Page 186 - Keys To Community College Success

KEY 6.3 Improve your notes during class discussions.

Taking Notes from Books

Note taking is not only useful in class, it can also help you decide and reinforce what is
most important to remember when you read textbooks, articles, or any other materials
assigned for class or used for research. You may decide to take separate notes on read-
ing material if the book is a library copy or borrowed from a classmate. Or, you might
do so when you don’t have enough room to take notes in the margin. Some students
simply prefer to take separate notes on reading material as a study strategy.
Start the process by identifying what you want to get from the notes. Are you look-
ing for the basic topics from a chapter? An in-depth understanding of a particular
concept? Once you’ve established the goal, then you can identify the best format. For
instance, mind maps work well to understand broad connections, overall relationships,
or how your text works in relation to your instructor’s lecture. On the other hand, for-
mal outlines make sense of complicated information in a structured way that can pro-
vide clarity. Later in the chapter you will read about different note-taking formats and
try different approaches to see which ones work for you.
After choosing a format, read and take notes on the material using the Survey,
Question, and Read stages of SQ3R:
■ Survey to get an overview of what the material can offer you.
■ Question to focus your attention what is important enough to record in your notes.
■ Read and record your notes on paper or an electronic file.

Finally, remember that many of the in-class note-taking strategies you just explored
will help you take effective notes on reading materials. For example, you can note key
6 terms and definitions, re-create important diagrams, use consistent formatting, and flag
CHAPTER 148 areas of confusion with a question mark.