Effective Note Taking - The Diigo Meta page

• 25 Mar 07
  

  Matt Kramer

  notetaking

  • Before Taking Notes

     
    • Prepare yourself mentally 
      • Be sure of your purpose and the speaker's purpose 
        • They may not be the same
       
    • Review your notes and other background material 
    • Review your reading assignment 
      • Reading should be done BEFORE class
       
    • Think through what has happened in the class to date 
    • Generate enthusiasm and interest 
      • Increased knowledge results in increased interest 
      • A clear sense of purpose on your part will make the course content more relevant 
      • Acting as if you are interested can help 
      • Don't let the personality or mannerisms of a speaker put you off 
        • What, not how, is important
       
    • Be ready to understand and remember 
    • Anticipate what is to come, and evaluate how well you were able to do this 
      • We learn from failure

     

    Decide How Much You Are Going To Do

     
    • Are notes necessary? 
      • Don't be lulled into a sense of security by an effective presentation
       
    • Hearing a thing once is not enough. Memory requires Review and Understanding 

     

    While Taking Notes

     
    • Don't try for a verbatim transcript 
      • Get all of the main ideas 
      • Record some details, illustrations, implications, etc.
       
    • Paraphrase 
      • But remember that the speaker may serve as a model
       
    • Integrate with other knowledge you already have 
      • But don't allow preconceived notions to distort what you are hearing
       
    • Use form to indicate relative importance of items 
      • Underscore or star major points
       
    • Leave plenty of white space for later additions 
    • Note speaker's organisation of material 
      • Organisation aids memory 
      • Organisation indicates gaps when they occur
       
    • Be accurate 
      • Listen carefully to what is being said 
      • Pay attention to qualifying words like sometimes, usually, rarely, etc. 
      • Notice signals that a change of direction is coming but, however, on the other  hand
       
    • Be an aggressive, not a passive, listener 
      • Ask questions and discuss if it's permitted 
      • If not, jot questions in your notes 
      • Seek out meanings. Look for implications beyond what is being said 
      • Develop a suitable system of mechanics 
        • Jot down words or phrases, not entire sentences 
        • Develop some system of shorthand and be consistent in its use (e.g. Hr s sntnc wth vwls lft t - Here is a sentence with vowels left out!) 
        • Leave out small service words 
        • Use contractions and abbreviations 
        • Use symbols +, =, &, @
         
      • Try to get the hang of listening and writing at the same time. It can be done. 
        • You may practice listening to the news on TV and taking notes
     

    After Taking Notes

     
    • Review and reword them as soon as possible 
       
      • You should consider this in scheduling your work load 
         
        • Don't just recopy or type without thought 
        • " Reminiscing " may provide forgotten material later 
        • Rewrite incomplete or skimpy parts in greater detail 
        • Fill in gaps as you remember points heard but not recorded 
        • Arrange with another colleague to compare notes or debrief if appropriate 
        • Find answers to any questions remaining unanswered 
        • Write a brief summary of the event 
         
      • We forget 50% of what we hear immediately; two months later, another 25% is gone. Relearning is rapid if regular review is used 
      • Compare the information in your notes with your own experience 
      • Don't swallow everything uncritically 
      • Don't reject what seems strange or incorrect. Check it out. 
      • Be willing to hold some seeming inconsistencies in your mind over a period of time 
      • Make meaningful associations 
       
    • Sharpen your note taking technique by looking at your colleagues' notes. How are they  better than your own? How are your notes superior? 
    • Practice those skills you wish to develop

  • Effective Note Taking

       

     

    Note Taking Is A Skill

     
    • This takes understanding of what you're doing 
    • It takes practice, which involves effort
     

    Note Taking Is Difficult Because

     
    • Spoken language is more diffuse than written 
    • Speaker's organisation is not immediately apparent 
    • Immediate feedback seldom occurs 
    • Spoken language is quick, and does not 'exist' for long 
      • This makes analysis difficult

     

    Four Purposes For Note Taking

     
    • Provides a written record for review 
    • Forces the listener to pay attention 
    • Requires organisation, which involves active effort on the part of the listener 
    • Listener must condense and rephrase, which aids understanding

     

    Physical Factors

     
    • Seating 
      • Near the front and centre 
        • Vision is better 
        • Hearing is better
         
      • Avoid distractions 
        • Doorways, window glare, etc. 
        • Peers
       
    • Materials 
      • Two pens 
        • Ink easier to read 
        • You have a reserve
         
      • Wide-lined, easy-eye paper 
      • Conference/Meeting date, and topic clearly labelled 
        • May use dividers
         
      • Plenty of blank paper in back
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