PAR 5 Note-taking Strategy

Before the lecture

Preview: get ready and get interested

Look through chapter; skim chapter headings and summary; look over course out-line; find out what you’re going to be learning about; start thinking about the topic.

During the lecture

Actively listen and select

• Listen to the beginning—is there a plan for the lecture? If so, write it at the top of your page
• Work out how your professor shows that something is important— What does he/she say? e.g. says it’s
  important/writes it on the board/ underlines it/repeats same point...
• Keep your preview in mind as you listen—maybe the same points emphasized in the chapter are going to be important here

Record: divide page; use right hand column (see over-page)

• Don’t try to write everything down—be selective; focus on the important ideas
• Leave room to add more details later
• Try to write down key words and concepts rather than sentences
• Abbreviate in a way you’ll understand later
• Also note to yourself what was happening—e.g. here prof. gave an example, digressed to answer a question, etc.
• If you forget an idea before you finish writing it down, show that you did this
  i.e. the concepts in cell division were?
  

After the lecture

Revise: within 24 hours of the lecture

• Read over your notes
• Fix unclear points; use your textbook or compare notes with a friend to fill in gaps or places where you got lost

Reduce: use the left hand column to label the ideas in the lecture

• Use labels to summarize the points of the lecture
• Try to think like your prof—why did he/she include this point? Why give these three examples? What major points was she/he trying to make?
• Get a sense of how the lecture was organized
• Categorize ideas into main themes

Recite: talk your way through the lecture points

• Read the labels but cover up the right hand side—see if you can recall what was there
• Talk your way through and elaborate on points
• Try to “teach” ideas out loud or do example problems
• Check that you understand—make a plan to follow up on anything you don’t (ask prof next class, ask a friend, etc.)

Review: remember that reviewing leads to retention!

• Create graphic organizers such as maps or matrices to organize and learn the concepts from the lecture
• Test yourself on the ideas from time to time

One Possible Format for Organizing Notes