NOTE-TAKING AND IN-CLASS SKILLS

Adequate notes are a necessary adjunct to efficient study and learning in College. Think over the following suggestions and improve your note-taking system where needed.

  •  Listen actively - if possible think before you write - but don't get behind.

  •  Be open minded about points you disagree on. Don't let arguing interfere with your note-taking.

  • Raise questions if appropriate.

  •  Develop and use a standard method of note-taking including punctuation, abbreviations, margins, etc.

  • Take and keep notes in a large notebook. The only merit to a small notebook is ease of carrying and that is not your main objective. A large notebook allows you to adequately indent and use an outline form.

  •  Leave a few spaces blank as you move from one point to the next so that you can fill in additional points later if necessary. Your objective is to take helpful notes, not to save paper.

  • Do not try to take down everything that the lecturer says. It is impossible in the first place and unnecessary in the second place because not everything is of equal importance. Spend more time listening and attempt to take down the main points. If you are writing as fast as you can, you cannot be as discriminating a listener. There may be some times, however, when it is more important to write than to think.

  •  Listen for cues as to important points, transition form one point to the next, repetition of points for emphasis, changes in voice inflections, enumeration of a series of points, etc.

  •  Many lecturers attempt to present a few major points and several minor points in a lecture. The rest is explanatory material and samples. Try to see the main points and do not get lost in a barrage of minor points which do not seem related to each other. The relationship is there if you will listen for it. Be alert to cues about what the professor thinks is important.

  •  Make your original notes legible enough for your own reading, but use abbreviations of your own invention when possible. The effort required to recopy notes can be better spent in rereading them and thinking about them. Although neatness is a virtue in some respect, it does not necessarily increase your learning.

  •   Copy down everything on the board, regardless. Did you ever stop to think that every blackboard scribble may be a clue to an exam item? You may not be able to integrate what is on the board into your lecture notes, but if you copy it, it may serve as a useful clue for you later. If not, what the heck -- you haven't wasted anything. You were in the classroom anyway.

  • Sit as close to the front of the class, there are fewer distractions and it is easier to hear, see and attend to important material.

  •  Get assignments and suggestions precisely - ask questions if you're not sure.
     

STUDY TIPS

Students often ask how to prepare for and be successful in sociology classes.  In some ways this is not easy to answer as we, individually, tend to develop methods that work for us.  Yet there are some general guidelines students could apply in any course so as to improve the chances of success.

One of the companion guides to the text offers tips for success.  Some of the ideas are summarized here.  Students should also make use of the student support services available on campus.  The companion website for the text offers excellent review materials and practice tests.  Again it is highly recommended that students utilize this resource.  The web address is given in the text (back cover), but is reproduced here for your convenience. 

www.ablongman.com/hensliness6e

The Course Syllabus and Textbook

Syllabi are required to provide students some critical information including the areas to be covered and the learning objectives to be achieved.  This helps students to prepare ahead for class sessions and provides a yardstick to measure achievements.  Within the textbook, each chapter begins with a chapter outline and has an end-of-chapter summary of key terms and concepts.  These together with the web resources provide considerable reinforcement for the learning process.  The text includes many examples from actual situations.  The important point here is to understand just how each example demonstrates the critical points made in the chapter.

Time Management

Being a student and holding a job, especially a full-time job places heavy demands on one’s time.  How well a person manages his time is crucial to success. It might be useful to establish a timetable, listing first fixed time commitments such as class or work times, the allocating the remaining hours so as to allow for study time and for recreation.  This is not to suggest schedules are written in stone, rather this should help students commit the needed time to study while maintaining some balance.  It may also be useful to make a schedule of due dates for assignments.  This would help in allocating time among these commitments.

Developing Better Concentration

To concentrate is to focus on the task at hand.  Students can do this best in places with minimal distractions.  Once you have established your study environment, there are a few strategies which might help with your concentration and mastery of the materials.

  • Use lists – of what to do during the study session, of what to do later, including those things unrelated to the study topic, but which are important and need to be dealt with at some point.

