Note-taking Skills

Unit 2

This unit aims to help you to:

• 1- take notes from lectures and similar learning resources in an efficient and effective way.

• 2- store notes efficiently.• 3- exploit your notes for successful study.

Exploiting Learning Resources:

• The most useful resources for learning namely reading materials are :

• Books and journals articles. • But there are not the only learning resources

that are available to students in higher and further education.

Note-taking:

• We will probably want to note down important points from what we read or hear, either at the time or shortly afterwards.

The purpose of note-taking:

• 1- help our memory.• 2- remember something exactly ( the phone numbers)• 3- in academic study, we might want to quote

something from a book or article accurately.• 4- take careful note of source details ( authors’ names)• 5- in listening to a lecture, we do not have to note

down everything exactly. Here, we have to write down only the main idea, and we have to be more selective.

Different Ways of Recording Information:

Mode of recording advantages Disadvantages

1- writing down every word from source

No information lost – complete record.

Time-consuming- no time to think about what the speaker is saying and interact with it

2- using outline ( linear) notes Very straightforward method

Some details may be lost

3- using diagrams/ branching notes Concentrate on the main idea and interact with the speaker’s message.

Some details may be lost

4- (text) underlining/highlighting in color

Easy and quick to use Cannot be used on library books/ journals

Mode of recording advantages Disadvantages

5-(text) computer scanning Easy and quick to use/ can be saved and edited

Required specialized equipment ( computer, scanner, printer)

6-(text) photocopying Easy and quick to use/ can be filed and highlighted.

Expensive/ does not require interaction with the text.

7-(text) making notes in margins

Easy and quick to use/encourages interaction with the text.

Cannot be used on library books/journals. Comments may be disorganized/ not easily accessible.

8-(spoken input) audio recording

No information lost/ complete record.

Speaker’s permission may have to be sought. Time- consuming/ not as easy to scan as written notes

Efficient note-taking: using symbols and abbreviations

• We use symbols and abbreviations to safe time.

• Symbols and abbreviations can be of three kinds:Three kinds of symbols and abbreviations:

1- field symbols and abbreviations:The students specializing in a certain

field area will learn certain symbols/abbreviations as part of the

study of that field.For example ,students of Chemistry will know that C stands for Carbon

and Ca for Calcium

2- commonly used symbols/abbreviations:

They are in common use or widely understood.

For example, ( i.e.) meaning that is ; (=) meaning is equal to.

3- personal symbols/abbreviations used by individual students:

If you are frequently note down a certain word or phrase , it is sensible to find a quick way to represent it.

For example, students of English Literature listening to a lecture on a

the poet Wordsworth might well use the initial letter “W” instead of

writing out the poet’s name in full each time .

• Do task 4 / page 40

Prediction/anticipation• It is useful to try to anticipate or predict what a

writer is going to say in an article, book or chapter, using information given in the title, your background knowledge of the topic and so on.

• Obviously, the same applies to listening to a lecture. This can help a lot in making what you will hear relevant and meaningful to you.

• Do task 6/page 43

Discourse markers ( the ‘signposts’)• One of the most useful ways to understand a spoken or

written input (source) is to be aware of the way it is structured or organized.

• If the structure is a map, discourse markers are like signposts (to point out the direction). They serve as signals for the meaning and structure of the lecture, text etc.

• They tell us how ideas are organized.

Functions of discourse markers:• 1- The discourse makers may be used for LISTING ( firstly,

secondly, in the first place…)• 2- they may be used to show the CAUSE AND EFFECT ( so ,

because, therefore..)• 3- they can indicate that the speaker is going to illustrate his

ideas by giving an EXAMPLE• (for example, for instance, let’s take…)• 4- they may introduce an idea which runs against what has been

said-CONTRAST ( but, nevertheless, on the other hand…)

• 5- they may be used to express a TIME RELATIONSHIP ( then, next,while…)

• 6- they may be used to indicate how important something is- EMPHASIS (it is worth noting, a key issue is…)

• 7- they may be used to REPHRASE what has already been said, or to introduce a DIFINITION ( in the other hand, by this I mean…)

• 8- speakers may add another related idea- ADDITION ( as well, in addition, not only…but also..)

• 9- they may be used to express a CONDITION. ( if, unless, assuming that..)

• 10- a very important kind of discourse marker is a SUMMARY ( to summarize, if I can just to sum up, it amounts to this…)

• Do task 7/page 44

Lecture organisation (the map)

• Map : is the overall organisation of the lecture.

• Good lecturers often help us to be aware of their talks.

Indicators of lecture organisation

• 1- Good lecturers:• Tell their audience what they are going to tell them.• Tell their audience what they have told them.A- start with an overview (main points).B- what to expect the lecture will discuss.C- review the main points of the lecture in a final summary.

• 2- Some lecturers start with an anecdote to amuse the audience or catch its interest.

• 3- Some like to conclude with just one important point that they want their audiences to think about.

• 4- some will show the structure of their talk with an overhead transparency (OHT) or a handout.

• It is very important for the listener to try to figure out not only what the information is but also how it is organized.

Cues to main points, subordinate points and digressions

Cues to main points, subordinate points and digressions

• 1- Speakers cue their main points in different ways:

• A- use discourse markers, such as:• I would like to emphasise….• The general point you must remember is….• It is important to note that……• The next point is crucial to my argument.

• B- Stressing , or by repeating.• C- facial expression or gestures.• D- Write key points on a visual display, e.g.

blackboard, whiteboard, flipchart, OHP (overhead projector) or computer (PowerPoint).

• 2- Examples and points of lesser importance are cued by discourse markers, such as:

• I might add….• Just to illustrate this point……

• 3- Sometime speakers digress by mentioning unimportant things to give more spice, variety, or interest to the talk.

• Digression can be cued by discourse markers, such as:

• By the way…..• I might note in passing that…..

Note-taking methods for extended spoken inputs

• 1- Linear notes (Figure 1.3 in Unit 1)

• 2- Diagram notes (branching note) (Figure 1.4 in Unit 1)

1-Linear notes

2- Diagram (branching) notes

task 12 on page 53