A TALE OF TWO TYPES

“Last year a few students came to me after they took the course and were well into their freshman year. Some said, “The note taking skills didn’t help me at all!” I asked them, “Do you use them?” They said, “No.” Others showed me their notebooks and how they were using the methods they learned in the program. They said, “Studying is so easy now!’”

- Durbin Winter 2001

During the section on taking notes, using an adaptation from THE CORNELL SYSTEM FOR TAKING NOTES, students will learn how to record notes during class and from their textbooks. The following is an abbreviated sample of what will be covered in class.

How to Take Effective Notes

Use a large, loose-leaf notebook. The size provides room for developing your in-class notes, recording examples, and drawing diagrams. The loose-leaf feature enables you to insert additional paper if needed, handouts and assignment sheets in topical or chronological order.

Draw a vertical line about three inches from the left edge of the sheet. This is the recall column. You will makeup clues and questions in this area for studying. Text and in-class notes will be recorded in the space to the right of the line.

· Record notes on the right side in a simple form. The object is to make notes complete, clean, and clear. Phrases sometimes work better than complete sentences.

· Do not make elaborate outlines.

· Get names, dates and general ideas.

· Skip lines between ideas.

· Make up your own form of abbreviations – remember them, or they will do you no good.

· Write text page numbers whenever possible.

· Write legibly.

· Read notes either after school or during study hall and write your left side questions and prompts. This only takes about 10 minutes. *

· Reread these notes often, the more you read them, and the better you will remember them.

*Before taking any notes from your text, review notes from class lectures. If you already have notes from class, you don’t need to rewrite them while reading your text.