NOTE-MAKING & NOTE-TAKING

• Notes are an essential record of Information which can help one in preparing for a seminar, presentation,
assignment or an examination.

• Note-taking is the act of writing down pieces of information in a systematic way. It is the first stage of
producing an effective note and is the process which involves writing or recording what you hear, see or
read during Lectures, Tutorials, Webinar and Seminar in a descriptive way.

• Note-taking is the practice of recording information captured from another source. By taking notes, the
writer records the essence of the Information, freeing their mind from having to recall everything.

• Note-making is the practice of keeping record from different sources. It essentially goes beyond
writing down what you hear or see.

• Note-making is a more intellectual activity than Note taking as it involves selecting, analyzing, and
summarizing what you hear and read.
NOTE-TAKING

• Promotes active learning.

• Necessary for easy memorization of facts.

• Improves focus and attention to details.

• An essential listening skill as it only takes paying attention and listening to details to be
able to take notes.

• Improves organizational skills with the way one prioritize their content of what they
hear, and organize it effectively in their book.
Note-Taking Techniques

• Use abbreviations (but not in headings).

• Use phrases and words. Avoid using sentences.

• Color coding, highlighting and other means of differentiating information can be utilized.

• Use diagrams, flowcharts, arrows etc.

• Highlight links between points.

• Add your observations in the margin.

• Key at the end of the notes should be enclosed within a box.

Note-Taking Methods

• Outlining method

• Mapping method (Mind maps)

• Cornell Method

• Charting method
 Outlining Method
• provides more structure, making it possible to still be able to correctly interpret the main issues at a later
date.

• Every new subject of the lecture or

meeting is set as far to left of the page as
possible.

• All additional matters that belong to this

subject are then tiered to the right beneath
this subject.

• A new subject is written straight beneath

the first subject.

• The relationship between the different

parts is carried out through indenting.
Mapping Method

• Graphical representation of information, ideas, facts, and concepts.

• Involves writing the main topic into the center of the document and connecting
related subtopics, ideas, and concepts through branches, images, and colors.

• Method that uses comprehension/concentration skills and evolves in a note

taking form which relates each fact or idea to every other fact or idea.

• Best suitable for subjects or lectures where the content is well-organized, detailed,
and targeting a specific concept.
Mapping method example from Leonardo da Vinci.
• Intra- and inter-relationships
between facts and concepts easily
visible.

• Analyzing and reviewing

mapped notes is efficient.

• Mapped notes are easy to edit by

adding further branches.

• Pictures and colors facilitate

memory and appeal to visual
learning styles,
Cornell Method

• Professor Walter Pauk of Cornell University devised this method in the 1950s.

• The strategy involves learners dividing their paper into two columns with a row
across the bottom.

• It requires very little preparation which makes it ideal for note taking in a
classroom or during a client meeting.

• The strength of this method is the page layout.

• Rule your paper with a 2 ½ inch
margin on the left leaving a six-
inch area on the right in which to
make notes.

• During class, take down information

in the six- inch area.

• For every significant bit of

information, write a cue in the left
margin.

• Summarizing the notes in the

bottom row helps to consolidate
your understanding. This is best
done after the class or workshop.
Charting Method

• Uses charts to condense and organize notes.

• It involves splitting a document into several columns and rows which are then filled with
summaries of information.

• This results in a note format that enables efficient comparisons between different topics and ideas.

• The charting method is good for taking notes on subjects that have:
Factual and/or statistical information;
Subtopics that are directly comparable to each other;
Information that can be compartmentalized into tables.
 NOTE-MAKING

• Note-making is more common while reading; it consists in deliberately crafting our own version so we can learn and
create better.

• Note-making is slower, more involved, and uses our own language. As a result, the content is easier to understand
and remember.

• The Generation Effect is the underlying process which supports note-making.

• GE is the phenomenon where information is better remembered if it is actively created from your own mind rather
than simply read in a passive way.

• Principles of note-making encourage students to generate their own content.

• There is no one-size-fits-all note-making method.

The Key Principles of Making Notes

• Rephrase the original idea. Don’t use the author’s or teacher’s original language. Instead, distill
the ideas into your own words.

• Connect ideas together. We rarely can form memories in isolation. To help with understanding
and recall, make sure to create links between the ideas you are studying.

• Build upon the ideas. Your notes should be living documents. Come back to them to review and
revise them. As you learn more about a topic, add more examples, more questions, and more
related ideas.
Thank You