NOTES TAKING

Taking notes is an important part of an active study strategy.

Slide 2
Ask to students what they think it can be helpful for?

Taking notes can help you to

 improve your understanding by making you convert difficult ideas into your own words
 prepare for writing fuller, better connected arguments in your essays
 be more focused and time-efficient in your exam revision period
 assess your own progress as you study.

Slide 3
Ask students: what should useful notes have?
There is no right or wrong way of taking notes. However, try to keep your notes brief and
succinct. There is no benefit gained from trying to write everything down - your notes
should reflect the main themes and the areas you have identified as important.
Many people find it effective to take notes in two stages. First you write down the main
points, and then later you go back to summarise, condense and organise your notes so they
are in a useful form for writing assignments or revising for exams. Revisiting your notes
helps you pull together the ideas you have recorded, so you can make cross-links with
earlier study. It aids your memory too.
Try to find a technique that suits you.

Taking notes from speech

Taking notes from speech (in a lecture, tutorial or from recorded audio) can be difficult
because it may not be possible to ask the speaker to repeat their words. You may find
yourself writing as fast as you can and still missing potentially important points.
 If you are given a handout at a tutorial, use this as the framework for taking your
own notes.
 Try to find out what the subject will be beforehand so you are less likely to be taken
by surprise and miss things. Read any relevant study material or notes.
 Become accustomed to listening intently. The speaker may signpost significant
moments by saying things such as: "I will discuss three main ways in which ...", or "I
would like to move on to another topic...".
  Be wary of noting down as fact what a speaker might mention as an example of a
contentious view.
 Become used to thinking actively about what you are listening to. You probably don't
need to takes notes on everything so get used to identifying what does need to be
noted down and what you can let go.
 Create a wide margin down one side of the notepaper you use to take notes. Later
on, when you look at your notes again, use the margin area to précis or add extra
notes to the notes.
 Of course you can rewind recorded audio when taking notes from it, but try not to
do too much of this as it can take a lot of time.
 Try to re-read your notes soon after taking them. This will help to embed the content
in your memory.
Slide 5
Do you write or draw your notes?
The notes below were made by two students attending a tutorial about social inclusion and
special needs. You can see their different ways of capturing the relevant information. Prior
to the tutorial the students were told which chapters and study topics to read - preparation
is worth doing as it helps you to concentrate on the key points during a tutorial.
This student (1) summarised the key points and organised the themes into clusters of ideas.
The student also noted down useful references. However the notes are incomplete, and
should be expanded when the student revisits them.
The references listed at the bottom of the notes are not given in full, and this would make
them difficult to follow up later. So it is a good idea to add the full details to your notes as
soon as you can.
The references when written out in full should look a little like this (be sure to check your
module instructions on the formatting of references).
This student (2) has used a flow chart to link the notes and make connections. It shows the
same information, but the details are set out as a diagram.
Some people find it much easier to remember and understand information if it is mapped
out in this way. Whichever method you adopt, you do still need to revisit your notes to
make sure they are well organised and coherent for you.
Slide 6

Mind Maps

Mind maps, also known as concept maps or spider diagrams, help you to get ideas down on paper
when you can't think where to start. They help you see connections and provide an overview of key
points.
Mind maps are also used as a visual technique in revision.

The topic for the example below is taken from the study material for Y156, Understanding Children
(Rai and Flynn, 2001). It is about attachment relationships in young children and babies, and this
forms the central idea and starting point in the mind map.

Other relevant ideas and information from the study material are connected to the central hub and
to each other. As the mind map grows and changes ideas are organised to reflect the main points in
the materials, such as how the quality of the attachment relationship in early life can affect the
ability to form an attachment relationship to babies and children later in life. If it helps visually you
can use colour to represent different ideas.

This computer-generated mind map uses nodes and links between them to illustrate ideas about
attachment relationships.

This hand-drawn mind map uses nodes and links between them to illustrate how proteins are
obtained in the diet, their structure and function within the body, and what disorders are linked to
them. It gives an overview of a great deal of information at a glance.

Slide 7/8 exercise on glimate change National Geographic video

Slide 9

Line diagrams and system maps

There are many visual methods you can use to help you take notes, and each has its particular
strengths. The act of creating visual notes can help you think through and make sense of the
material you're studying. Try a few methods and see which suit you.

