Developing Efficient Note-taking Skills

Bos, C.S., & Vaughn, S. (1998). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (4th ed.). Boston, MAL: Allyn and Bacon. This note-taking strategy provides a list with several hints for helping students develop effect note-taking skills. It provides essential background knowledge for note taking. 1. Take notes using either a two- or three-column system. 2. Take notes on only one side of the paper. 3. Date and label the topic of the notes. 4. Generally use a modified outline format, indenting subordinate ideas and numbering ideas when possible. 5. Skip lines to note changes in ideas. 6. Write ideas or key phrases, not complete sentences. 7. Use pictures and diagrams to relate ideas. 8. Use consistent abbreviations (e.g., w/ = with, & = and). 9. Underline or asterisk information the lecturer stresses as important. 10. Write down information that the lecturer writes on the board or transparency. 11. If you miss an idea you want to include, draw a blank so that you can go back and fill it in. 12. If you cannot automatically remember how to spell a word, spell it the way it sounds or the way you think it looks. 13. If possible, review the previous sessions notes right before the lecture. 14. If the lecture is about an assigned reading topic, read the information before listening to the lecture. 15. As soon as possible after the lecture, go over your notes, filling in the key concept column and listing any questions you still have. 16. After going over your notes, try to summarize the major points presented during the lecture. 17. Listen actively: In other words, think about what you already know about the topic being presented and how it relates. 18. Review your notes before a test!

Instructions
Things You'll Need
1. o A good pen or pencil A notebook An alert mind Whatever you're taking notes for (seminar, class, etc.)

Developing good note taking skills means that you only record facts that are worthwhile. You have to differentiate between what's good to know and what you need to know.
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Electronic Note Taker

Use the "voice" that makes the most sense to you. In other words, put it in your own words when you can. There's nothing wrong with writing it verbatim from the speaker's words, but just make sure that when you read back over it, you'll still understand the "heart" of what was said.
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When note taking, skip examples unless they are necessary for you to fully understand the idea that was presented. Otherwise, you'll have a notebook full of anectdotes that won't make much sense.
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Write in short phrases, and use as many abbreviations as you possibly can, as long as you can remember what the abbreviations stood for when you first wrote them!
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Good note taking skills also means that you remember to include introductory remarks and closing summary statements. These most of the time will give you a full "30,000-foot overview" picture of what the speaker is presenting.

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Evalute Your Present Note-Taking System Ask yourself: 1. 2. 3. 4. Did I use complete sentences? They are generally a waste of time. Did I use any form at all? Are my notes clear or confusing? Did I capture main points and all subpoints? Did I streamline using abbreviations and shortcuts?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you may need to develop some new note-taking skills! Five Important Reasons to Take Notes 1. 2. 3. 4. It triggers basic lecturing processes and helps you to remember information. It helps you to concentrate in class. It helps you prepare for tests. Your notes are often a source of valuable clues for what information the instructor thinks most important (i.e., what will show up on the next test). 5. Your notes often contain information that cannot be found elsewhere (i.e., in your textbook). Guidelines for Note-Taking 1. Concentrate on the lecture or on the reading material. 2. Take notes consistently. 3. Take notes selectively. Do NOT try to write down every word. Remember that the average lecturer speaks approximately 125-140 words per minute, and the average note-taker writes at a rate of about 25 words per minute. 4. Translate ideas into your own words. 5. Organize notes into some sort of logical form. 6. Be brief. Write down only the major points and important information. 7. Write legibly. Notes are useless if you cannot read them later! 8. Don't be concerned with spelling and grammar. Tips for Finding Major Points in Lectures The speaker is usually making an important point if he or she: 1. Pauses before or after an idea.

2. Uses repetition to emphasize a point. 3. Uses introductory phrases to precede an important idea. 4. Writes an idea on the board. Forms of Note-Taking 1. Outlining I. Topic sentence or main idea A. Major points providing information about topic 1. Subpoint that describes the major point a. Supporting detail for the subpoint 2. Patterning: flowcharts, diagrams 3. Listing, margin notes, highlighting Ways to Reduce and Streamline Notes 1. Eliminate small connecting words such as: is, are, was, were, a, an, the, would, this, of. Eliminate pronouns such as: they, these, his, that, them. However, be careful NOT to elimate these three words: and, in, on. 2. Use symbols to abbreviate, such as: +, & for and, plus = for equals - for minus # for number x for times > for greater than, more, larger < for less than, smaller, fewer than w/ for with w/o for without w/in for within ----> for leads to, produces, results in <---- for comes from / for per For example: "The diameter of the Earth is four times greater than the diameter of the Moon." Becomes: "Earth = 4x > diameter of Moon." 3. Substitute numerals with symbols, for instance: Substitute "one" with 1 Substitute "third" with 3rd 4. Abbreviate: Drop the last several letters of a word. For example, substitute "appropriate" with "approp." Drop some of the internal vowels of a word. For example, substitute "large" with "lrg."