Effective Note-Taking

1. Effective Note-Taking A Learning to Learn module

2. In this module... Learners will: • Learn what note-taking is and why it is important. • Learn how to properly structure a note. • Learn general tips for good note-taking. • Understand their learning style and use it to enhance note taking. • Complete various activities to further their understanding of the ideas presented

3. Note-taking is trickier than it seems! • Many of us take notes on a daily basis, but we need to ask ourselves "Am I taking goodnotes?" • A good note is a summary of the information being delivered. It demonstrates that you understand what is being taught. • Notes need to include more than key terms and definitions. It's important to write down important concepts and ideas.

4. Why do we take notes? • Notes allow us to analyze and recall information at a later time. • Key points • Facts • Quotes • Dates and statistics • Writing down notes helps us internalize the information being delivered. We can then turn information that is new and unfamiliar into knowledge. • Jotting down ideas you do not fully understand will help you determine what to review and what to clarify with your teacher.

5. How do we take good notes? • When taking notes, you must remember that you will not be able to write down every word the teacher says! • If you attempt to write everything: • You might miss key ideas that come later in the lesson because you are focused on transcribing past information • You may not fully understand and absorb the information you are writing down • First listen, then write! • Listen to your teacher and take a minute to understand the information • Write down a summary of the information in your own words • Highlight/underline any information you find confusing and clarify it with your teacher

6. Activity 1: Summarize it! Instructions: Read the excerpt from Mr. Drew’s science class. Underline any important information. Summarize the main points of his lesson in 1-2 bullet point notes. “Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She is also the only person who has won a Nobel Prize in two different sciences. Most notable, however, Marie Curie discovered radiation. She was also the first person to use radiation to treat tumors. Curie experimented extensively with radioactivity during her scientific career. Unfortunately the damaging effects of radiation were not known then. Her exposure most likely was the cause of her blindness and early death. Still today her scientific papers are still considered too dangerous to handle without protective equipment. These documents are stored in lead-lined boxes. Even her cookbook is radioactive!”

7. How to Structure Your Notes Remember- always start a new page for each day of new information! Before you start taking notes: • Write the date, subject and instructor in the top right-hand corner of your page • Title your note (include a lesson/lecture number if possible) • Jot down the page number in the bottom right-hand corner of your page While you are taking notes: • Use headings and sub-headings to organize your information • Underline/highlight key points and terms • Leave appropriate space after sub-headings

8. Example April 26, 2016 English Mrs. Ruby Lesson 5: Writing an Essay Components of an Essay • Before note-taking: • Date, Subject, Teacher • Title • Page Number Heading 1 1. Introduction • An introduction includes: • An opening sentence • A thesis • Supporting arguments • Closing sentence Sub-heading Thesis: The main argument of your essay. It should be clear and concise. • During note-taking: • Use headings and sub-headings • Underline key points and terms • Leave appropriate space after sub-headings Underlined key term 2 Page 1

9. Activity 2: Make a mock note 1 Instructions: First, read the scenario and write down any important information on the provided piece of lined paper. Next, listen a short lesson on “hamburger paragraphs” and take notes. Make sure to use headings and sub-heading and underline/highlight key terms. Scenario: You walk into your English class with Mrs. Ritchie. You make your way to the front of the room and take a seat. You un-pack your bag and open your notebook to a brand new page. You check your watch. Your watch reads: 8:56 a.m. May 15, 2016. Mrs. Ritchie arrives and starts the class. 2 Listen to this short lesson.

10. GeneralNote-Taking Tips Five helpful tactics you can use!

11. 1. Leave space between topics • Sometimes teachers will finish talking about a topic, move on to a new idea, and suddenly remember an important about the previous topic. • Leaving space after different topics allows you to go back and add important notes that may be said later in the lesson. • You should leave approximately 3-4 blank lines. Example: The speaker begins talking about the roles of the Canadian Prime Minister. Then, they move on to explain the roles of the President of the United States. While describing the President’s roles, the speaker remembers something they should have said about the roles of the Prime Minister. The speaker mentions this new piece of information to the class.

