Everyone knows that
taking notes during class and while reading is important.
And everyone knows that reviewing notes is helpful when studying
for tests. But do you really know what to write down when
you’re taking notes? Do you really do anything with
those notes even if they do have useful content? If not,
take a look at these note-taking and studying strategies.
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The Five R’s of note taking
Professor Walter Pauk of the Study Center at Cornell University developed these
five essential elements of note taking.
| 1. |
Recording: Write down key words, phrases, facts, main
ideas, and key concepts. |
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| 2. |
Reducing: Reduce your notes by summarizing them. The
summaries can be used for quick studying and preparation for a test. |
| 3. |
Reciting: Review and rephrase your notes as soon as
possible after class, putting the notes into your own words. This step
makes notes easier to understand. |
| 4. |
Reflecting: It’s easy to fall into the trap of
reciting and memorizing your notes. However, the key is to think about
and reflect on the concepts, main ideas, and their meanings and implications. |
| 5. |
Reviewing: Periodically review your notes to keep the
information fresh in your mind. One real secret of successful studying
is to know when, how, and what to review. Reviewing is an intentional,
intense, and active process, not a passive process. |
| Using this thoughtful method, you’ll
no longer be left with a page of doodles or unintelligible phrases. Instead,
you’ll have helpful, concise notes
to study from. |
The SQ3R study method
Ever read an entire page of a book—and have no idea what it said? Ever
listened to a whole lecture—but have no idea what the professor said? You
need to engage in your reading and studying, thinking about the content and asking
yourself questions. A popular study technique, similar to the Five R’s
method, is the SQ3R method. For best results, do these steps in order:
| 1. |
Survey: Scan the written material for general content
and structure of the concepts. Scan the headings, subheadings, and topic
sentences of paragraphs, graphics, and pictures. This will provide a clear
overview of the information to be covered. |
 |
| 2. |
Question: Develop questions about what the materials
are about. As you scan the material, generate questions to be answered
later with careful reading. |
| 3. |
Read: Read all of the material carefully and look for
answers to the questions that you developed. Take notes as you read the
material to expand on the concepts and answer your questions. |
| 4. |
Recite: Rephrase notes into your own words. |
| 5. |
Review: Periodically review your notes to keep the
information fresh in your mind.
With this method, you’re essentially testing yourself as you go,
ensuring that you understand the material rather than passively absorbing
it. |
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Learning Styles
By the time you reach college, you’ve probably realized that people learn
differently. You may even know what your learning style is and how to get the
most out of teachers, whether or not their teaching style complements your learning
style. If you find that you have trouble absorbing or remembering information,
however, this is a good time to find out what your learning style is and how
to work within it. Most people fall into one of three categories:
| • |
Visual Learners like to observe and read; they are good
at homework and like to study alone. |
| • |
Auditory Learners like to listen and talk; they like
to think out loud, brainstorm, and repeat information. |
| • |
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners like to do things and try
things; they need to move around and do not like desk work. |
Once you identify your learning style, you can figure out strategies for studying
that work for you. For example, if you’re an Auditory Learner, it may help
to read your notes out loud. For more information about learning styles, enter “learning
styles” in a search engine such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com. |
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