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Taking notes from books
and
at lectures.
Two-Column
Note-Taking Method. Draw
a line down a sheet of paper, with one-third of the page on the left and two-thirds
of the page on the right.  Write
the main idea of each paragraph on the left side. List details on
the right side of the page.
The
two-column note-taking method visually separates information into main ideas and
details. By
placing the details to the right of the main ideas, you can easily see which details
support which main ideas. Preparing
for a test. A
two-column note-taking format also makes it easier for you to use notes to prepare
for a test. For
example, you can cover the details on the right side of the page with a sheet
of paper, look at the main ideas in the left column, and turn them into study
questions. This
challenges you to recall the details to answer the question. If necessary, you
can lift the cover to review. Similarly,
you can cover the main ideas and use the details to recall them.  Taking
Notes From Lectures.
Even
when you have good note-taking skills for written material, the jump to lecture
situations can be difficult. The
priority is to prevent yourself from trying to write down everything, growing
overwhelmed, and giving up. To
avoid this, start by just taking notes on the main ideas. While
at this level, you can ask the teacher or a fellow student for the missing details.
As the skill
becomes automatic, your notes can include more details.  Some
hints for effective note-taking.
- Use
as few words as possible do not write out full sentences.
- Use
abbreviations.
- Keep
lots of space on the page as you take notes: skip lines between details
and leave extra space to add information later.
Once
you learn and master the mechanics of the two-column note-taking method by taking
notes from written material, you can try taking notes from lectures. It
is a difficult skill to learn, and you can prepare by developing the sub-skills
which follow. Abbreviations.
 Practicing
abbreviation skills can be fun, and it doesn't require much time. All you need
to do is to create an abbreviation for the words you use most often in your subjects.
For example, in teacher traing you might use:
- education
> ed
- teacher
> T
- child
> ch
- curriculum
> curr
- classroom
>c/room
- history
> hist
- geography
> geog
- learning
> Lng
- book
- bk
- probably
> prob
- exercise
> ex
- with
> w\
- 18th
Century > 18C
Do
not bother to put a period or full stop after your own abbreviations. As long
as you know what it means - that's all that matters.  Word
Economy.
Many
students are tempted to copy whole sentences from their readings or try to write
down every word from a lecture. This makes it impossible for you to keep up. Instead,
take notes as if you were writing a telegram. Charge points for every letter
and word they use as a way of learning word economy For
example, if the teacher said:: 'World
War II was the biggest war that ever happened.', you might write: WW2
biggest war - For
'Adolf Hitler had been preparing for many years and, finally,
he attacked Poland with great force in 1939.' you might write: H
attacked Poland 1939 - Visual
Markers. Dyslexic
people have a strong visual awareness. It may be helpful to insert rough drawings/sketches
onto the pages as a visual reminder when you come to revision. The quality
of these drawings does not matter, as they are only for your own use, and, in
fact, sometimes silly pictures or cartoon pictures stand out in your memory and
can be easier to remember when you come to revise for an exam.  Use
markers and highlighters to organize notes on the page. Here are some suggestions:
- Draw
a horizontal line across the page to signal the end of one main idea and the start
of another.
- Number
the details that support the main idea.
- Highlight
the key words, names, dates, etc.
- Insert
questions marks next to notes that are unclear and require more information from
a classmate or teacher.
•
Lecture
note-taking. • Taking
notes from lectures. •
Taking
notes in class. • Study
Skills - Taking notes. •
Allen
& Unwin - Taking notes.
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