Introduction
This session guides students to consider the best practice for making notes and to develop questioning
strategies for active reading. It involves students bringing their cover sheets and lecture notes from a
lecture in the time elapsed since the last session. It would also be most beneficial if the lecturer could
identify an article or passage related to the course that students can use to practice their active
reading technique upon. If this cannot be achieved then a passage is provided.
Learning Objective
Students will analyse their note-making process and develop a criteria for effective note-taking in
collaboration with others and through peer assessment. They will develop and practise active reading
techniques focused on forming questions whilst reading.
Learning Outcomes
1. To analyse own lecture notes for positive and negative note-making traits and techniques. To
use peer assessment and the sharing of good practice to formulate a criteria for effective note
making.
2. To explore and describe the different types of questions that can be asked during active
reading. To practise active reading via questioning by reading and annotating an article.
Timings: 20 minutes
Pre-activity Requirements from Students:
Students need to bring their completed cover sheets and lecture notes from a lecture that they have
attended since the previous session. If they do not have the cover sheet then any example of recent
lecture notes can be used.
Resources
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Student resource booklet, pages 3-6
An article or passage of interest related to the course to practise active reading with
Students should bring along their lecture notes from recent lectures and their cover sheets
from the previous session (see above).
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Activity Outline
Pg.
Activity
Outcome
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1. Students place selected lecture notes and their cover sheets from the previous session on
their desks alongside a blank piece of paper titled ‘feedback’. They leave their desks and visit
the desks of 4-5 other students, analysing their notes for positive and negative note-making
traits and leaving them two positive and one negative (for improvement) comments on their
feedback paper.
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2. Students return to their desks and read their own feedback. They discuss what they have
analysed and concluded about effective note-making with other members of their group. They
summarise their findings on pg.3 and share them with the class.
3. Lecturers may wish to make a ‘master list’ of positive note-making traits and to pick up some
main points from pg. 6.
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4. Lecturer highlights the importance of active reading – asking yourself questions as you are
reading. Students read more about the different types of questions on pg. 5 and then complete
the task on pg. 5 – the active reading of an article (provided by the lecturer or they can use the
one on pg.5) whilst annotating the article with the questions they are asking themselves as
they go along.
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5. Lecturer takes feedback – students may be shocked at the types of questions they commonly
ask themselves.
Optional Self-study for extension of skills using Skills4study Campus
Reading and note-making —> Effective reading and making notes while reading
Skills4study campus can be accessed from: http://www.skills4studycampus.com/orglogin.aspx
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