Reviewing Notes

Note taking responsibilities do not end once notes have been recorded. To be an effective note taker, one must get into the habit of reviewing notes soon after lectures and meetings.

Reviewing notes is necessary for a number of reasons. Reviewing allows one to identify unclear or incomplete information that must be clarified. Reviewing allows one to form questions to be asked in subsequent lectures or meetings. If notes are not reviewed, 70-80% of the information will be lost forever from memory and must be re-registered, taking extra time and effort (see the rates of memory loss section of the Memory page).

Reviewing notes has many advantages. It is an important first-step in exam preparation. Reviewing is a very time effective form of studying. It helps students understand the "big picture" of a lecture by tying together the specific points and details recorded in the notes. Reviewing allows one to make associations and see relationships among ideas presented over long periods of time.

Tips for effective reviewing of notes are listed below.

• Always review the notes as soon as possible after class and right before the next class of that subject.
• Compare note content with text assignments to clarify ambiguous information, to add supporting information or graphics, and to enhance understanding.

Three reviewing strategies are discussed in the following paragraphs: NoteSHRINK, NoteTALK, and NoteTHINK. Other strategies that aid in note reviewing are discussed elsewhere in this page: gleaning strategy, color coding, and tape recording.

NoteSHRINK Strategy

The NoteSHRINK strategy (Bragstad and Mueller Stumpf, 1987) is used to shrink presentation notes down to their essence. It assumes that notes are recorded in the Cornell style, with a note column on the right and a recall or quiz column on the left.

• Survey the notes by reading the first sentence of every paragraph or block.
• For each paragraph, summarize in one or two words what the entire paragraph is about. Underline or highlight these topics.
• Examine all of the topics and determine what are the biggest "thought chunks" possible? Record those major concepts in the quiz column.

NoteTALK Strategy

The NoteTALK strategy (Bragstad and Mueller Stumpf, 1987) involves self-recitation in order to increase understanding of information and to commit information to memory. It is an extremely effective strategy for learning and remembering information. The strategy is used with the Cornell format of notetaking.

• Cover the main column of notes.
• Look at each key word or phrase in the quiz (recall) column and recall all the relevant information from the notes related to that topic.
• Put the information in your own words, and recite the information aloud.
• Uncover the notes to check for accuracy.

NoteTHINK Strategy

The NoteTHINK strategy (Bragstad and Mueller Stumpf, 1987) involves personalizing the new information in order to create interest and enhance remembering. For more information, see the Creating Interest section of the Motivation page and REAP strategy in this page.

• Consider personal experiences (at home, on the job) related to the material.
• Consider how the information may be used or has been used in other courses.
• Look for similar situations or counterparts in contemporary society.
• Record personal perceptions in a different color in the notes or in a special section of the notebook.
• Review the personal notes before an exam to aid recall.

Recopying and Reorganizing Notes

Recopying involves re-writing or keying notes to make them more neat, while reorganizing involves altering the order of information. Recopying and reorganizing notes permit students to actively review the new information and to record the material in more effective formats.

One advantage of these strategies is they provide an opportunity to review notes, which in turn aids in registering information into memory. Not only is the reviewing beneficial, but the processes of recopying and reorganizing make learning more active than just reviewing notes by sight; one is more likley to remember information when more senses are used. The strategies allow one to combine lecture and textbook material, making notes more complete. Similarly, recopying and reorganization allow one to check the accuracy of notes. Reorganization forces one to actively think about the material and to make associations among different pieces of information.

Recopying Notes

Recopying of notes is most commonly done by hand. Color coding may be added when recopying notes, using different colors of ink for different topics or using different colors of ink for different types of information (e.g. terms, people, dates, etc.). Refer to Identification of Information in the Color Coding section of this page for more details.

Computers or word processors may also be used to recopy notes. Some special programs, such as outlining templates, are available for this task. If notes are recopied with word processing software, be sure to keep two copies on separate disks in addition to the print out. One advantage of keying notes is that they take up less room (fewer sheets of paper). In addition, recopying notes on a computer permits one to neatly and easily add or delete information at a future date.

Reorganizing Notes

Reorganizing notes may involve changing the format of the notes and rewriting information in that format. Several options are available, including the Cornell method, the two-column method, outline format, FORM strategy, REAP strategy, and topic and concept cards. These forms of organization are covered in detail elsewhere in this page.

Note reorganization also may involve separating and recopying different types of information in separate places. For example, one may put all terms and definitions on one sheet of paper, all dates on another, all people and their contributions on another, etc.

