Hope everyone is having a marvelous weekend and getting ready for mid-terms! These note-taking strategies I’m using for my PSC 121 course will definitely help you study for your mid-terms. So, follow these easy steps and learn!
Before I start explaining the strategies, remember L.A.M.E.!
Learner- What type of learner are you? Kinesthetic, visual, auditory, etc.?
Action- What strategy did you decide to use?
Materials- Describe how this strategy helped achieve something in your class.
Evaluation- Explain what went well when the strategy was put into action.
Now, what you must know is that there are two types of notes.
1. COMPREHENSIVE NOTES- they should be major points, significant details, and examples.
2. SKELETAL NOTES- they should be key points, examples, or information from the overhead with some explanation.
Since my major source of information in PSC 121 is the textbook, my class notes are skeletal notes and my reading notes are comprehensive notes. In a course where the major source of information is the class, lab or studio then it would be the other way around; class notes would be comprehensive notes and reading notes would be skeletal notes.
After I figured this out, I wanted to use two note-taking strategies for this class.
PLUG-IN NOTES AND 1 PLUS 3 NOTE-TAKING METHOD
Leaner: I’m the type of learner that likes to take notes and since I’m a visual learner making diagrams, illustrations or graphic organizers will help me learn more effectively.
Action: So, when I read the instructions for Plug-In Notes I decided I wanted to try that strategy first.
Materials: This is what I did- I took my notes from October 5th and wrote down the major points the professor made in class into a separate notebook. Between each major point I made sure to skip 5-6 lines, leaving space there for later. After I got done with that, in the space provided I plugged-in illustrations and graphic organizers of the material above. Then after that, I inserted a chart with 5-10 questions in one column and the answers to the question in another column. This will help you figure out what you know and what you don’t know so that later you can ask your professor or your TA.
Evaluation: I was surprised that I was able to make an illustration of the material of the class. At first I was skeptical but then I got the hand of it and I was able to make the material visual so it’s easier for me to study from. Now, this is going to help me study more for my next exam on October 24th!
Here you can see an example of how it turned out:
| Questions | Answers |
| What happens when people start buying fewer newspapers? | There will be less newhouse students getting jobs because the newspaper don’t need anymore. |
| What does the media do? | It informs the people on government action and politics. |
| What has been going with the watching and reading of news and newspaper? | It has decreased. |
| Has online watching and reading decreased or increased? | It has increased. |
| Give an example of bias in the media? | The New Yorks Times took a picture of Governor Chris Christie looking like a gangster, trying to make him look bad. |
| What are the two problems politicians must face? | They must appeal to the middle (people from outside) and to the base (people that have always followed a certain party). |
All right next strategy!
1 Plus 3 Note-Taking Method!
When I saw this one, I thought “This is going to be fun!”. And really it is!
This is what I did in my notebook!
Section A Section B
| I wrote here key terms and concepts that will help me follow through the material. | Here I created graphic organizers to visually represent the key terms that are in Section A. |
| Section C I wrote down possible test questions on the material studied. | |
On the left hand side of the notebook is where I drew this chart. And on the right hand side is where my class notes are.
So far, this has been helping me study and review for my next exam, which will be longer and harder I assume. Then, all I have to do before the exam is re-read this chart and I wouldn’t have to be rushing through my notes to make a study review. This is also helpful for me as a visual learner because it is organized into a chart and under headings to help me follow through the material. So, when I feel that the material is easy to read, the faster I will learn the material.
These two note-taking strategies have helped me re-organize my class notes in a way that has helped me read the material a lot better. I plan on doing this for the rest of the year. I’ve been using this to study for my exam so let’s see how that turns out!
By the way, you can also do the same thing with notes that you’ve taken from the textbook.
You can also take the notes from your notebook and rewrite them in another notebook using these strategies, which is exactly what I’ve been doing.
Learn and have fun while doing so!
Take care,
Gil
Hey girl,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you used a mix a different kinds of notes in order to get ready for your exams. The 1 Plus 3 note taking is a great way to study because I used this as well and it gets you thinking and breaks the information down. The different sections helps me see it and is a good way to study. It looks like you know what your doing. Great Job.
Gil-
ReplyDeleteYour post's are always so thought out and organized its nice to read. Something you probably noticed because you did both strategies, were kind of how similar they are. I used plug in notes for two courses, and when I read your 1 plus 3 notes, it was a lot like the plug in notes. There are notes, graphic organizers, and questions. You could probably just pick which one, I would like to know actually, which one was more beneficial, or which one did you like the most? Just wondering what you think! But great job!!
Natalie
Thanks so much girls!
ReplyDeleteNatalie: Yes, they pretty much are the same but I would say the one I like the most is 1 Plus 3 Notes because you have everything there in one page. You got the key terms that will let you know what is going on and what is the material. Then there is the diagrams and illustrations that will help you visualize the key terms. And last the questions that are right there to help you study for the exam. I like them host but I prefer the 1 Plus 3 notes. So much more organized and visually represented.