Note Taking 101
There are various tips and tricks out there for good note-taking. I'm going to share with you the style that works best for our family.
First, if you aren't already, familiarize yourself with the Cornell Note-taking System. This is designed for taking notes during lectures, and you can use this any time you are taking notes from a video or audio lecture.
The system does call for a specialized paper. As you can probably guess, we've always used plain old notebook paper. The Cue Column is the space outside the margin. The Summary Section is the header space. And, of course, the Note-taking Column is the body of the page. If you find the Cue Column is too narrow for you, you can also fold the paper to make a crease that creates a larger column. (Or you can just draw lines, if that works better for you.) Also, the Summary Section is supposed to be at the bottom of the page. If you use the header space, you can either keep the summary at the top, of simply flip the paper upside down and write on it that way.
What I want to share with you is a version of the Cornell system I adapted to apply to textbook studying, using regular notebook paper.
Note: The Summary Section will be at the top, and it becomes the Question Section.
How this works: When reading in textbooks, chapters are almost always divided into sections that have sub-headers and/or titles. For example, I have a humanities textbook open next to me right now. On page 76, the sub-header is "The Geometric Period." There are separate sections under this sub-header for pottery, sculpture, and Homer's Illiad and Odyssey.
So, on my page, I would note the following in the upper corner: The Geometric Period, p. 76, and the date I'm taking the notes. In the question section, I would come up with a question that pertains to this title/section. For instance: "What are significant characteristics of pottery and sculptures from the Geometric Period?" As I read, I would make notes in the body of my page that answer this question. The margin area (cue column) would be used for any key terms listed in the book, or any new words for me. In this case, an example is "dipylon."
You'll notice my question only addressed pottery and sculpture. This is because both these topics are covered in about a page in the textbook. Homer's famous works have a page of their own in the book, and aren't particularly related to the pottery/sculpture topic. Because of this, I would give Homer his own page in my notes - in this case, the back of the page I've just used. I'd come up with a new question, perhaps: "What are some similarities and differences between The Illiad and The Odyssey?" and take notes accordingly.
Why do my notes have questions like this?
1) By asking a question, I am giving myself something to think about and answer while I read. This is a step up from what can easily become mindless reading. It's the difference between active and passive learning.
2) It gives me a great way to review. When I take out my notes, I can read the questions at the top of each page and determine whether or not I can answer those questions without referring to the notes below. (I've also noted the page number(s) from the book where the notes came from, so I can easily go back and re-read a passage or section if I need.)
This style can be used with reading online books and journals, as well. If you come across something that doesn't seem to have any headers/titles to help cue you, you can skim a few paragraphs for an idea that can become your question.
If this note-taking style appeals to you, give it a try, or adapt it in any way that works best for you. Remember, the goal is to take good notes and be actively engaged while you read.
First, if you aren't already, familiarize yourself with the Cornell Note-taking System. This is designed for taking notes during lectures, and you can use this any time you are taking notes from a video or audio lecture.
The system does call for a specialized paper. As you can probably guess, we've always used plain old notebook paper. The Cue Column is the space outside the margin. The Summary Section is the header space. And, of course, the Note-taking Column is the body of the page. If you find the Cue Column is too narrow for you, you can also fold the paper to make a crease that creates a larger column. (Or you can just draw lines, if that works better for you.) Also, the Summary Section is supposed to be at the bottom of the page. If you use the header space, you can either keep the summary at the top, of simply flip the paper upside down and write on it that way.
What I want to share with you is a version of the Cornell system I adapted to apply to textbook studying, using regular notebook paper.
Note: The Summary Section will be at the top, and it becomes the Question Section.
How this works: When reading in textbooks, chapters are almost always divided into sections that have sub-headers and/or titles. For example, I have a humanities textbook open next to me right now. On page 76, the sub-header is "The Geometric Period." There are separate sections under this sub-header for pottery, sculpture, and Homer's Illiad and Odyssey.
So, on my page, I would note the following in the upper corner: The Geometric Period, p. 76, and the date I'm taking the notes. In the question section, I would come up with a question that pertains to this title/section. For instance: "What are significant characteristics of pottery and sculptures from the Geometric Period?" As I read, I would make notes in the body of my page that answer this question. The margin area (cue column) would be used for any key terms listed in the book, or any new words for me. In this case, an example is "dipylon."
You'll notice my question only addressed pottery and sculpture. This is because both these topics are covered in about a page in the textbook. Homer's famous works have a page of their own in the book, and aren't particularly related to the pottery/sculpture topic. Because of this, I would give Homer his own page in my notes - in this case, the back of the page I've just used. I'd come up with a new question, perhaps: "What are some similarities and differences between The Illiad and The Odyssey?" and take notes accordingly.
Why do my notes have questions like this?
1) By asking a question, I am giving myself something to think about and answer while I read. This is a step up from what can easily become mindless reading. It's the difference between active and passive learning.
2) It gives me a great way to review. When I take out my notes, I can read the questions at the top of each page and determine whether or not I can answer those questions without referring to the notes below. (I've also noted the page number(s) from the book where the notes came from, so I can easily go back and re-read a passage or section if I need.)
This style can be used with reading online books and journals, as well. If you come across something that doesn't seem to have any headers/titles to help cue you, you can skim a few paragraphs for an idea that can become your question.
If this note-taking style appeals to you, give it a try, or adapt it in any way that works best for you. Remember, the goal is to take good notes and be actively engaged while you read.
