MODULE 2: NOTE-TAKING AND NOTE-MAKING

Note-taking

Great note taking takes practice. You have to find a method that
works for you, and that may change depending on the class that
you’re in (for example, a science class versus a humanities class).
Here are 5 methods that are proven to be successful. Read over
each one and decide if there’s one that might work for you.

These styles are described in the format you would use to take
notes in class. You might find that a comfortable method is a
combination of 2 or more of the ones listed here, and that’s fine.

Figure out what works for you and stick with it!

FIVE NOTETAKING METHODS

THE OUTLINING METHOD
How to Outline Notes
I. The first level is reserved for each new topic/idea and is very general.
a. This concept must always apply to the level above it (I)
i. This concept must always apply to the level above it (a)
ii. This is a second supporting piece of information for the
level above it (a) but is equal to the previous information (i)
iii. This information is a sister to (i) and (ii)
b. This concept applies to the level above it (I) and is a “sister” to (a) II.

You don’t have to use Roman Numerals, Letters, and Numbers, try only
indents, dashes, and bullets!
III. Outlining requires listening and writing in points in an organizational
pattern based on space indentation
a. Advantages to outlining
i. It is well organized
ii. It records relationships and content
iii. It reduces editing and is easy to review by turning the main
 points into questions
b. Disadvantages to outlining
i. It requires more thought during class for accurate organization.
ii. It does not always show relationships by sequence.
iii. It doesn’t work well if the lecture is moving at a q

Only write down the main points of the lecture. Don’t write everything down!
Your goal isn’t to transcribe your professor’s lecture word for word, rather it’s to
extract and record the main points of it. The trick to successful note-taking is
learning how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Your professor will likely go
off on tangents during the lecture and spout off stuff that won’t be on the exam.
You don’t want to waste your time writing down and studying info that you won’
t even be tested on.

So how do you know what the professor’s main points are? Pay attention to cues
your professor gives off either consciously or subconsciously. Here are a few
cues your professor may give during the lecture. Whenever you see them, it
probably means he’s saying something important, so write it down.

∙ Anytime the professor says, “You need to know this,” or “This will be on
the test.” Duh.
∙ Anytime the professor repeats himself.
∙ Anything the professor writes on the board or includes in a Powerpoint
slide.
∙ Anything the professor repeats very slowly so that it can be taken down
word for word.
∙ If your professor starts talking more quickly, or loudly, or with more
emphasis.
∙ Watch for language that shows relationships between ideas. These sorts of
points are often where professors get their exam questions from:

o first, second, third

o especially, most significant, most important
o however, on the other hand
 o because, so, therefore, consequently

Write the professor’s summary at the end of class and his review at the beginning
of the next class. At the end of the class, your professor will often summarize the
main takeaway points. Write this down. Your professor is basically telling you
the main points she wants you to know. At the beginning of the next class, your
professor may give a quick review of the previous class and then provide a
preview of how those points are related to the day’s lecture. Write that down.

Write down any examples or hypothetical e.g.’s the professor gives during
lectures. This is especially important for math and science classes. Also, if you’re
in law school, write down any hypothetical issues your professor may present.
You’ll probably see a similar hypothetical on your final exam.

If you didn’t get a point, make a note of it, and wait until after class to ask. If you
missed a point, make a note to remind yourself to ask the professor about it after
class. Show some respect to the professor and the rest of your classmates.

After the Lecture: Review, Clarify, and Synthesize

Review and clarify notes right after class. Organize your schedule so that you
have some time right after each of your classes to review your notes. During this
time, go through your notes and make sure you actually understand what you
took down. I don’t know how many times I wrote a note in class that later left me
scratching my head and wondering, “What the heck did I mean by that?” If you
don’t understand a note, clarify it by reviewing the reading material or by asking
a fellow classmate or the professor. Reviewing your notes after class also aides in
memory retention.