  •  Take regular breaks.  This gives you a chance to stretch, allowing you to refocus.

  •  Set a goal for the study session – what specific areas do you wish to work on during that session.  Once you have achieved that goal, end the session.

Mastery of the Materials

  • Good organization of time and class materials is critical to mastering the subject matter.  Some suggestions are

  • read assigned materials before class, taking notes as you do so

  •  summarize the main points

  •  try to find the connections between what you are reading and earlier readings

  •  questions raised by the readings

  • For visual learners, act of writing might help them ‘see’ the material

  •  Make flash cards for review purposes

  •  Identify concepts, key terms, key people.

Test Taking Tips

Objective tests – multiple choice, true/false, matching and fill-in the blanks focus more on details given in the text and your ability to identify correct answers i.e. definitions, key figures, specific facts, and so on.  You can improve your performance if you

  •  Read instructions carefully

  •  Take time to read each question and the answers carefully

  •  Pace yourself.  Calculate how much time can be given to each question.  Allow  yourself some time to review after you are done.

  •  Learn to recognize the qualifiers.  These are words that can substantially change the meaning of the sentence.   

  •      o       All, always, only, most, usually, sometimes, never

  • Be careful of negatives

  •     No, not, never, un- or –less

  •  Except indicates that the one wrong answer, the exception, is the correct answer to the question.

Adapted from “Study guide plus for Henslin Essentials of Sociology: a sown to earth approach,” 6e. Prepared by Katherine R. Rowell.  NY, Pearsons, 2006.

 

·           How to Improve Your Reading

Before Class

'Take the time to get a concrete idea of material that will be covered in class­

For Lecture Classes:

  • Take 5.10 minutes to systematically look over the chapter(s) that were assigned.
  • Read the chapter outline, main headings, and key words.
  • Look carefully at the pictures, charts, graphs, and/or diagrams.
  • Read the summary (twice if the material is unfamiliar or difficult).

 For Discussion Classes:

  •  Read ALL material assigned_ if you fiU1 out of time at least follow the instructions above.
  • Take notes, or make comments, and/or pose questions on the reading, both in the text (use post. its or write in the margins) & in your notebook.

During Class

 For Lecture Classes:

  • Take effective notes (see Tipsheet: 3 Steps to Effective Notetaking).
  • In the "Comments" column of your. notes, indicate when the lecture is dealing with material from reading.

For Discussion Classes:

  • Try to participate in the discussion at least once (also, don't dominate it).
  • Either comment during ongoing discussion, or wait for a lull and either make (from your reading notes) one of your observations or pose one of your questions.
  • Add to your reading notes those points that the instructor emphasized.

After Class

 For Lecture Classes: 

  • Read all the material that you previously scanned before class­
  • Interact with your class notes while reading, making comments and clarifying concepts and details that were covered in lecture.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        .

For Discussion Classes:

  • Review your reading/class notes to clarify your comprehension of the assignment; think about possible test/essay questions.          .

Steps to Effective Note-taking

 Step #1- Develop an effective method of taking Notes

Use the "Cornell" method to take initial notes during class.

Draw a line down the length of the page. one third the distance from the left margin. This creates a “Comments” column where you can make comments and observations or post questions on your regular class notes as they are being taken on the right hand side. This makes your note-taking more interactive and less passive.

 IDevelop a personal code to use while taking notes based on the instructor’s emphasis in the lecture, for example:  

    • A star (*) for likely test items or topics.
    • Underline for particular instructor emphasis.
    • Circle comments if you don't know or are unclear (1) and skip spaces to allow you to look it up
    • later and write in what you find.
    • A box or key concepts that you need to remember.

Step #2. Develop your notes into an effective study guide

  • Take your class notes, comments, and notes from readings and develop them into a new set of more condensed and focused notes to study for a given quiz or test. Use any or all of the following strategies:

  •  Develop concept maps, information matrices, and/or process or systems diagrams that show relationships between key ideas and details.