Line diagrams (such as flow diagrams) are used to represent the steps in a process without showing
the detail. Flow charts use shapes to depict different categories - oval shapes indicate the start or
end of a process, diamond shapes show when the route through the flow chart is affected by a
decision or choice, and square shapes depict when an instruction is given or an action occurs.

This hand-drawn flow chart uses boxes and links between them to demonstrate the sequence of
events at a synapse.

The Kreb's cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle) is often depicted as a line diagram and it can be
useful to show it in this way in your notes. Each step in the process is linked to the next by lines.

This diagram is an example of how a line diagram can be used in notetaking. Each item is linked to
others by lines, in the Kreb's cycle a circle is used to represent the process.

Systems maps capture the essence of a complex set of relationships. They help you see connections
between things and are good for showing overlapping relationships. Try using colours and images or
icons to depict things.

This diagram uses overlapping circles and ovals to represent how physical and mental well-being are
related, for example, sleeping and laughing are shown to be important factors for both.

Slide 10/11 exercise flowchart how to make a cake

Index cards

You may prefer to make notes on index cards. These are sometimes referred to as summary cards or
concept cards as they are often used to summarise the information you have collected on a certain
topic. Or you can use them to note relevant keywords with brief explanations.

This example describes the kind of information you might include on your index card.

Front of card

This side includes information such as the date, page from the text and the subject of the notes -
attachment relations - with a very brief précis of the subject.

Back of card

On the reverse the card is used to list important notes for the subject. The notes are linear and
broken down into sections by lines and headings

Slide13

Using abbreviations

One of the most difficult aspects of taking notes during lectures is that you cannot both listen and
write at the same time. When you stop to write down an idea, you might miss something else which
is important. This means you need to find a way to write down the main ideas as quickly as you can,
so that you can maximise the amount of time you spend listening. This is where symbols and
abbreviations can help.

When you make quick notes, it helps if you can use a shorthand way of writing things down, and
most students adopt their own set of familiar abbreviations. It is quite useful to shorten any
frequently used words, and some common examples are given below.

There are also some commonly used symbols that are quick and easy to remember. You might even
come up with a few of your own.

Slide 14

Tables

Using tables, or 'tabular notetaking', is a good technique if you need to summarise information that
you want to compare, such as a debate with differing viewpoints. Summarising the points in a table
helps you to evaluate them, improving your understanding of a topic and helping you prepare for an
essay or exam.

Tabular notes can be useful in social learning, in tutorials, student support groups or more informal
contexts - you may find it interesting and thought-provoking to work with other students to create a
table comparing views on a topic.

Do bear in mind that tabular notes, like other forms of notetaking, can be adapted to your personal
style. The two examples shown below are by no means definitive. So be creative - try experimenting
with headings and categories. In relation to the examples given you might also consider, for
example, how different approaches relate to the broader themes of the module, or how different
policies have been interpreted or criticised by competing theorists.
The table consists of four columns and four rows. The student has used the table to compare the key
researchers, areas of expertise, causes of crime and evidence supporting the research.

Table based on Explaining Crime (2004) DD100 Introductory Workbook by Kelly, B., Mooney, G.,
Fergusson, R. and Goldblatt, D.

The table consists of four columns and four rows. The student has used the table to compare the
dominant political ideology, provision, rationale and management style.

Slide 15

Highlighting and annotating

Many students find that marking their study texts with highlighter pens or annotating them by
writing in the margins helps them to concentrate, and it enhances their understanding. Just deciding
what to highlight, underline or annotate encourages you to think critically and formulate your own
response to the text.

To use this technique, first read quickly through the text to get an overview of what it's about. Then
read it more closely, pausing at the end of each paragraph to identify the main points. In the page
margins you might like to add brief comments and queries as annotations.

Then you decide what you want to highlight or underline to help you to recognise key points and
their significance. You may decide to emphasise

 a sentence or world that sums up an important idea

 quotations

 statistics

 specialised terms

 important or useful data

 examples or links to other ideas.

Slide 16

. In the page margins you might like to add brief comments and queries as annotations.

You could use different coloured pens to mark different kinds of information, but be careful not to
highlight so much that it becomes distracting.

This technique is not a replacement for making your own notes, but may form the first stage in
creating diagrammatic notes (such as mind maps) as well as preparing for essays.

Slide 17

Conclusion

Mention record