Taking Notes on Taking Notes

1. Taking Notes on Taking Notes

2. Introduction • When taking notes, you must find ways to cut corners. • You must locate the main points and leave out the rest. • Only write down the words that are essential to the meaning of the notes, otherwise you will fall behind and you’ll miss the meaning of the presentation

3. Using Short Hand • Don’t just leave out words, but simplify the words you actually write down.

4. Abbreviate • Write the first three letters of the word: • Biology = Bio. • Government = Gov. • Refutation = Ref. • English = Eng. • Et cetera = Etc.

5. Cut the Vowels • Power = pwr • Word = wrd • Think = thk • Party = prty • Light = lght

6. Use Symbols • Because = b/c • Photocopy = p/c • With = w/ • Both = b/ • Eating = eat- • Walking = walk- • Christian = X’n • Reformation = Ref’n • Therefore: • Question = Q. • About = ab.

7. Other symbols • B • 4 • 2 • C • U

8. TEXT BUT DON’T TALK ACTIVITY Partner A: Think of something you know or have read recently that you can write to your partner (eg: provincial capitals) in a short-hand format. Partner B: Needs to communicate via text (no talking) the answer (what they have learned)

9. What should I listen for? What should I write down? • Definitions • Dates • Statistics • Significant names • Theories • Cause and effect • History of an idea • Pauses, shift of ideas = new heading

10. Don’t write down… • Common knowledge • Attention getters, eye and ear candy • Unnecessary examples

11. Organize with Numbers and Letters • Blah, blah • Blah, blah • Blah, blah • Yuck, yuck • Yuck, yuck • Yuck, yuck a) Yuck, yuck.