  •  Make flash-cards with important concepts, formulas, and/or terminology and review them frequently (placing them into maps, matrices. or diagrams as appropriate).

  •  Develop a key word approach for groups of information like “5 key concepts for –“  that will allow you to more easily ,memorize and recall the necessary information.

  • Regardless of how you develop your notes, review them frequently for shorter periods of time, rather than occasionally for longer periods of time, and don't cram at the end just before a test.­

Step #3. "Audit" your notes after every quiz and test 

  • Soon after eacl1 quiz or test, go back over your notes and highlight the concepts and details that appeared on the test. Also note any information that was on the test that you did NOT have in your notes. This will help you find out two important things:

  • To get a concrete idea of how much of the quiz/test comes from the book, and how much comes from the lecture and perhaps how much comes from somewhere else.

  •  To get a better picture of what the instructor considers important; this is especially important in classes where the midterm and final exams are cumulative­

Test Taking Strategies

 Before:

  • Seek tutorial help if your understanding is weak.
  • Take good notes and develop an effective study guide; pace your study with frequent shorter sessions.
  • Take care of yourself (eat well and exercise regularly}, reduce 31Lxiety, and have a positive attitude.
  • Organize and bring materials with you to the test; and arrive early!

 During:

  •  Listen to or read all directions carefully.
  • Look over entire test before answering anything.
  •  Immediately jot down formulas and definitions you will need and might forget.
  • Do prewriting or outlining if it is an essay test
  •  Budget your time, but be sure to read each question carefully.
  • Do easy questions first; then do harder ones.
  • Don't let emotions get in the way of being successful.
  • Check and/or proofread your answers.

 After:

  •  Analyze your test performance for strengths and weaknesses in you knowledge and preparation.
  • Visit with the professor (or tutor) to go over questions or concepts that were difficult.
  • Revise your study process and schedule time accordingly.
  • Seek tutorial he1p, if necessary.

Multiple Choice Strategies:

  • Eliminate the obvious wrong answers.
  • Watch for absolute terms (always, never, inevitably, etc.); 80% of the time these answers are incorrect.
  • There can be only one right answer unless otherwise stated (Look for answers that cancel each other or are the same and eliminate them).
  • Look for dues to questions you can't 31lSwer within other questions.
  • Make sure the answer you choose answers the question.
  • Consider all alternatives before answering, especially with “all of the above" or "A and B" answers.
  • If 3 of 4 answers given are on the same topic, the answer is probably not the one on a different topic.
  • Some people claim their first answer is the correct one -- See if it works for you!

 Essay Test Strategies:

  • Read the question carefully, circling the verb and important words. Know what it is asking you to do.
  • Outline, diagram or jot down notes of your ideas.
  • Write your 311swer referring to your notes, outline, or diagram.
  • Proofread your answer, check for grammar, spelling& punctuation errors.
  • Allow 10-15 minutes for each essay.

 Time Management Strategies

 Using a daily/weekly/monthly planner, follow each of the strategies listed below:

Daily TO-DO Lists

  •  Make daily "laundry lists of what needs to get done during each day.
  • Use the opportunity to practice prioritizing tasks and obligations.

Weekly Schedules

  • Systematically map out your commitments and interests for the week, including class, exercise, etc.

  • Use the schedule to find times when you can study; even just 15 minutes can be enough for a review.

 Monthly and/or Semester Timeline

  • Systematically outline all your assignments, tests, and papers/projects (try using different colors for different classes to keep easier track of assignments).
  • Learn to organize and prioritize your time to get things done on or ahead of time

Long- Term Goals

  • Take the time each semester to outline and remind yourself of whatever personal, academic, and social goals you want to accomplish while in college.
  • Post these goals ill a visible place to remind yourself why you are here and what you want to accomplish - over and above just going to class and getting a passing grade

  [NAU  Learning Assistance Center - University lInion Rm. 25./ l513-5524) 2/98]

 This page last updated: March 1st, 1998

Courtesy: Georgia Perimeter College. Col. Of Teaching and Learning.

Http://www.nau.edu/lac/tips.html