Synthesize notes into a master outline. In the comments on the study tips post,
someone asked me what I meant by “synthesizing your notes.” It simply means
combining your lecture and reading notes into a coherent whole. This is a lot
more difficult than it sounds. It requires you to look at different bits of
information, figure out the main ideas and how they relate, and organize them in
a way that makes sense.

One of the best ways to synthesize your notes is to create a master outline. The
very act of creating an outline forces you to combine all your notes into a
congruent whole. For more advice on creating an outline, see our article on study
tips.
Note-Taking Styles

Over the years, professors and learning experts have suggested various
note-taking styles to help students organize their notes. I’ve tried them all, but I
always end up using my usual method. Below is a quick summary of the various
note-taking strategies floating out there. Experiment with them and use what
works for you.

Rough Outline Method

My typical note-taking style is to simply create a rough outline of the lecture

using bullet points. If there’s a sub-point, I’ll just hit “tab” and create a nested list.
I’ll bold or underline important points. It’s not the most sophisticated note-taking
method, but it works for me. This format makes organizing your notes later into
a final outline much easier.

Cornell Style Notes

This system of note-taking was developed in the 1950s by Cornell University

professor Walter Pauk. It’s a way to organize your notes to make reviewing
easier and more effective. Here’s how you do it.

Divide your page into two columns. Label the left-hand column “Keywords” and
the right-hand column “Notes.” Beneath those two columns, mark off a section
and label it “Summary.” It should look something like this:

During the lecture, write your notes in the “Notes” column. Write notes as you
normally would. Again, the goal is to capture meaningful facts and the main
points of the lecture.

After the lecture, write keywords in the “Keywords” column. Immediately after
the lecture, review your notes in the “Notes” column. Try to reduce each line or
segment of notes into one keyword. Write down that keyword in the left-hand
“Keyword” column. For example, if you had an entire paragraph of notes in the
“Note” column about the 1961 Civil Rights Act, next to the section and in the
left-hand “Keyword” column, you would write “1961 Civil Rights Act.”

Test your recall using only the “Keyword” column. Cover the “Notes” column
with a sheet of paper, but leave the “Keyword” column visible. Looking at your
keywords, try to recall as much of your class notes as possible. Talk out loud if
you want or just write down what you remember. When you’re done, uncover
your notes section to verify what you said or wrote down. This is to help with
remembering the information.

Write a brief summary. When you’re done doing the recall exercise, write a brief
summary of the day’s notes in the “Summary” section.

If you take notes using a computer, you can download templates for Cornell Style
Notes. Just Google “Cornell Notes template” and pick one that you like. Here’s a
pretty good one for MS Word.

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual form of note-taking. Instead of typing or writing

sentences in a linear format, with mind mapping you draw your notes. Advocates
of mind mapping argue that the non-linear, visual format of mind maps allow
students to find connections they’d otherwise miss when using traditional
note-taking strategies. Also, because mind mapping is a somewhat creative
activity, by engaging both the left and right spheres of your brain, learning
retention is supposed to improve (a claim that some brain researchers dispute).

To mind map a lecture, you simply write the main topic of the day’s lecture at the
center of a piece of paper. As the professor makes new points, write those around
the central topic. Draw lines connecting different ideas. Feel free to draw images
instead of writing words. Mind mapping is a visual activity after all.

Here’s a colorful example of a mind map drawn by Philip Chambers:

I know people who swear by mind mapping. I tried it a few times during my
academic career, but never found it very helpful for recording lecture notes. I’d
always end up missing important details because I was too caught up with
drawing and connecting ideas. Also, the non-linear format makes organizing
your notes difficult.

For more info on mind mapping, see The Mind Map Book.

Charting Method

If your professor’s lecture will be focused on comparing and contrasting two or

more ideas, you might consider using the charting method. Create a table in the
note-taking program you’re using. Make as many columns as there are categories
that you’re comparing and contrasting. Label each column with a category. As
you listen to the lecture, record the notes under the appropriate category.