Transcript Taking Notes - University System of Georgia

Agenda
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Being a Prepared Student
Being an Effective Listener
Taking Quality Notes
Preparing for Tests
Dealing with Anxiety
Student
Effectiveness
Starts With Being
Prepared
"Always have a plan and believe in it.
Nothing good happens by accident."
~ Chuck Knox, NFL football coach
Top 12 Study Skills Necessary for
Academic Success…
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Note taking
Goal Setting
Selecting Ideas from Texts and Lectures
Time Management
Problem Solving
Concentration and Attentional Skills
Test Preparation
Questioning Skills
Inference Skills
Self-Directional Processes
Verbal Elaboration Ability
Imaginal Elaboration
http://learningassistance.com/2007/september/printables/studyskillsprint.html
Being Prepared Means…
 Using a three-ring binder
 Pages can be easily removed for reviewing.
 Handouts can be inserted into your notes for crossreferencing.
 You can insert your own out-of-class notes in the
correct order.
 Bringing highlighters to class. Highlight when the
instructor says…
 "This is an important concept.“
 "Make sure you understand this."
 Reading assigned material and previous class notes
before class.
 Note concepts you don't understand.
 Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you.
Effective Listening
"Learn how to listen and you will prosper
even from those who talk badly."
~ Plutarch (A.D. 46 - 120). Greek biographer and philosopher
Effective Listening is…
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Having a positive attitude
Being an active listener
Adapting to the direction of the lecture
Never
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Calling the Subject Dull
Criticizing the Speaker
Getting Over-stimulated
Listening Only For Facts
Trying To Outline Everything
Faking Attention
Tolerating Distraction
Choosing Only What's Easy
Letting Emotion-Laden Words Get In The Way
Wasting the Differential Between Speech and Thought Speed
Effective
Note-Taking
"Never use a sentence when you can
use a phrase, or a phrase when you
can use a word.”
~Berkeley
General Note-Taking Guidelines
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Start each new lecture on a new page
Date & number each page
Write on one side of the paper only
Leave blank spaces.
Make your notes as brief
Use abbreviations and symbols.
Note unfamiliar vocabulary / concepts
Include in Your Notes…
 Main Points with supporting
 Details
 Facts
 Explanations
 Discussed enumerations or lists
 Definitions, word for word
 Material written on boards or
transparencies
 Drawings or charts.
 Repeated or spelled information
Always Edit Your Notes…
 Review notes within 24 hours
 Edit for illegible words and phrases
 Write out abbreviated words that
might be unclear later
 Edit with a different colored pen
 Fill in key words / questions in the
left-hand column
 Highlight what you don't understand
 Fill in notes from your textbook
Note-Taking Systems
 The Cornell Method
 The Outline Method
 The Mapping Method
 The Charting Method
 The Sentence Method
The Cornell Method
 Method
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2½ inch left-hand margin / 6 inch right-hand margin
Take notes in 6 inch area
New point, skip a few lines
Clean up notes after class--create summaries
Write a cue in the left margin
Review by covering notes with a card
 Say cue / say material underneath the card
 Move the card / see if what you said matches what is written
 Advantages
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Organized and systematic
Easy format for pulling out major concept and ideas
Simple and efficient
Saves time and effort
 Disadvantages – None
 When to Use - Any lecture
The Outline Method
 Method
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Organized space indention pattern
Major points left / more specific right
Levels of importance = distance away from the major point
Space relationships will indicate the major/minor points
 Advantages
 Well-organized
 Records content / relationships
 Reduces editing / easy to review--turning main points into
questions
 Disadvantages
 Requires thought in class for accurate organization
 May not show sequence relationships
 Cannot be used if the lecture is too fast.
 When to Use—When…
 Lecture presented in outline—deductive or inductive
 Sufficient time is available
 You can handle the outlining regardless of the situation.
