WHAT IS NOTE TAKING?

1. WHAT IS NOTE TAKING? Is the practice of writing pieces of information, often in an informal or unstructured manner or simply shorthand. It is the means of recording the main information during reading or lecture session. Being a skill it must be learned and refined. 1

2. Importance of note taking Helps in recording information for future reference Enhances concentration and activeness Enhances understanding of subject matter Helps on focusing on important points Improves writing skills Facilitates making revision when preparing for exam Aids memory – helps to retain important facts and data 2

3. How lectures are organised Introduction Announcement of the topic (previous and present) Body of the lecture (deductive and/or inductive approach) Summary (restatement of key points) Aids 3

4. Three stages for note-making Before Think about the purpose for reading What do you need to know During Skim for the gist Scan for key points Read in advance on the topic and annotate Write keyword notes, adding your own thoughts c) After Organise – include bibliographical detail Review your notes 4

5. 5 Rs in Note Taking process Record - write down important points Reduce – summarize, clarify points briefly Recite/Recall – say over points in your own words without reading Reflect – rewrite your notes in another method and improve your own opinions from notes. Review – reread your notes every week. 5

6. What should all good notes contain? Source: lecture, book, article date, etc. Headings: capturing key points Keywords: key points, examples, illustrations, names, etc. Mnemonic triggers: things that make your notes memorable, e.g. emoji, colour etc. 6

7. Preventing Plagiarism Distinguish quotes/summaries/your own ideas Always record complete bibliographical details Author/editor, name and initials Title of source Date of publication/access to website Place/city of publication of the source Publisher and other important bibliographical details 7

8. How to select main points in a lecture/presentation? Look on change of toner of the speaker Use of facial expression/gesture Writing main points on the board Use of signal words such as firstly, secondly, additionally, Repetition of statement sentences 8

9. How to attain brevity in note taking • In taking notes you have to be brief by: • Ignoring unnecessary words or sentences e.g greetings, personal stories • Use abreviations and accronyms eg. Abbreviations such as UN, TTCL, LLB, BBA, PCB • Accronyms e.g CHADEMA, TANESCO, TADEA, TAMWWA 9

10. CONT… • Clipping of some words/paraphrasing e.g Prep. for preparation, Hist. for history, com. for communication • Avoid repetitions • Pick only the main points only • Use symbols and signs such as +,=,} • Use bullets, numbers or letters to outline points instead of words. 10

11. Methods of note taking/making There are several ways of how notes are taken Cornel method/Tabular method Diagram/mapping method Outlining method Sentence method 11

12. Note taking/making methods1. Cornel method 12

13. 2. Tree diagram/Mapping/branching Notes (Tree diagram) Comm b arrier types P h ysical Physiological Psychological no ob dh ps st i 13

14. 4. Outlining method • Barriers of Communication • Physical barriers • noise • physical objects, e.g. pillars • venues, e.g. bad lighting • noisy transmission, e.g. bad telephone lines • bad handwriting • Physiological barriers • defective hearing – illness, defective organs • bad eye sight 14

15. 5. Sentence method Today we are going to consider different categories of barriers of communication. A barrier is anything that interferes with the coding, transmitting, or reception of information. There are several categories of barriers of communication, but in this lecture we are going to see the first three. 15

16. READING SKILLS What is reading skills? Is an active process through you understand the writer’s meaning We read different material in the world such as books, articles, magazine, law and by-law, case reports, newspapers, theses, which have different text features. Reading needs a clear mind which enables an individual to engage actively with texts. 16

17. Importance of reading Enhances u/standing of subject matter Helps readers to grow their cognitive domain Makes one knowledgeable Academic success depends on planned reading 17

18. What do we read? • Reading Informational Texts • Reading Graphical Texts • Reading Literary Texts • Reading semiotic landscapes • All these needs different knowledge and skills as they differ in terms of objectives and purposes. • When we read so we think, make predictions, connections, and inferences or conclusions based on the context of the information 18

19. Text features may include : Headings, subheadings, table of contents, index, glossary, preface, paragraphs separated by spacing, bulleted lists, sidebars, footnotes, illustrations, pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs, captions, italicized or bolded words or passages, colour, and symbols 19

20. How written texts are organised Title of section/chapter in relation to the whole book (see table of contents) Subsections/subtitles Thesis sentences Topic sentences Connectors and transition markers Font style and formatting (bold, italics, underlining, capitalisation, etc.) 20

21. The SQRRR or SQ3R reading/study system This is one of highly accepted and recommended system for enhancing meaningful reading process. It consists five stages Survey: to familiarize with the overall content and organisation of the text Question: making an inquiry by formulating questions about the material Read: engage in reading to answer your questions Recite/recall: talk to yourself, summarize the passage Review :look over your notes to enhance memory 21

