California Baptist UniversityAcademic Resource Center

Note Taking

Importance of Note Taking

Memory“Studies on memory have shown that, without review, 47% of what a person has just learned is forgotten in the first twenty minutes and 62% is forgotten after the first day” (Dietsche, 2000).

PerformanceAccording to research, “quality of notes [is] the only significant predictor of test performance” (Peverly, 2007).

Four Broad Note Taking Skills

  1. Listening
  2. Be Prepared
  3. Be Punctual
  4. Battle AGAINST inattentive listening
  5. Fight the urge to “zone out”
  6. Cognitive Processing
  7. Understanding each lecture point/idea
  8. Connecting that understanding with one’s existing knowledge
  9. Separating important lecture points from extra data
  10. Examples of important points include details, facts, explanations, examples, definitions, material written on the board, and material repeated or spelled out
  11. Recording Lecture Content in Written Form
  12. Studies on note taking have shown that using nonlinear notes, such as the examples provided in this handout, are more advantageous note taking techniques (Kiewra, 1991).
  13. Using a Laptop
  14. There appears to be no disadvantage in using a laptop as compared to written notes (Katayama, Shambaugh, & Doctor, 2005)
  15. Reviewing Noted Information
  16. Review within 24 hours
  17. Fill in missing information using the textbook
  18. Edit illegible words, questions, key words, and examples
  19. If written, consider rewriting or typing initial notes

Improving Note Taking

  • Maintain a collection of styles and approaches and develop beliefs about when some notetaking practices are more appropriate than others.
  • Evaluate whether notes taken in class are effective in meeting course needs and make adjustments in style and approach as needed.(Van Meter, Yokoi, & Pressley, 1994)
  • Transcription Fluency

◦Research results “indicated that transcription fluency was the only predictor of quality notes and that quality of notes was the only significant predictor of test performance” (Peverly, 2007).Transcription fluency refers to the rate of written word production. Increased writing speed (letter formation)  Increased note taking

California Baptist UniversityAcademic Resource Center

Outlining (Roman Numeral) Method

Cornell Method

California Baptist UniversityAcademic Resource Center

Mapping Methods

Branch Mapping Hierarchically

Branch Mapping Categorically

Comparison Mapping

California Baptist UniversityAcademic Resource Center

References

Davis, M., & Hult, R. (1997). Effects of writing summaries as a generative learning activity during note taking. Teaching of Psychology, 24(1), 47. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Dietsche , V. (2000, December 13). Notetaking: top 5 tips. Retrieved from

Eades, C., & Moore, W. (2007). Ideas in Practice: Strategic Note Taking in Developmental Mathematics. Journal of Developmental Education, 31(2), 18-26. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Katayama, A., Shambaugh, R., & Doctor, T. (2005). Promoting Knowledge Transfer With Electronic Note Taking. Teaching of Psychology, 32(2), 129-131. doi:10.1207/s15328023top3202_9.

Kiewra, K., DuBois, N., Christian, D., McShane, A., Meyerhoffer, M., & Roskelley, D. (1991). Note-taking functions and techniques. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(2), 240-245. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.83.2.240.

MacNeil, J., & Falconer, R. (2010). When Learning the Hard Way Makes Learning Easy: Building Better Lab Note-Taking Skills. Journal of Chemical Education, 87(7), 703-704. doi:10.1021/ed100303y.

Makany, T., Kemp, J., & Dror, I. (2009). Optimising the use of note-taking as an external cognitive aid for increasing learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 619-635. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00906.x.

Peverly, S., Ramaswamy, V., Brown, C., Sumowski, J., Alidoost, M., & Garner, J. (2007). What predicts skill in lecture note taking?. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 167-180. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.1.167.

Van Meter, P., Yokoi, L., & Pressley, M. (1994). College students' theory of note-taking derived from their perceptions of note-taking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86(3), 323-338. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.86.3.323.

Williams, R. L., & Eggert, A. C. (2002). Notetaking in College Classes: Student Patterns and Instructional Strategies. JGE: The Journal of General Education, 51(3), 173-199. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.