The Mapping Method
 Method…
 Relates fact or idea to every other fact or idea
 Graphic representation of lecture content
 Maximizes active participation / Emphasizes critical
thinking
 Advantages
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Visually track the lecture
Relationships can easily be seen
Easy to edit by adding numbers, marks, and color coding
Review by restructuring thought processes
 Disadvantages
 May not hear changes from major points to facts
 When to Use—When…
 Lecture content is heavy & well-organized
 A guest lecturer presents
The Charting Method
 Method
 Determine the categories
 Set up paper in advance by columns headed by categories
 Listen & record information into appropriate categories
 Advantages
 Helps you track the lecture
 Reduces amount of writing
 Provides easy review mechanism
 for memorization of facts
 for study of comparisons and relationships
 Disadvantages
 Learning how to use the system
 Locating appropriate categories
 When to Use—When…
 Test focuses on facts and relationships
 Content is heavy and presented fast
 You want to reduce the amount of time you spend editing
and reviewing
 You want an overview of the whole course on one big paper
sequence
The Sentence Method
 Method
 Write every new thought, fact or topic numbered on a
separate line
 Advantages
 Slightly more organized than the paragraph
 Gets more or all of the information
 Disadvantages
 Can’t determine major/minor points
 Difficult to edit without rewriting to by clustering related
points
 Difficult to review unless editing cleans up relationship
 When to Use—When…
 Lecture is organized & heavy with content quickly delivered
 You hear different points, but don’t know how they fit
together
 Instructor presents in point fashion without related groups
Note-Paper Generators
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http://www.simson.net/notepaper/index.cgi
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http://www.eleven21.com/notetaker/
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http://www.botsko.net/Demos/notepad_generator/
Testing Effectiveness
Starts With Being
Prepared
"A good plan, violently executed now, is
better than a perfect plan next week.“
~General George S. Patton Jr.
General Test Taking Tips
 Preparation for your first test begins the
first day of class
 Studying
 Completing homework assignments
 Reviewing study materials on a regular basis.
 Manage your time
 Go to any review sessions offer by the
instructor
 Pay attention to hints
 Take careful notes
 Ask questions
General Test Taking Tips
(continued)
 Go to class immediately before test
 Review material from…
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Practice tests
Homework
Sample problems
Review material
The textbook
Class notes
 Eat a light meal for energy and focus
General Test Taking Tips
(continued)
 No all-nighters
 Sleep at least 3 hours
 Set your alarm
 Set a backup alarm
 Create a one page study sheet
 Go to the bathroom before the test
 Get to class 5 minutes before the test
Specific Test Taking Tips
 Bring…
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Two pens/pencils with good erasers
Calculator with enough batteries
Any other resources that your instructor allows
Watch
 Keep a positive attitude / Stay relaxed
 Survey the entire test / pace yourself
 Do easiest problems first / skip what you
don’t know
 Ask for clarification
 Write legibly
 Read the whole question / no assumptions
 When done check over the complete test
 Put your first and last name on the test
Post Test Taking Tips
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Check for grading mistakes
Analyze & learn from your mistakes
Take notes on correct answers
Seek make-up exam / extra credit
Study test for cumulative exams
Multiple Choice Strategies
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Read question first & determine the answer
Read all choices / Use process of elimination
Make educated guesses
Don't change your answer
Don’t choose "All of the above" if any
distracter is false
Don’t choose "None of the above" if any
distracter is true
Two or more distracters correct choose “All
of the above”
A positive choice more likely to be true than
a negative one
Correct answer / choice with the most
information.
Essay Test Strategies
Read the directions / Follow them exactly
Make sure you understand the question
Write everything you know about the question
Budget your time
Question asks for facts, give facts, not opinions
Write legibly / Be neat
Outline your essay so it is organized and flows
No long introductions & conclusions/ Spend time
answering question(s)
 Focus on one main idea per paragraph.
 Proofread & correct errors
 Draw one line through a mistake
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True-False Test Strategies
 Most tests have more true than false
answers
 Guess if no penalty applies
 Read each statement carefully
 Pay attention to the qualifiers and
keywords
 Never, always, & every lead to a false answer.
 Usually, sometimes, and generally" mean lead to a true
answer
 Part false / All false
 Part true / True or False
Short Answer Test Strategies
 Create flashcards
 Front--key terms, dates and concepts
 Back--definition, event, and explanations
 Anticipate questions & prepare answers
 No blanks--go for partial credit
 Don't know--come back & make educated
guess
 Read question carefully / multiple parts
Math Test-Taking Strategies
 Repetition = Results in Math
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Practice solving problems on each topic in different levels of difficulty
Solve problems on your own first, then check answers
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Redo questionable problems on a separate piece of paper
Compare reworked answer to test answer
Look for careless mistakes
Copied the numbers correctly
Signs are correct
Arithmetic is correct
Create study sheet w/formulas & memorize them
When you get test write formulas in margins
Read directions carefully
Answer all parts of each question
Estimate answers
Show all your work
Write legibly
Don't erase work--go for partial credit
Check test when done--Make sure…
Open Book Test-Taking Strategies
Open book tests are usually difficult so…
 Spend equal or greater amount of time preparing
 Be Familiar with book & relevant materials
 Create study sheet with most important
information
 Focus on main ideas & where they are located
 Highlight important points
 Use post-it notes
 Bookmarks
 Annotate book
 Bring all resources instructor allows
 Answer easy questions first
 Don’t over-quote / Provide insight & commentary
Self-Sabotage
Anxiety
I keep the telephone of my mind open
to peace, harmony, health, love and
abundance. Then, whenever doubt,
anxiety or fear try to call me, they
keep getting a busy signal – and soon
they’ll forget my number. ~Edith Armstrong
Test Anxiety = Stress
So…What is stress?
