Taking Good Notes through the iStudyGuides
Reading

Skimming involves going over a text
quickly to get the general idea of its
contents and to gain a superficial
understanding of its message.

Scanning involves going quickly through
a text to try to find particular information
or to decide whether it is useful for the
reader's purpose.
Study Skills
Scrutinising involves reading for
detailed understanding of the writer's
message.
Study Skills
THREE-STEP PROCESS
1) Understanding the content
2) Making summary notes
3) Internalising content
Understanding the content
Primary idea of the paragraph - It can
be a proposed theory, argument,
hypothesis, practice, concept, formula,
proposition etc. It is typically written
in the paragraph's introduction (first
few sentences) or summary (last few
sentences).
Understanding the content
Possible Secondary idea/s
(Reason/s) - It is generally a
development of the primary idea.
It can possibly be written in the
main body of paragraph or each of
the latter paragraphs of the
chapter/article.
Understanding the content
Possible Support information
(Evidence) - It is emphasised to
support each primary or secondary
idea. It can be a research study,
example, comparison, analogy,
anecdote, set of statistical data etc
Understanding the content
Relate the primary idea, secondary
ideas and support information.
Understanding the content
Determine if these relationships
belong to:
•Cause and effect
•Categorization
•Comparison and Contrast
•Definitions
•Problem and Solutions
•Process or procedures
•Sequence of events
Understanding the content
Routine activities theory was first coined by
Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson. This
theory states that a certain group of people is
willing to commit crimes for revenge, greed, or
some other self serving reasons. Such
predatory crimes may usually involve an
offender trying to steal an item directly and are
usually influenced by some dynamic factors.
Understanding the content
The presence of suitable targets, such as places
where items that are easily sold are kept or
displayed, can be a good precursor for some
people to commit such predatory crimes. And
the absence of competent guardians, such as
police, homeowners, neighbours and frequent
passer-bys, can lead to predatory crimes too. At
the same time, there must be the presence of
potential predatory criminals, such as a large
number of unemployed or restless youths.
Understanding the content
Cohen and Felson (1980) also found that
predatory crime rates increased between 1960
and 1980 due to the reduction of homemakers
as more females joined the workforce. They
also discovered that burglary rates decreased
as the cost of goods such as phones and
cameras decreased.
(Siegel, 2011, Criminology:The core, Pg 71)
Understanding the content
Cause and effect
Understanding the content
Categorization
Understanding the content
Comparison and Contrast
Understanding the content
Definitions
Understanding the content
Problem and Solutions
Understanding the content
Process or procedures
Understanding the content
Sequence of events
Making summary notes
1)Paraphrasing
2)Using Cue Words
3)Setting Recall Questions
4)Setting Clarification / Probing Questions
5)Reflection
Making summary notes:
Paraphrasing
• Do not copy word for word from the
readings.
• Paraphrase.
• Paraphrasing is an important process in
note- taking as it allows you to evaluate
and internalise your understanding more
effectively.
Making summary notes:
Paraphrasing
•Include content that is relevant to the learning outcomes of the
chapter.
•Use a different word with the same meaning as the original one.
•Use a different sentence structure.
•Highlight the unique word or phrase you have borrowed from
the paragraph while recording its source.
•Check the meaning of your summary against the content to
ensure that it is accurate.
•Refer to SD103 Academic Integrity for paraphrasing exercises.
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Reduce the ideas or facts to Cue
Words for effective memorisation.
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
Mnemonic Strategies
Acronyms / Catchwords
• Acrostics / Catchphrases
• Imagery (Concept maps; method
of loci)
• Forming associations
•
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Acronyms / Catchwords
For example, Routine Activities Theory = RAT
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Imagery (Concept maps; Method of Loci)
For example, the three conditions of Routine Activities
Theory are represented in a concept map below.
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Imagery (Concept maps; Method of
Loci)
The Method of Loci involves placing a
piece of information along an imaginary
but familiar journey to the learner.
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
For example, to remember the conditions of RAT
(Routine Activities Theory), one can imagine a short
journey from his home to the bus stop:
1) opens home door and steps out (represents
availability of suitable targets)
—> 2) walks by an unmanned neighbourhood police
centre (represents the absence of capable guardians)
—> 3) reaches the bus-stop (represents the presence
of predatory criminals).
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Catchphrases
For example, to remember that
“Criminal,” “Target,” and “Guardian” are
the three conditions of RAT, the
catchphrase, “Clive (Criminal) talks
(Target) to Gina (Guardian)” could
be used.
Making summary notes:
Using Cue Words
• Forming associations
For example, to remember the three
conditions of RAT, one may associate 1) the
availability of suitable target with a man
wearing a thick gold chain, 2) the presence of
predatory criminals with a snatch thief lurking
around, and 3) associate the presence of
capable guardians with a policeman patrolling
nearby.
Making summary notes:
Setting Recall Questions
• Questions can be created by you to set trigger to
recall the summary notes made.
• These recall question can serve as practice test that
help you to test your knowledge and more
importantly internalise it.
• Alternatively, attempt any questions set at the end of
the chapter or complete the online formative quizzes.
Making summary notes:
Setting Clarification/Probing
Questions
Clarification questions are usually simple
questions that aim to understand a certain
concept, theory or paragraph in the
content. Probing questions are questions
that make you think more deeply about
certain concept, theory or paragraph in the
content.
Making summary notes:
Reflection
Reflection is important in
understanding the content in depth.
1) Reflect on the content through
asking probing questions about the
ideas and evidences. These questions
can be:
Making summary notes:
Reflection
What do you think are the purposes of
the author in promoting this primary idea in
the chapter? What are your thoughts about
this?
Do the secondary ideas sound sensible,
logical and unprejudiced from your prior
experiences and knowledge? If no, list down
why you think so?
Making summary notes:
Reflection
Are there any relationships between the
secondary ideas? If yes, what are they?
Are the evidences supporting each
secondary idea valid, reliable, current,
authoritative and objective? Are there any
other contradictory evidences?
Making summary notes:
Reflection
2) Reflect on your practice in
relation to the content.
The ability to relate
knowledge learnt in school
to work is important.
Making summary notes:
Reflection
It allows you to create meaning in
the knowledge you have learnt to
your work.
It also enables you to use the
acquired knowledge to solve real
problems at your workplace.
Making summary notes:
Reflection
As such, the knowledge you acquired
while studying in UniSIM adds value to
your work.
Being able to reflect on the course
content can significantly help you in the
knowledge internalisation process.
Internalising Content
Forgetting what you remembered
•
•
•
•
•
Lack of understanding
Cramming
Insufficient cues
Interference
Test anxiety
Internalising Content
Memory Strategies
Spaced practice
• Repetition
• Breaking into smaller tasks
• Overlearning
•
THE END