Focused Note‐taking in Your Classroom

FOCUSED NOTE‐TAKING IN YOUR CLASSROOM

“One learns through the processing of information by the brain. Words very, very seldom imprint themselves on the brain; but ones thinking does.”

‐Walter Pauk

QuickwriteHow and when didyou learn to take notes?

GUIDING QUESTIONS

During our time together think about…. 

How would this information have helped me as a student?

 How will this knowledge help me in my

classroom to better prepare my students for HS & beyond?

CORNELL NOTE‐TAKING SYSTEMNOTE‐TAKING NOTE‐MAKING NOTE‐

INTERACTINGNOTE‐REFLECTING

STEP 1Create Format

STEP 3Review & Revise notes

STEP 6Link learning to create a synthesized summary

STEP 8Written Feedback

STEP 2Organize Notes

STEP 4Note key ideas to create questions

STEP 7Use completed Cornell notes as a Learning tool

STEP 9Address WrittenFeedback

STEP 5Exchange ideas by collaboration

STEP 10Your reflection

C REATE FORMATO RGANIZE NOTES R EVIEW & REVISE N OTE KEY IDEASE XCHANGE IDEASL INK LEARNINGL EARNING TOOL

W RITTEN FEEDBACKA DDRESS FEEDBACK Y OUR REFLECTION

STEP 1 – CREATE FORMAT Name, Date,

Class Topic Essential

Question Tips…..

STEP 2 – ORGANIZE NOTES Listen & take notes in your own words Paraphrase what you hear Skip lines between ideas Abbreviate Use symbols Write in phrases Use bullets/lists Recognize cues

TIPS TO HELP STUDENTS WITH STEP 2 

Provide students with abbreviations & shortcuts for each content area 

Teach students your personal cues

Model, model, model

READY TO TRY?Research Behind Note‐taking

Essential Question 

What is the rationale and research that supports the importance of

note‐taking?

HERMANN EBBINGHAUSGerman psychologist & researcher

Late 1800’s

THE CURVE OF FORGETTING: The Curve of Forgetting describes how we retain or get rid of information that we take in. It’s based on a 1 hour lecture.

WALTER PAUKCornell University

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION THAT WORKS: MARZANO, PICKERING, POLLACK 2001

Effective

TeachingRequires

Tools That Work

Effective Teaching Requires Tools That Work

Homework & Practice

Identify Similarities & Differences

Summarizing & Note Taking

Cooperative Learning

Questions, Clues,& Advanced Organizers

Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition

Generating & Testing Hypothesis

Objective & Providing Feedback

Nonlinguistic Representation

SUMMARIZING & NOTE‐TAKING

Effect Size 1.00 (34 percentile gain)

Tools for identifying & understanding the most important aspects of what is being learned

Summarizing & Note‐taking Deleting, substituting & keeping

some information Learning to analyze Becoming aware of information

structures

STEP 3 – REVIEW & REVISE

REVIEW & REVISE NOTES SAMPLES

STEP 4 ‐ NOTE KEY IDEAS

Identify first chunk or big idea of the notes and number 1Write a question about the main idea

of that chunkRepeat until all “chunks” are

identified with corresponding questions

LEVELS OF THINKING

STEP 5 – EXCHANGE IDEAS

When peers work together to review their notes, the collaboration results in enhanced learning.

STEP 6 – LINK LEARNINGSummary

Review notesSynthesize and

combine main ideas

Address the essential question

Link the answers from the questions on the left

STEP 7 – LEARNING TOOLThink‐pair‐share

List ways students can use their notes as a learning tool…..

CORNELL WAY

Step 10 – Your Reflection•Develop a Thinking learning log to guide students’– Identify 3 key concepts from your summaries– How can you apply these concepts to another concept?– What questions are still unanswered?

Step 9 – Address Feedback Step 8 – Written Feedback

CORNELL NOTETAKINGWhen should you take notes?

Notes are a record of your learning, so take them when:

You listen to a lecture You read a text You watch a film You work in a group on an

activity You need to recall information

about what happened to you in a class, meeting, or activity--which means always!

CORNELL NOTETAKING STEPS What are the step to taking Cornell Notes?

Set up your page Draw your margins Label clearly Take notes Use your best strategies Actively listen, analyze, and ask questionsO After Class Look over notes and highlight, edit, or add info Write your questions and reflectionsReview Cover the notes and quiz a partner/self with the

questions Review the notes on a regular basis.

CORNELL NOTES LEFT SIDEWhat types ofquestions should

I place on the left side?

Questions which are answered in the notes on the right

Questions that still need an answer--ask a friend or the teacher after class

Questions the teacher might ask on a test

Higher level thinking questions

CORNELL NOTES LEFT SIDE

What else could

I place on the left side?

Key terms, vocabulary words, or dates

Diagrams or figures Reference pages in a text Steps in a solution process Notes to self about actions

needed to take

CORNELL NOTES RIGHT SIDE

What are some good tips for taking note on the right side?

Write only what is most important:

Listen for repetition, change in pace or volume, numbering, explicit clues (“this is important,” or “on the test”);

Watch for gestures, or clues to organization;

Look for material being written down by instructor or shared in a visual manner

Ask relevant questions

CORNELL NOTES RIGHT SIDE

What are some good tips for taking note on the right side?

Write in your own words (paraphrase)

Write using abbreviations (check a dictionary for these and create your own)

Draw a figure or diagram Leave space where you think

you might need to “fill in” info later

Use bullets, arrows, and indenting to list key ideas

Write legibly

WHY CORNELL NOTETAKING?

Why will your students take notes?

Students will only do what you model consistently for them--each time you write something down, make sure to draw your margin and create a notes page

Students will take notes because they are worth something in class

Students will take notes because they are able to use them on exams

Students will act according to habit

TEACHING TIPScaffold for students using the 8‐1‐1 method (40-minute class)8 minute lecture1 minute pair share1 minute individual 1 sentence

summary below chunk Repeat throughout lesson