12. 2. Use abbreviations and symbols • Create a system of abbreviations and symbols that you understand! A system will save you time and energy when taking notes. • Examples: • Use “&” for “and” • Use “ ” for “therefore” • Use “w/” for “with” • Use “w/out” for “without” • Use “vs.” for “versus”

13. Activity #4: Create a list of abbreviations and symbols Technology Application • Brainstorm a list of abbreviations and symbols that make sense to you. You may way to search for ideas online if you have access to a computer. • Record your list for future reference.

14. 3. Be “reasonable” with spelling • Spelling is important! You must be able to read and understand your notes when you go to review for a test. • HOWEVER: When you are taking notes, don’t worry about spelling every word correctly. If you are coming up blank, write down how you think the word is spelt and move on. After you finish note-taking you can go back and fix your spelling errors.

15. 4. Listen for word clues • Teachers will often hint to their students that the information they are saying is important. • Common word clues: • “This is a very important point..” • “The key point(s) I want to make is/are…” • “The main idea is…” • “If you look on page __ …” • “You might want to look at this example…” • Also look for… • Use of numbers • Example: “there are three main opinions…” • Repetition: If the speaker repeats a point of information, it is most likely important. • Review: If the speaker reviews information previously said, the information is most likely important.

16. 5. Review your notes daily When you leave class, take a minute to sit down and review your notes. Go through the following steps:

17. Learning Style and Note-Taking What is a learning style? To put it simply, your learning style, or learning preference, is the way you tend to learn best. Why is it important to note-taking? You can use various note-taking strategies and tips that will cater to your learning style. Therefore, you will understand the material better and gain more knowledge.

18. VAK Learning Styles • Visual: Learning by seeing • Uses visual objects such as graphs, charts, pictures • Mentally pictures situations and problems • Auditory: Learning by hearing • Retains information by listening and speaking • Summarizes key ideas out loud to help with memorization • Kinesthetic: Learning by doing or experiencing • Prefers a “hands-on” approach to learn new material • Would rather demonstrate how to do something than explain it verbally

19. Activity 4: Find your learning style • Instructions: complete the learning style inventory in the handout. Then, add your total number of a, b and c’s and record them in the box provided. Finally, order your preferred learning style. Visual Kinesthetic Auditory

20. Note-taking tips for visual learners • Use colour • Colour-code your notes to organize them • Underline words and phrases that are important in your notes • Use a highlighting system • Use pictures • Sketch pictures that represent an idea or add to a main concept (a picture is worth a thousand words!) • Use a system of symbols for common words • Structure your bullet points in a visual way • Underline headings, indent bullet points, draw boxes around key information/terms Example of a highlighting system

21. Note-taking tips for auditory learners • Listen • Ask your instructor if you can record their class on an audio recording device. Listen to the class again at a later time to fill in missing information in your notes or to review the material • Talk • Study with a friend or family member who can read information to you • Record yourself saying your notes aloud and listen to the recording when you have free time • Try making rhymes and jingles to help you recall information

22. Note-taking tips for kinesthetic learners • Multi-task • Chew gum or suck on a mint while taking notes. These actions will be enough movement to help you concentrate • Playing with something in your hands may help you concentrate. Use a stress ball or a paper clip. • Use your body • Write your notes out by hand instead of on the computer • Make review notes on index cards which you can flip through and shuffle • “Act out” stories or passages from a novel, then write down the main points and events

23. Learning Goal Check In this module, learners have… • Analyzed what note taking is and why it is an essential skill. • Learned how to properly structure a note. • Learned general tips for good note-taking. • Determined their learning style and how it can enhance their note-taking.

24. CREDITS • This Power Point was created by Laubach Literacy Ontario. • The resources can be downloaded free of charge at www.laubach-on.ca. • This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. 2017 • All website links were accurate at the time of original distribution-May 2017. • All of the images and clip art used in this Power Point are from Clipart.com and Microsoft Office.com.