970’s? • You could ask the teacher this question during class, write the answer in your notes, and have the answer at you fingertips when you need it.

8. How to use your notes • After class, as soon as possible, read over your notes. At the bottom of each page, write a summary of what that page says. • This summary should be in your own words. • If there are terms in the notes that you do not understand, now is the time to use your dictionary or textbook to look them up.

9. How to use your notes • On a nightly basis, go over the summaries and the questions that you have written. This breaks the task of studying into small, manageable chunks. • Science tells us that people learn best when information is studied multiple times in small doses. • Cornell notes allow for you to do that.

10. How to use your notes • On quiz and test days, have your notes with you. • You will almost always be allowed to use your notes on quizzes and tests. • By having questions in margins, you speed up your scan of notes on test days. • By having summaries, you speed up use of notes as well.

11. The results of Cornell Note Taking • Maximize results of study time. • Maximize quiz and test performance. • Spend less time studying in random ways. • Make information stick in long term memory. • Get better grades overall. • This is a proven system that works!