Chapter 12: NOTE MAKING

Note Taking = when you listen to a speaker or watch documentaries & jot down notes

IMPORTANCE OF NOTE TAKING

• Helps us to focus & concentrate on what is said
• Helps us to prepare for tests & exams
• Are the key points to understand a subject
• Helps us to understand the complex concepts or elements of the subject

FEATURES OF GOOD NOTES

• Brief, concise & written in the 3rd person
• Contain only the relevant details/facts of the subject
• Avoid illustrations/descriptions except in science & technology-oriented subjects
• Info presented in phrases/words/brief sentences; follows a specific gr pattern
• Info presented in a logical sequence
• Usually divided into > main points, sub-points, sub-sub-points and so on

NOTE TAKING IN CLASS > Three Stages

1. Get ready to take notes (before a class)
2. Review the notes from the previous class
3. Complete the assigned readings
4. Take notes (during a class)
5. Focus your attention on what the teacher is saying & write quickly
6. Rewrite the notes (after a class)
7. Complete your notes by replacing short forms/abbreviations into words
8. Check with other students to ensure that you have not missed any important info

 NOTE MAKING = when you read & prepare notes

IMPORTANCE OF NOTE MAKING

• Helps us to observe & record the crucial & finer aspects of a text / a phenomenon
• Helps us to appraise the text / a situation from close quarters
• Helps us to figure out the complexity of an idea/a thought / situation
• Helps us to recall & recapture the intensity of an observed phenomenon & express it in our own words

METHODS OF PREPARING NOTES > 5

1. The Cornell Method = a systematic format for condensing notes
2. Leave a two & a half inch margin on the left & a six inch area on the right to make notes
3. Leave sufficient space b/w each new point
4. Write the notes in the main space (6 inch area)
5. Use the left-hand space to label each significant bit of info & detail with a cue / key word

Advantages

• Is organized & systematic; so helps in recording & reviewing notes
• Is an easy format for pulling out major concepts & ideas
• Is a simple & efficient method
• Saves time & effort
• Is like a ‘do-it-right-in-the-first-place’ system
• See fig. 12.1 on page 186
• The Outlining Method
• Indented outlining > the best method for informative kind of lectures & texts.
• The most general info begins on the left
• Each specific group of facts indented with spaces to the right.
• For headings Roman numerals, letters of the alphabet, & Arabic numerals are commonly used at different levels.
• For a sample refer to page 187

Advantages

• a well-organized system if used rightly.
• helps in recording the content & also observing the relationship among various pts.
• helps to keep the review process easy.

Disadvantages

• this method requires more thought into the subject matter for accurate organization.
• lends limited review as it is very brief.
• cannot be used if the lecture is rushed through

• The Mapping Method
• Is a graphic repsn of the whole talk/lecture.
• Used when the lecture content is heavy & well-organized.
• Have to use our cognitive & analytical skills & critical thinking to create a map of the info.

Advantages

• Helps us to track the talk/lecture visually.
• Easy to review the entire info in no time.
• Different colours can be used for highlighting.
• The Taxonomizing Method
• Helps in charting/recording the info in a systematic manner.
• The page is divided into quadrangles & labelled with appropriate headings such as history, causes, effects & measures.
• The info can be recorded into the suitable category.

Advantages 

• Facilitates in taking down notes as quickly as possible.
• Reduces the amount of unnecessary writing.
• Provides an easy review mechanism for memorizing the facts & studying the comparisons & relationships.
• The Sentence Method
• Used by students who do not know the technical way of taking down notes.
• Every new thought/fact/topic is written on a separate line.

Advantages

• We get more/all the info.
• Notes prepared by using this method give a sufficient idea of the content of the actual text

Disadvantages

• The major/minor points cannot be determined from the numbered sequence.
• Difficult to edit without rewriting by clustering related points.