Strategies for College Success
Chapter 6 & 7
Effective Note-taking and Reading
Original source: http://www.life.arizona.edu/academicsuccess/tips/powerpoint/Strats%20for%20College%20Succ.ppt
Note taking
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What we’ll be covering:
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what to do before, during, and after class
picking out main points in a lecture
the Cornell Method
mind mapping
What to do before class
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Pick the right notebook
there are numerous advantages to picking a 3-ring
binder
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handouts can be inserted into the relevant sections
pages of notes can be removed and replaced
dividers can be used to separate sections or topics
What to do before class
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Read your textbook
reading your textbook can help you to understand what
is being discussed in lecture
What to do before class
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Skim the notes from the last class
this will refresh your memory and focus you for the next
lesson
What to do before class
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Make a commitment to attend all classes
You may be getting only a partial set of notes if you
copy from other students or get these on-line
Note taking is a skill and you may be copying from
someone who is a poor note taker and not realize it
What to do during class
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Try to sit in the front, center portion of the classroom
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fewer distractions
can see and hear better
less likely to doze off
What to do during class
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You will need to identify the visual and verbal cues given
by the professor that indicate an important topic is being
addressed
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examples of visual cues: gesturing, writing on board,
underlining
examples of verbal cues: repetition, summaries, listing
Identifying important points
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Think of three additional verbal cues that would indicate
an important point
Think of three additional visual cues that would indicate
an important point
What to do during class
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Use a method of note taking
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Use Cornell Method
Create Mind maps
The Cornell Method
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Split page method of note taking
Allows space for possible exam questions
Allows space for student reflections and summary
Good for self-testing
Practice using the Cornell Method
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Refer to your textbook (Chapter 6 for a sample of notes
using the Cornell Method
Recopy a page of your notes using the Cornell Method
Mind Mapping
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Pictorial representation of ideas
Good for visual learners, which a majority of students
are
Shows how topics and ideas are related
Uses both sides of your brain
Steps to mind mapping
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Identify the topic of the lecture or reading, place in the
center and circle it
Branch out the main ideas, each stemming from the main
topic
From each branch, mark key words and examples
Don’t be afraid to personalize it with pictures or symbols
Mind Mapping Practice
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Note examples in book at the beginning of Chapter 7.
Useful technique advancing comprehension for notetaking and reading.
What to do during class
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Identify possible exam questions
Use them to self-test yourself later
What to do after class
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Review your notes within 24 hours
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Are they complete?
Do they make sense?
What to do after class
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Identify any questions that you may have and find the
answers
Re-copy or re-organize if necessary
Summary
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Class notes will be a better study tool for you if they
have the proper content (the main points of a lecture)
and are organized in a way that makes sense. Try using
the methods that we discussed to accomplish those two
crucial aspects of note taking.
Reading Textbooks
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What we’ll be covering:
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previewing
annotating
Why preview?
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improves concentration, memory, and understanding
only takes 5 minutes to preview an entire chapter
if you don’t have enough time to read before class,
previewing may give you enough information to
understand what is being discussed
Steps to previewing material
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(1) Read the chapter title
The title announces the topic or subject. Try to
remember what you already know about the topic.
Steps to previewing material
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(2) Read the introduction or first paragraph
This is a lead-in to the material and will often itemize
what the chapter will cover. If it is long, read only the
first 5 or 6 lines.
Steps to previewing material
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(3) Read the closing paragraph or chapter summary
These sections are often used to draw conclusions based
on the facts that have already been presented or to
restate key ideas.
Steps to previewing material
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(4) Read questions or vocabulary at the end of the
chapter
This section is used to test your knowledge of the
material. Reading them beforehand alerts you to what is
most important within the chapter.
Steps to previewing material
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(5) Read each boldface heading
Headings separate chapters into main divisions and
indicate important concepts. By looking at these
headings, you can detect the organization of the chapter
and the general approach of the author.
Steps to previewing material
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(6) Look at any pictures, graphs, or charts
Pictures, illustrations, or captions may help you clarify
ideas and give direction to your thinking.
Why annotate?
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Have you ever felt that you’ve been reading for hours and
can’t remember what you’ve read?
annotating can keep you focused
annotations tell you WHY important points are
important
See Chapter 7 (pages 137-138) for examples of this
technique
Steps to Annotating Text
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First, preview a chapter or subunit of text
Next, read one or more paragraphs. Then stop (the
amount will vary, so judge according to your text’s
difficulty and organization).
Steps to Annotating Text
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After reading, go back and underline the key word,
phrase, or idea to which your annotation will refer.
These key ideas often occur as: definitions, examples,
lists, causes/effects, characteristics,
similarities/differences, and names/dates.
Steps to Annotating Text
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Check your annotations to be sure that they make sense
and that you are not merely copying the text into the
margins.
In order to be most effective, your annotations must be
in your own words, except in the case of technical
definitions.
Steps to Annotating Text
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If you have no annotating, you should have no
underlining.
Steps to Annotating Text
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Go on to the next paragraph or section. Remember, not
every section of text will have a key concept that should
be annotated, but every page or section usually does.
Vocabulary and Jargon
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Many fields use jargon or a specific
vocabulary which you may or may not be
familiar with.
Use glossary in book or a dictionary.
Ask!!!!
Primary Sources and Literature
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Peer-reviewed literature as in research
journals can give you the latest information
that you won’t find in your textbook.
Reading the original source of a play, novel,
short-story, historical account and other
literature will give you insight that may not be
available from the textbook.
Read for fun to expand your general
vocabulary.
Summary
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Reading your text numerous times is often not enough
to insure that you have understood and retained the
information covered.
You must actively participate in the reading process by
thinking about what you already know, identifying topics
that you don’t understand and picking out important
points that are likely to be on a test.