The two pages above are just my ordinary, typical notes. You may have noticed that there is a date and title. You may not always be able to add a title to your notes, but a good place to fine one is on your syllabus. In this case, the title of my notes is the reading assignment that was discussed that day in class. I always date my notes because it helps to keep them organized and helps me find them later.
As students, our primary concern in class is to write down as much information as we can. Without lecture notes, there is nothing to study from. So, in class, focus on taking the most complete notes you can. Remember not to panic about the small details, but get the important stuff first and make an honest effort to catch as many details as you can. I really like to write down questions that other students ask or question that my professors ask the class.
It's also important to think about understanding while you're taking notes, you don't need to understand everything but you do need to recognize what you don't understand. Marking points with a question mark or another symbol is like saying, "I recognize that I don't get this right now". If you do it, then you can move on and continue gathering information. Its also important to follow up with those question marks: ask your professor or TA, check your book, bring it to your study group, just don't let it go.
It's also important to think about understanding while you're taking notes, you don't need to understand everything but you do need to recognize what you don't understand. Marking points with a question mark or another symbol is like saying, "I recognize that I don't get this right now". If you do it, then you can move on and continue gathering information. Its also important to follow up with those question marks: ask your professor or TA, check your book, bring it to your study group, just don't let it go.
What comes next is most important, your job isn't over just because lecture ended. In my experience, the most effective study habit is revisiting your notes early after class. There's actually research that shows between 9 and 24 hours after class, you only remember between 20% and 30% of the information. So what are your options?
Cornell Note-Taking Format:
The Cornell note-taking format takes a little bit of pre-work, but not much. When you get to class, you'll need to divide the pages of your notebook with a vertical line about 2 inches in from the left-hand side of the page. Then take your notes in the larger right-hand column the way you ordinarily would. Below are what the same notes from above would have looked like if I had taken them using the Cornell method.
Cornell Note-Taking Format:
The Cornell note-taking format takes a little bit of pre-work, but not much. When you get to class, you'll need to divide the pages of your notebook with a vertical line about 2 inches in from the left-hand side of the page. Then take your notes in the larger right-hand column the way you ordinarily would. Below are what the same notes from above would have looked like if I had taken them using the Cornell method.
Next, comes the critical step and its better if you do it sooner rather than later. It's time to use the left-hand column. There are some variations to this method, but the point is to write down memory triggers to the left of important information. Questions work as great memory triggers because they require you to both understand the information and provide a method for recalling it. To do this step, you'll add questions to the left-hand column that have their answers in the right-hand column. Keep the questions straightforward and the answers relatively short (try to keep them no longer than a phrase or two). Have a look at the same notes from above, once I revisited them and added memory triggers to point at the pieces that matter most.
Modified Cornell Format:
This technique is a variation of the one explained above, and it requires that you do the same things in class and soon after class. The only change is that when you are reviewing your notes You can take this one step further (and I would) by color-coding questions and answers, or just highlighting the answers. I really like this process because you end up creating a great study tool that's easy to review from and its takes virtually no time at all. If you took good class notes and did any outside reading, the Cornell review process only takes minutes, especially if you do it after every class. Click on the pictures blow to see how I did this to the same notes I've been showing you.
Mind Map:
A mind map is a great way to personalize your study materials even more. Mind mapping each day's lecture notes take only a few minutes each day you have class and the end product is a page that you can combine with maps from other lectures. The combination of all of these mind maps makes exam review more efficient and less time-consuming.
To make a mind map, start with a blank piece of paper. I liked unlined paper because it means I can write anywhere on the page and in any direction. Write your topic in the center of the page and circle it. Then add branches with the major details. The next level of information contains all of the minor details and the key is to organize them in a way that makes sense to you. If you're not sure where to put something, write it anywhere and connect it later. Include pictures, charts, or any other visual cue that helps you remember a particular detail or idea. Your mind map doesn't have to make sense to anyone else but you, and a good mind map usually doesn't do as much for others as it does for the student who made it. I mind mapped this same lecture's notes below.
Add more details as you review reading notes or remember other ideas presented in class. Draw arrows to show the connections between details and ideas. I like to add color to show what kind of relationships and connections these are. I showed problems or objections in orange, examples and demonstrations of a point in yellow, and affirmative arguments in pink. The other colors just help me distinguish the structure of information. The key to an effective mind map is understanding how you think and remember and creating a tool that reflects that.
Sincerely,
Sarah M.
AAC Student Supervisor
For more information about note-taking and mind maps, you can visit the Ask Ali pages on the First Year Programs website (requires NetID sign in) or meet with a coach at the Academic Achievement Center.
If you have questions please comment below or email aac@uconn.edu
A mind map is a great way to personalize your study materials even more. Mind mapping each day's lecture notes take only a few minutes each day you have class and the end product is a page that you can combine with maps from other lectures. The combination of all of these mind maps makes exam review more efficient and less time-consuming.
To make a mind map, start with a blank piece of paper. I liked unlined paper because it means I can write anywhere on the page and in any direction. Write your topic in the center of the page and circle it. Then add branches with the major details. The next level of information contains all of the minor details and the key is to organize them in a way that makes sense to you. If you're not sure where to put something, write it anywhere and connect it later. Include pictures, charts, or any other visual cue that helps you remember a particular detail or idea. Your mind map doesn't have to make sense to anyone else but you, and a good mind map usually doesn't do as much for others as it does for the student who made it. I mind mapped this same lecture's notes below.
Add more details as you review reading notes or remember other ideas presented in class. Draw arrows to show the connections between details and ideas. I like to add color to show what kind of relationships and connections these are. I showed problems or objections in orange, examples and demonstrations of a point in yellow, and affirmative arguments in pink. The other colors just help me distinguish the structure of information. The key to an effective mind map is understanding how you think and remember and creating a tool that reflects that.
Sincerely,
Sarah M.
AAC Student Supervisor
For more information about note-taking and mind maps, you can visit the Ask Ali pages on the First Year Programs website (requires NetID sign in) or meet with a coach at the Academic Achievement Center.
If you have questions please comment below or email aac@uconn.edu