Either approach to reorganization may be done by hand or on a computer.

If the instructor jumps around between topics, it may be necessary to color code information before reorganzing it. As discussed in the color coding section of this page, one may highlight information related to different topics in different colors, or one may highlight different forms of information (e.g. terms, names, dates, etc.) in different colors.

See and Spell (Homophones)

Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Spelling these words correctly in notes can impact profoundly one's interpretation and understanding of information. Commonly confused homophones are listed below (most are from Lunenfeld and Lunenfeld, 1992, p. 38-39).

• affect - to influence ("Her speech affected the vote.")
  effect - the result ("His blue tie gave just the right effect with the gray suit.")
  
• all right - fine, satisfactory (not spelled "all right")
  a lot - quite a bit (not spelled "a lot")
  Use less vague words in place of 'all right' and 'a lot'
  
• its - a possessive that does not require an apostrophe ("The dog enjoyed its bone.")
  it's - contraction of it is ("It's very hot today.")
  
• than - comparative ("One is bigger than the other.")
  then - time, place ("Then they left to go to town.")
  
• there - location, place, movement ("The book is there on the table.")
  their - a possessive form of they ("This is their book.")
  their - plurality ("The twins want their book.")
  they're - contraction of they are ("They're going out tonight.")
  
• two - number ("There are two books.")
  too - in addition, furthermore, more, also ("The book is too long.")
  to - direction, motion, purpose, point approached or reached ("Come to my house.")
  
• your - possessive ("It is your book.")
  you're - contraction of you are ("You're an excellent student.")
  you / you're - avoid using in a paper when the intent is to refer to anyone other than the reader; use "one" instead ("One should always be good.")
  
• weather - climate ("The weather was chilly.")
  whether - regarding a decision ("Lin considered whether or not to go to the movies.")
  
• colon (:) - used to introduce a list of items ("Several sedimentary rocks are found in this area: limestone, shale, sandstone, conglomerate, rock salt, and bituminous coal.")
  semicolon (;) - separates two complete but related sentences ("Shale and sandstone are clastic sedimentary rocks; this means they are made of cemented sediments.")
• and / semicolon - avoid run-on sentences with many ideas hooked together by "and" or semicolon; break long sentences into several short ones instead
  
• precede - to come before in time or space ("Small tremors preceded the earthquake.")
  proceed - to go forward ("After the fire drill, the teacher proceeded with the lecture.")
  
• titles and foreign words - book titles and foreign words should be underlined or italicized; the titles of articles are set off in quotations

Text Note taking

Taking notes on assigned readings is not as common a practice as it should be among students. There are several advantages of text notetaking. It improves attention and concentration, which in turn positively impacts registration of information in memory. Text notetaking encourages students to identify the main ideas and supporting details of the reading in order to better understand relationships among ideas and the overall organization of the text. It results in a shortened version of the assignment with all the essential information needed for future exam review. Finally, text notetaking reinforces learning of the material being read, and it makes reading a more active process.

The following paragraphs outline suggestions and strategies for text notetaking from course books as well as research or reference sources. Gleaning, described elsewhere in this page, is another strategy for recording notes from written material.

• Finish reading before taking notes.
• While it is not necessary for students to read the entire chapter before taking notes, you must finish titled sections or long paragraphs before selecting main ideas and paraphrasing. It is difficult to know what to record unless you have enough information from which to choose.
• Know what to record.
• Identify major topics based on section headings. Try to pick out one major idea per paragraph along with a few supporting details. Look for words in bold print or italics. The instructor's lecture should provide additional clues as to what should be emphasized in the reading.
• Be selective in what you record.
  • Remember that the goal of notetaking is to produce a shortened version of the reading. This means that you must be selective in what is recorded in the notes. This is a skill that improves with practice.
• Use your own words.
  • Information should be paraphrased before it is recorded in the notes. The time spent trying to understand a passage and recording the main ideas in your own words is the single most important investment of time you can make. The chances of remembering are greater if the work is in your own words. Paraphrasing is covered in more detail in the Citing, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing section of the Writing and Proofreading page.
• Work quickly and efficiently.
  • Note taking need not be, and should not be, painful and time consuming. Read, think, write, and move on. The rewards will come at test time.
• Use an appropriate form of organization.
  • Select a form of organization that will permit quick and active recall of the main points of the assignment. The form of organization should also allow one to see associations among ideas. The method chosen will depend on the nature of the material as well as personal preferences.
  • The Cornell method of organization is strongly recommended. Refer to the Forms of Organization section of this page for details on Cornell and other formats.