…our perceptions of and reactions to
the positive or negative situations
that occur in our lives.
Fight or Flight Response
 Pituitary gland automatically releases
 Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which signals
 Adrenal glands to release the “stress hormones”
 Adrenaline
 Cortisol
 Hormones help us
 Focus on the situation at hand
 Speed up reaction times
 Temporarily boost our physical strength and agility
Fight or Flight Response
(continued)
Automatic physiological responses to stress
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Heart pounds
Hands/Feet cooler than usual
Face warm/Cheeks & ears pink
Pressure headache
Mouth dry
Upset stomach or butterflies in stomach
Feel restless
Sweat / Hands clammy
Fight or Flight Response
(continued)
 Emotional responses
 Frustration
 Anger
“Virtually every organ and every chemical
constituent of the human body is
involved in the general stress reaction.”
~Dr. Hans Selye, The Stress of Life
Three Levels of Stress
Acute stress
 Most manageable
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Heart rates jump
Blood pressures raise
Tension headaches
Momentarily angry, elated, boisterous or resentful
 Temporary
 Step back to curb out of the path of a vehicle
 Home team wins (or loses)
 Cry in joy, relief, frustration
Levels of Stress
(continued)
Episodic acute stress
Life gets the best of you
Deserve a raise and/or promotion, but don’t ask
Life spins out of control
One disaster after another
Illness
Divorce
Loss of employment
Symptoms
Recurring headaches
Indigestion
Fatigue
Insomnia
Levels of Stress
(continued)
Chronic stress
 Literally wears us out
 Body & mind reacts / serious long-term physical
and/or mental disorders.
 Occurs when situations become impossible
 Long ignored symptoms become
invisible
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Grinding teeth
Tremors
Confusion
Forgetfulness
Over-eating
Alcoholism
Effects of Stress
Acute Stress
Headaches
Digestive problems
Eating disorders
Insomnia
Fatigue
Episodic Stress
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Stroke
Chronic Stress
Hopelessness
Constant anxiety
Depression
Paranoia and delusions
Suicide
Managing Stress
Take a Deep Breath & Count to 10
Stand up and smile / Every cloud has a silver lining
Take a short walk / Exercise / Participate in a sport
Stop and Smell the Roses / Take the time to enjoy life
Sleep on it / Take a nap / Get a good night's rest
Know your limitations / Dare to say no
Be pro-active in finding peace
Need help, ask for it / Talk to a friend
Eat healthily
Listen to your favorite music
Plan out your time and prioritize
Get a massage / Take a warm bath
Read a book / Watch TV / Play a game
Reducing Test Anxiety
Be well prepared
Space out your studying
Maintain a positive attitude
Exercise to help reduce stress.
Get a good night's sleep before the test
Be on time to class / Not too early
Stay relaxed / Use relaxation strategies
Read the directions slowly and carefully
Skim through the test / Pace yourself
Record formulas, facts, definitions, keywords in the margin
Build confidence / Do the simple questions first
Don't worry about how fast other people finish their test
Don't know, skip it & come back later
Focus / Don't let your mind wander
A Final Thought…
He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often
and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and
accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he
found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or
a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's
beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the
best in others and given them the best he had; whose life
was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.
—Bessie Stanley
References
Web Addresses
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/no
tes.html
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic/note
s-tips.htm
http://www.testtakingtips.com/
http://www.stressmanagementtips.com/
Books
Hipp, Earl (1995). Fighting Invisible Tigers. MN:
Free Spirit Publishing.
Smith, Brenda D. (2008). Bridging the Gap (9TH
ed.). NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
Mather, Peter and McCarthy, Rita (2007).
Reading and All That Jazz (3rd ed.). IL:
McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.