22. Reading techniques/stratgies Surveying: going through the entire document with purpose of getting some ideas of the theme Skimming: reading for sake of getting the general picture or idea about the book, chapter, or passage before you can decide whether the source is worth reading E.g. look on titles, headings, subheadings, topic sentence, conclusion, figures, tables 3. Scanning: reading for specific information like names, figures, dates, key word. It does not involve reading for detailed information. It used by people when looking for job adverts. 22

23. Why scanning? Scanning allows you to locate quickly a single fact, date, name, or word in a text without trying to read or understand the rest of the piece. You may need that fact or word later to respond to a question or to add a specific detail to something you are writing. 23

24. Example of scanning 24

25. Cont… 4. Intensive reading: reading for detailed information. It involved a concentrated approach to details and meaning. It involves reading every word to see their connections in the text. It is a strategy commonly used by students when preparing for examinations When reading intensively, you have to observe the these devices i. References: an act in which the writer or speaker uses linguistic forms to enable a listener/reader to identify something/or decipher meaning. 25

26. The choice of expression on part of the writer depends largely on what the speaker assumes the listener or reader already knows. There are four referring expressions used in reading Proper nouns (e.g Hawaii, Mkwawa, Mabibo) Definite noun phrases (the author, the island) Indefinite noun phrase(a man, a woman, a beautiful) Pronouns (s/he, them, we, it, they, those) 26

27. ii. Use inferences 12/21/2019 Paschal Mdukula, LL 114, 2015 An inference is the ability to connect what is in the text with what is in the mind so as to create/make an educated guess Inferences are conclusions drawn from evidence in the text or reasoning about the text. Making inferences from words that are read or spoken is a key comprehension skill. One may miss vital information if they fail to make appropriate inferences. Purpose of making inferences Drawing meaning from text –through explicit details and implicit clues. Connect prior knowledge and experiences to the text in order to make good guesses about what is happening, may have happened, or will happen in the future. 27

28. Inferences cont… 12/21/2019 Paschal Mdukula, LL 114, 2015 • • Explicit details appear right in the text (for example, names, dates, descriptive details, facts). • • Implicit details are implied by clues in the text. Readers are more likely to recognize implicit details if they relate to prior knowledge and experiences. • “Readers transact with the text, constructing meaning from the information that the author • provides in the text and the information they bring to the text.” – Beers, 2003 28

29. Inferences cont… 12/21/2019 Paschal Mdukula, LL 114, 2015 When reading a text or listening to a speech from someone, then you reach a point when you infer or conclude that… Some of the words used in making inferences are: I realize that... Based on…I predict that… I can draw these conclusions... Based on this evidence, I think… Ooh that’s why she did this or that… 29

30. iii. Context 12/21/2019 Paschal Mdukula, LL 114, 2015 Context is the physical environment and (speech) conventions, e.g., a restaurant in which the word is used and is determined by the surrounding words The heart-attack is treated here (hospital) Your ten-thirty just cancelled (dentist) Somebody stole my Abott from the shelf A couple of rooms have complained about the heat (hotel) conventions may differ from one social group to another 30

31. ANALYSIS EXERCISE 12/21/2019 Paschal Mdukula, LL 114, 2015 The following text was found on the back wall of an airline toilet (in an Swiss Airlines plane): 1. PLEASE USE THE TRASH CONTAINER FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN TOILET PAPER What are possible interpretations of this? What is the most likely interpretation and what is necessary clue that has helped to arrive at it? What is the paper referred to in the UDSM notice? 31

32. The following notice was found on the back wall of the men’s toilet at the University of Dar es Salaam. (Be educated, throw the paper in the waste basket) What is the most likely interpretation here? Is the note ambiguous? How is understanding of these contradictory messages dependent on the context? What does ‘anything other’ in this notice refer to? A man arrives at the home of a woman with red roses and a diamond ring. 4. Your neighbour, married about a year ago, is shopping for diapers and baby formula. 32

33. iv. Observe linking words/discourse markers: these are words which signal and that show relationship and coherence of ideas in a text. Words which signal addition (in addition, furthermore, moreover) Words which signal contrast (however, in contrast, but) Words which signal elaboration (that is to say, in other words) Words that signal results (consequently, as a results) 33

34. v. Use context to predict meaning of vocabulary: Writers use a variety of ways to convey the meaning of unfamiliar words and concepts. These include definitions, examples, descriptions, illustrations, clarifications, parenthetical notes, comparisons, elaborations, and typographical cues. Context refers to the text surrounding a word or passage, or the conditions that surround something. 34

35. 5. Extensive reading: refers to reading for general knowledge. Done to gain general u/standing of what has been read. It involves reading longer texts for pleasure with emphasis on overall meaning and not a detailed information. E.g reading a novel or newspaper 6. Critical reading: type of reading in order to get full u/standing and analyse the source to see its strength and weaknesses. E.g critique a book or paper article 35