Transcript Note Taking 101 - Qatar University

Effective Listening & Note Taking
Academic Support Unit
Student Learning Support Center
Adapted from:
Practicing College Learning Strategies
3rd edition
Carolyn H. Hopper
The 3 levels of listening
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Active Listening:
Full attention, direct involvement, feed back,
encourages true dialogue.
Passive Listening:
Hearing but not really listening, insufficient
communication leads to misunderstanding
Non-Listening:
None listener pays attention to himself,
thinks about unrelated matters, thinks about
what he wants to say next.
Improving Listening skills
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Put personal emotions aside during
conversation.
Ask questions.
Paraphrase back the speaker words to
clarify understanding.
Overcome environment distractions.
Eye contact and body language.
The note taking process aids in learning:
The more senses you employ in learning the
more your learn:
 You hear the instructor’s lecture with your
ears.
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You see the written material on the board &
you watch the instructor emphasize certain
points with you eyes.
You use your sense of touch when you write
your notes with your hands.
Note taking & in-class skills
To improve your In-class Skills:
 Come to the class prepared. Why? How?
 Come to the class as early as possible. Why?
 Sit in the front of the class where you can see
and hear best.
 Listen with a pen or pencil in your hand.
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Think of questions as you are listening.
Cont…
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Leave a few spaces blank as take notes so you
can fill additional points later.
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Do not take down everything take only the main
points.
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Listen for verbal & nonverbal clues i.e.
important points, repetition, changes in voice
inflections, lists of points.
Make your original notes legible enough for you.
Copy down every thing from the board.
Ask questions.
Why it is important to take notes?
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It Increases attention & concentration.
Encourages students to process info. to a
deeper level.
Provides a means of connecting new
learning with prior knowledge.
The Cornell System for Note Taking
The Cornell System for taking notes is an
excellent way because:
 It is designed to take notes.
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It saves your time.
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It limits rewriting of information
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Three steps: before class, during the lecture
& after the lecture.
First Step
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: Preparation
Briefly review your notes and reading before
class.
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Use a large, loose leaf notebook.
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Use one side of paper.
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Draw a vertical line 2.5 inches form the left
side of your paper (Key column).
Page prepared for Cornell System note-taking
Put name, date, class & page number here
Label notes
with question
here
2.5 inches
Notes Column
Take Telegraphic Notes Here
Second Step: during the lecture
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Record notes on the right side of the
page.
Capture the main points.
Skip lines to show end of ideas or
thoughts.
Use abbreviation to save time.
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Write Legibly.
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Third Step: After the Lecture
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Organize & review your notes ASAP after
lecture.
Fill in info. & clarify parts of lecture by
consulting the lecturer, classmate or your text
book.
Use the left column to jot down ideas, key
words, questions, etc.
Reread the lecture ideas and put them in
your own words.
Cover up the write hand portion of your notes
and recite the general ideas & concepts of
the lecture.
Review your notes regularly.
Remember:
The Notes Taken will act as External
Memory Device, and an Instrument to
aid in Review and Recitation. This
process leads to long term learning.