Notes |
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By the end of this lesson, you should be able to do each of the following without consulting notes or other resources:
Before
coming to class on Monday, you should complete the following assignments: Read “Note Taking” in Making Your Mark. Write another paragraph of the strategies section of your life plan. Our class activities this week include the following: Think Fast: During
the presentations on notes and the library, take some notes. Try to use the strategies described
here in this lesson. Presentations: Notes
(Professor Canada), library (Jana Decker, Richard Grooms, Brian Hardin) Discussion: During
this time, we will discuss the insights and questions that have emerged
during the “Think Fast” exercise and presentations. Think Again: Hook
up with a partner and compare the notes you both took on the presentations. Consider thoroughness, organization,
and clarity. Is one set of notes
more effective than the other?
If so, why? Quiz one
another on the material. Discuss
effective strategies for taking and using notes. Conferences: While
the rest of you are working on the “Think Again” exercise, I will meet with
two of you in one-on-one conferences.
During this time, I will review some of your writing, orally quiz you
on lesson objectives, and field your questions. Announcements: We
will wrap up this lesson with announcements regarding upcoming lessons, as
well as other relevant subjects. Make sure you know the meaning and significance of each of the following:
You can
pursue the objectives in this lesson further by consulting the resources
listed below: Study Skills for Learning Power discusses, among other things, techniques for taking notes. Power
Learning, a
book by psychologist Robert S.
Feldman, features a chapter on taking notes. Updated September 10, 2002
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IntroductionIn our second lesson on study skills, we focus on strategies for taking and using notes. We also will hear about the library when Jana, Richard, and Brian present their commercial. DiscussionTaking NotesLearning about other cultures, great works of art and music, and the chemistry that makes us tick can be exciting—and dizzying. The first step toward managing this deluge of information is to take clear, detailed, concise, and organized notes on every source of information you encounter, from chapters in text books and other reading assignments to lectures, demonstrations, and films. In deciding what to record in your notes, try to identify the major facts, concepts, and skills that are being covered. When reading a text book, for example, use any objectives, subheadings, and study questions that appear there and make marginal notes next to sections that address these major facts, concepts, and skills. When reading literature, place a star in the margin of the book next to passages that reveal important information about the plot, setting, characters, themes, or literary devices. Write a brief comment next to the passage. After you finish a reading assignment, convert your marginal notes to your notebook or a computer file. Bring your book and notebook to class. During lectures and group exercises, write in your notebook any names, dates, terms, and ideas that your professor and classmates mention. Pay especially close attention to anything that the professor repeats, writes on the board, or mentions in handouts or study questions. Try to organize this information in a rough outline. For example, if the professor defines the term "sonnet," write this term along the left margin; below the term, move over a half-inch or so and make a list of the characteristics of a sonnet, placing a dash before each characteristic. Place a star next to passages that your professor and classmates note as important. Finally, include an example you can use to illustrate the term. Example: sonnet *-14 lines *-iambic pentameter *-rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg (English) -originated in Italy; English poets adapted it -used by Shakespeare, Donne, and others -example: Yeats's "Leda and the Swan" Using NotesOf course, having a thorough, well-organized set of notes from readings, lectures, and other sources is not enough. You also have to use those notes to learn the material. Rather than looking over the notes the night before the test, review your notes from time to time, especially before and after class. Specifically, find a quiet place and look over them carefully with a plan in mind—that is, plan to memorize certain facts, absorb particular concepts, or master specific skills. You may even want to type your notes in outline view in a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word. Make sure that you have a dictionary and, if possible, a subject encyclopedia nearby. As you read or type, look up unfamiliar terms or names in your dictionary or encyclopedia and add notes about these items. Flesh out your notes with examples, illustrations, diagrams, and other material from your text book and, if appropriate, personal experience or observation. If necessary, make changes in organization. Finally, set your notes aside and try to recall the information in them. If your professor has given you study questions on the material, practice answering—either in your head or in writing—some of these questions. If you don't have any study questions, simply think about questions someone might ask you about the material and consider ways you might use the information in your outline to answer such questions. Of course, this process requires a lot of time, but it dramatically improves your ability to absorb the material covered in reading assignments, lectures, class discussions, and group activities. Remember that your long-range success depends not on the amount you read or hear, but the amount you understand and retain. ConclusionIn this lesson, we have discussed various strategies for taking and using notes. In our next lesson, we will take a look at the process of completing assignments. |