Note taking

Definition

Note taking (or notetaking is the practice of writing pieces of information.

DSchneider has the impression that Note taking includes the following:

• Taking notes in a lecture or a discussion
• Taking notes in a lecture + processing/annotating/rewriting these notes
• Taking notes from reading / on the Web in some systematic way.

See also: literature review (since before and during a literature review, you may engage in note taking)

Note taking methods

The Cornell method

The "Cornell method" has been designed for classroom note taking and it includes post-processing.

According to the TNTT Wiki (retrieved, 17:17, 15 September 2006 (MEST))

The Cornell method is probably the most useful method for students at university. It was devised 40 years ago by Walter Pauk, a lecturer at Cornell University in the United States, for his students. This method is used by dividing the paper in two columns. The first column is used to enter key or cue words while the second is the notes column (for recording ideas and facts). There are six steps to Cornell note-taking:

• Record During the lecture, record as many facts and ideas as possible in the notes column.
• Reduce After the lecture, read through the notes taken and reduce to key words and phrases, or questions. The key words and phrases are used as cues to help recall the ideas and facts. The questions are to add clarity to the facts and ideas.
• Recite Using only the key words, phrases and questions in the cue word column recite the ideas and facts in the notes column. It is important that you are not just mechanically repeating, but using your own words.
• Reflect Based on the facts and ideas learnt, reflect upon how this fits in with what you already know, and how this knowledge can be applied.
• Review On a frequent basis, review your past notes by reciting and reflecting upon them.
• Recapitulate After you have reduced, recited and reflected upon your note, you should recapitulate each main idea using complete sentences at the bottom of the key word column.

Concept maps and mind maps

The idea is to map out concepts as they are found or received.

• Mind maps (i.e. hierarchiecal trees) can even be used to take lecture notes.

See concept maps

Charting

Charting is method that helps to summarize and see relations.

• One creates a tale with rows and columns

This teachnique can be used to chart out concepts found in the literature in order to prepare a literature review.

• Put concepts on a row
• Each line represents an article and each cell can contain pointers and comments to a definition of concept
• Since normal paper is not wide enough, DSchneider thinks that one should use either a huge sheet of page (flip chart size) or use a wordprocessor or spreadsheet.

SQ3R

SQ3R is a note taking method from readings

According to Note taking skills - from lectures and readings website (retrieved, 17:17, 15 September 2006 (MEST)):

Rowntree (1976: 40-64) outlines what he calls the 'SQ3R' approach to reading and note taking from text. He suggests that students should use the following activities in order to get the most from a reading in the most efficient way.

1. Survey - flip through the chapter or book and note the layout, first and last chapters or paragraphs, look at the headings used, familiarise yourself with the reading.
2. Question - Ask questions about the way the reading is structured and think about the questions you will need to keep in mind while reading. Think about whether or not you think the book is relevant or if it's current and if it suits the purpose of your study.
3. Read - read actively but quickly, looking for the main points of the reading - don't take any notes - you might want to read through twice quickly.
4. Recall - Write down the main points of the reading and any really important facts, and opinions that help support the main points. Also record the bibliographic details.
5. Review - repeat the first three steps over and make sure you haven't missed anything. At this point you might like to finalise your notes and re-read your notes or write down how the material you've just covered relates to your question or task.

Links

Notetaking tools

Note taking tools are a specific form of cognitive tool, see also writing tools for an overview on different genres of writing tools.

Stand-alone programs

• The Note Taking tool (TNTT): The Note Taking Tool (TNTT), which started life as a University project, has now grown up and become open source! TNTT is a note-taking application tailored for use by students in academic environments. It helps students maximise the potential of their note-taking by guiding them through the Cornell method.

• Notalon: An Open-Source Cornell Notes Application

• Scribe note-taking application

• The Literary machine “is a dynamic archive and an idea management tool aimed at creative thinking - built especially with the writer in mind. It is packed with indexing and display techniques so general and potent that you will use it as an intelligence center.” (There is a freeware version)
• EverNote

• Text Block Writer “is a virtual index card program for writers. It can be used to organize research papers, articles, fiction, non-fiction, books and whatever related to writing. It is intended for people like me who use paper index cards to write all the notes and pieces of an essay, and then arrange the pieces and then use that to type them into the computer.”

• Graphic Organizer: Research Note Taking Made Easy. This is a rtf (word) template.

• WikiPad. This looks like a wiki for individual use, but there are some extra features (not tested / DKS).

On-line

• See also the list of web 2.0 applications, there may be other entries.

• stu.dicio.us. On-line notetaking, note shareing. Autolinks to Wikipedia and Google. Interface with Facebook, etc. It's a social software

• Wikis. Most entries in this wiki are just note takings (12:55, 21 September 2006 (MEST)).

• C3MS (that's not DSchneider's idea, but Jennifer Maddrell's she extends this electronic portfolio-like)

General links

• Note taking skills - from lectures and readings, Department of Lifelong Learning: Study Skills Series, University of Exeter

• Wikipedia: Notetaking

• Wikipedia: Cornell Notes

• Wikipedia: SQ3R (webpage describing the method)

• Explanation of the Cornell note-taking system

• The SQ3R Method(webpage describing the method)

• Study Skills Self-help Information (Virginia Tech).

References

• Bauer, A. & Koedinger, K. (2005). Designing an Online Note Taking Tool from the Ground Up. In P. Kommers & G. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2005 (pp. 4181-4186). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Abstract/HTML/PDF

• Boch, Françoise and Annie Piolat, Note Taking and Learning, A Summary of Research, The WAC Journal PDF (Recommended overview article).

• Robinson, Francis Pleasant. (1970) Effective study (4th ed.). New York: Harper & Row.