1
Katie Stratford
TC Stuwe
EDU 1020
9 April 2015
Think About It 12.1
Outline:
Chapter 12: You might want to get this down
I.
II.
III.
Good note taking (in class):
A. Only hit main points in initial notes taken
B. Rewrite you notes more formally A.S.A.P.
Formal ways of taking notes:
A. Outline
a. Like a skeleton
b. As detailed, or as un-detailed
B. Cornell Note Taking
a. Oldest form of “official” note taking
b. Split notes into 3 sections
i.
Left – cue/question section
ii.
Right – wider space for ideas, concepts, key points, etc.
iii. Bottom – summary
C. Mind Mapping
a. Visual
b. More connections
c. Central idea that “branches” out to other main points/ideas
Taking notes vs. recording lectures:
A. Writing notes is better because you will retain the information longer
B. Taking a video of the class is not the same as taking notes
C. Note taking is a useful skill to learn, and if recording lectures is all you do, than
you are missing out on this learning opportunity.
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Cornell Note Taking:
Good note taking means?
Formal ways to take notes:
Outline-
Cornell Notes-
Mind Mapping-
Only hit main points in initial note taking.
Rewriting notes in a more formal style is reserved for later
(after class), when you can go into more details.
Outlines are like a skeleton. You start with one topic, which
can have subtopics, which can have sub-subtopics, and so on.
You can make these as detailed as you want, or as undetailed.
Invented by Walter Pauk, and is considered the father of the
first-year college experience. It was named after Cornell
University, where he taught as a professor of education. In
this note taking style you spit a paper into three sections. The
left holds “cues” and/or questions and prompts. The right goes
into more details on that concept, or key points, etc. The
bottom is reserved for summary on that page.
This style is much more visual, and begins with a main
idea/concept in the center “bubble”. You can “branch” off of
this idea into other sectors/bubbles that have other important
information, supportive information, key facts, main points,
ideas, etc. This style isn’t as structured as the previous two
mentioned.
Summary:
Note taking is an essential skill that all college students need to master in order to achieve
higher learning. There are multiple different ways of taking notes; so it shouldn’t be hard to find a
way that works for each individual person. In order to effectively take notes, it is better to take
down the “gist” of what the professor is saying, rather than word for word. It would be impossible
to write/type that quickly, and you wouldn’t remember the information as well. This is also why
recording the lecture is not as effective as note taking; because when you simply re-watch the
lecture, you are not retaining the information as well as when you physically write down IN YOUR
OWN WORDS what the professor is saying (and writing it down in a way that makes sense to
you).
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Mind Mapping:
It’s not about
writing everything
down “word for
word”
“You must take
notes in a
deliberate,
purposeful way.”
Note taking is a very
important skill. Simply
writing down the
information in your own
words makes you more likely
to remember the
information later.
Chapter 12:
You might want
to get this down
3 ways of
formal
note taking
Outline
Cornell Note Taking
Mind Mapping (as shown here)