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Time Management and Study Skills: Note Taking

WHY TAKE NOTES?

Research indicates that unrehearsed information is forgotten in as little as 20 seconds and almost ½ of what is learned is forgotten within an hour. 

Note Taking Tips

  1. Be Alert - so that you are aware of and prepared for the lecture content and situation
  2. Be Orderly - so that you can process the lecture now and review later.
  3. Be Systematic - so that you can establish a habit and a pattern so that you do not miss anything important.
  4. Be Up-to-Date - so that your well designed note-taking gets done, and you remain current with your studies.

(http://sas.calpoly.edu/docs/asc/ssl/NoteTakingTips.pdf)

More Tips

  • Attend lectures regularly.  Once you miss one, you may find it easier to miss more.  (Avoid the slippery slope.)
  • Use a standard 81/2" x 11 loose leaf notebook.  Spiral notebooks do not allow you to shuffle pages for note-review.ll be easier to miss more.
  • Keep the notes for each class separate from the other classes you are taking.
  • Write on one side of the paper for easier organization. It’s possible to overlook material written on the back of a sheet.
  • Carry extra writing impliments.
  • Don’t doodle because it distracts. Keep eye contact when not writing.
  • Make notes as complete as needed and as clear as possible so they can be used meaningfully later.
  • Leave blanks where information is missed or not understood. Fill in gaps after lecture or as soon after as possible with the aid of the instructor or classmates.
  • Develop your own system of enumerating and indenting.
  • Use symbols such as asterisks for emphasis.
  • Mark or separate assignments given in class in a space apart from the lecture notes.
  • Separate your thoughts from those of the lecture; record your own items after the lecture. 
  • Be alert for cues, postural, visual, etc. 
  • Record examples where helpful. 
  • Listen especially at the end of the lecture. If the instructor has not paced his lecture well, he may cram half of the content into the last 5 - 10 minutes.

(http://sas.calpoly.edu/docs/asc/ssl/NoteTakingTips.pdf)