Successful
Note Taking
Dual Enrollment Psychology
Introductory Unit
Why is this so important?
 Your academic success
will depend on your
ability to filter
incoming information
and determine how to
best record it on paper.
 You need to find the
most effective
notetaking strategy for
yourself...
Basic Lecture Survival
 Hearing and Seeing
well.
 Keeping up with the
lecture.
 STAYING FOCUSED
on the lecture.
 Taking good notes.
Factors that Impact your Focus
 General interest
level…Do I want to
learn this?
 Ability to relate to
material
 Level of participation
 Amount of sleep the
night before
 Eating/Drinking

 Level of preparation
Caffeine intake
much or not enough)
(too
The Impact of Body Language




Eye Contact
Nodding
Facial Expressions
Posture


how you are sitting
leaning
 Classroom Behavior

Look like you’re taking
notes…!
Some “Pre-Notetaking”
Considerations
 Class attendance should be consistent
 Be on time for every class
 Find the seat where you are most
comfortable, and can see and hear the
instructor
 Read the text book before class and
complete all assignments
The Ideal Supplies for
Notetaking









Three-ring binder
Loose leaf paper
3-hole punch
Plastic sheet covers
Colored pens
Multiple highlighters
Notebook dividers
Folder pockets
(Laptop)
“Knowing what to Note”
 Anything written on board
 Information from overheads/PowerPoint
 The instructor’s VERBAL CUES





Anything repeated or emphasized
Words spelled or defined
Lists…(“the first…”)
Superlatives
Obvious cues (“you need to know this”)
“Knowing what to Note”
 More verbal cues...


Contrasting ideas (“one is this, while…”)
Absolutes (Never/always/No other…)
 The instructor’s NON-VERBALS:




movement/gestures
volume/tempo
pauses
looking at notes
 Also consider time spent on a topic
Alternate Means of Recording
Information: FLASHCARDS
 Front of card should include term or item
to be studied
 Back of card should include:
• definition
• related terms
• examples
• diagrams
 A convenient way to study…!
Besides notes,
what else should be on the page?





Chapter number and title
Corresponding text pages
Date
Topic being covered
Any questions or objectives being
referenced
Organization of Your Notes
 It is EXTREMELY
important to keep your
notes organized…how
it is on paper is how it
will be remembered!!!
More about Organization
 Use of a three-ring binder and loose leaf
paper helps to keep related pages together
 Leave ample space in your notes to keep
them readable and allow for additional fillin information
 Keep related information grouped together
(i.e. start a new chapter on a new page)
 Make sure you can read your own notes!!!
More about Organization...
 Other things can help keep your notes
organized and make important items stand
out…





use highlighters
use colored pens
underline/circle important words
create charts of significant information
create a simple summary outline
Using Abbreviations
 Using some basic
abbreviations will help
improve your speed
and allow you to keep
up with the lecture.
Some Common Abbreviations








w/
w/o
ex.
#

etc.
vs
info
with
without
example
number
therefore
and so on…
versus
information
Some Common Abbreviations











=
<
>
pg
R/L
yields
lower/below
higher/above
equals
less than
greater than
page
right/left
Using your own Shorthand
 Create your own symbols and
abbreviations...
 If a term tends to repeat itself in a course,
develop an abbreviation for it



Ex.
Ex.
Ex.
Conditioning = cond
Memory = mem
Psychology = psych
Other “Notes”…
 Don’t write in complete sentences
 Don’t use exact words…paraphrase what
you hear in lecture
 Use some of your own words
 Link concepts with symbols instead of
words
 You don’t have to write everything!
 You can write more than what’s there!
Taking Text Notes
 Try not to recopy
what’s in the
book…use your own
words
 Focus on key terms
 Helpful to create a
simple outline of text
material
 Compare text and
lecture notes
Evaluating Your Notes
 Are my notes organized?
 Could someone else easily study from
them?
 Do I understand the material in my notes
without referencing the text book?
 Are my notes readable and “easy” to look
at?
 Is everything there that I need to study?
Having good notes means...
 Studying will be
more
productive…
and
 …Your life will
be easier!