There are at least
five methods for taking notes. Each person probably uses
one of these methods, or a combination of them. Each note-taking
method has its advantages and disadvantages.
The five methods are:
This technique seems
to work well after some practice.
It appears to work
best where information isn't presented in a logical or outline
sequence.
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Labeling
the top of each page with at least the class name,
topic, date and page number.
These help
if the note pages become disarranged at some point.
Ruling
the note page vertically making at least two columns
(sometimes three).
The leftmost
column is about two and one-half inches wide.
The second
column is about six inches wide and both columns run almost
the entire length of the page.
If a third
column is used, it contains an example or formula if the
phrase refers to one.
The wide
column contains the actual notes.
Each line
has a short phrase or sentence pertaining to significant
points in the topic.
When the instructor
moves to a new point, lines are skipped and the wide-column
"notes" continue.
After
class, the narrower, left column gets “cues”
Each line
has “subject words” that refer to each phrase written
in the wide column.
At the
bottom of the page, or at the end of the session,
some people leave a full-page-width area where they summarize
the meaning of the discussion.
Complete the “cues”
or subject words in the left column for each phrase in the
wide column.
Add to the "notes"
phrases for better understanding.
The student covers
everything but the “cue” in the left column.
The student says
the cue out loud and tries to say as much as possible about
the material contained in the hidden phrase to which the cue
refers.
The phrase
is then uncovered to see if the student had the answer.
This method
makes the notes similar to flash cards.
The Cornell Method
requires less rewriting of notes and fewer modifications for
efficient study.
It tends
to work best when there is a lot of vocabulary, technical
terms, formulas and independent (less-than-organized)
ideas to retain.
Just leave a
wide column on the left side of the page into which you can
later add "cues" to get some of the advantages of
this method. An example appears just below.
An
example of a note page using the Cornell Method.
The note-taking method
described above works well with the slide presentations used in
class. Powerpoint® slides
in class are arranged so that each topic page (slide) has a
main point followed by a "proof." The main
point, or assertion, represents the "phrase" or short
sentence in the "notes" column. The majority of
the slide, the "proof," may be listed in the example
column, if it's a formula. It also may be listed in the
notes column if it contains some additional significant information.
Below are the two slides from which the first line in the
example notes page above derives its content.
The slide above
indicates the topic, series circuits, and the assertion that
"all loads are in a line." The drawing is used
by the instructor to guide the discussion visually and auditorially
to show that the assertion is true (the "proof").
The slide above
asserts that current is common to all loads in a series circuit
and, again, the instructor uses the schematic to guide the discussion
visually and auditorially to show that the assertion is valid
(the "proof").
The
slide shown above asserts the formula for voltage in its various
forms. The instructor uses a different slide for the proof.
This slide represents how a formula was entered into the
sample notes page above.
The
slide above is the one that begins to "prove" the
Ohm's Law formulas indicated in other slides. The "notes
column" will likely have just "Figure the Formula,"
and the right column will contain the formula wheel drawing.
