Student Workshop: Note Taking

On Tuesday, February 21, 2012, I attended a Student Workshop given by the Julia N. Visor Center. This workshop was entitled Note Taking and was open to all Illinois State University students. The instructors taught us how to take effective notes and how to be an effective listener. Two tips that I picked up at this workshop about taking notes were to be an active listener and learner and the importance of preparing notes before class. I learned that you really only have the ability to hear thirty percent of what a teacher is discussing. If you aim to retain what you just learned, you need to hear that information again within thirty seconds. If you really want that information to stick in your head, you need to repeat it within one to two hours. Therefore, to be an active listener and learner, you should review your notes during class when you have a break. You should also review the entirety of your notes right when you leave class. The instructors impressed the importance of reading your textbook and taking notes on what you read before you go to class because that gives you first exposure to the material. That way, retention actually occurs during class-time. You should take notes on the assigned reading pages before you get to class and then take notes about the notes that you already have in your notebook. Two other tips that I learned at the student workshop that I would like to share with students are that you must use your notes repetitively and the Cornell Method of notes. There are five steps that you must take to use notes repetitively: taking textbook notes, reviewing your textbook notes, listening to your instructor, writing notes in class, and reviewing your in-class notes. It would be smart to develop this skill at an early age because you will always be able to retain your notes due to the amount of times that you are exposed to the material. The Cornell Method is an innovative style of note-taking that allows you to record, reduce, reflect, and review your notes. It suggests you divide your piece of paper into three separate sections: a note taking area, a cue column, and one for personal summaries. The note taking area is the main space of your paper, the cue column is designated to the left side of the paper, and your summaries go at the bottom of the paper. This is a great way of organizing your notes so that you can study them later.