How to use the Cornell Note-Taking Method
Recall Column--Use this
Note-Taking Column--Use this area to record the lecture as fully and a
area of your page (about 2.5
inches) to reduce ideas and
facts to concise jottings of main
ideas to jog your memory for
reciting.
meaningfully as possible.
Cornell Method
This tutorial demonstrates the Cornell Method of taking classroom notes. It is
recommended by experts from the Learning Center at Cornell University.
Line drawn down paper
Draw a line down your note page about 2.5 inches from the left side. On the righthand side of the line simply record your classroom notes as you usually do. Be
sure to abbreviate, include illustrations when possible, and write legibly.
After the lecture
After the lecture, read your notes over, filling in the materials that you missed,
making your writing legible and underlining selectively and sparingly any important
events, people, cause/effect, and documents.
Use the Recall Column and
Key Phrases
The Recall Column will help you when you study for your tests. Jot down any
important words or key phrases in the Recall Column. This activity forces you to
rethink and summarize your notes. The key words should stick in your mind.
Five R's
The Five R's will help you take better notes based on the Cornell Method.
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Record
1. Record important lecture information.
Reduce
2. Reduce the information you are summarizing and listing key words/phrases on
the left in the Recall Column.
Recite
3. Test yourself on the words in the recall section. This is what it means to recite
with accuracy.
Reflect
4. Next, reflect on the information that you received during the lecture. Determine
how your ideas, textbook reading, and homework notes fit in with information
you took during the lecture.
Review
5. If you review your notes you will remember a great deal more when you take
your exams. Review daily and cumulatively. Slow but steady wins the race.
Review with your study group.
During either Review or Reflect, highlight according to SPERM or PERMS—
highlight or underline Social events in orange or yellow, Political events in
purple, Economic events in green, religious events in blue, and military
events in red. This technique will help your brain categorize large amounts of
information and will greatly increase long term learning.
Binder and paper
Hints
Sources
Note: Cornell Note-Taking Method, combined with SQPR3,* are effective while
reading the textbook, too.
*Survey the material noticing titles, subtitles, headings, pictures, graphics captions;
read the Questions; make Predictions; THEN Read and take notes subtitle to
subtitle, pause and Reflect while reading, then Review.
It is a good idea to keep your notes in a standard-sized three-ring binder. Only use
full-sized binder paper. If you keep your notes in a three-ring binder, you will be
able to easily add handouts and other course materials that you receive during the
course. Dividers should be entitled by the unit of study.
Abbreviations and symbols should be used when possible. Abbrev. & sym. Saves
time when used auto. Math symbols are succinct.
Highlight/underline both lecture notes and homework notes according to PERMS—
social, political, economic, religious, military.
Note any sources used during the lecture or any links on the web page.
I must Create a System or be enslaved by another Man’s. Wm Blake 1757
Cornell process modified by ESchwartz