Taking notes



The aims of note taking

Almost everyone who studies has to take notes at some time. But have you ever asked yourself the reason for taking notes? There are usually three main reasons:

1) To have a record of the speaker’s or writer’s main ideas.

2) To help one’s memory when revising, e.g. before an examination.

3) To make what the speaker or writer says a part of your own knowledge.

This section will teach you how to achieve these aims by positive note taking. You are a student not a tape-recorder or a secretary who knows shorthand! For the same reason, if you are taking notes from a book or article it is general not a good idea to copy out large chunks of the text, unless you are going to quote it verbatim, i.e. word for word.

Exercise 1

Read through the following list of methods of recording information:

Notes taken while listening

Notes taken while reading

Notes taken from memory

Shorthand notes

Tape recording

Photocopying

Underlining

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methods listed with your tutor. Which methods are you able to use at the moment? Which methods do you think would most useful for you? Remember to ask yourself why you need to take notes

Exercise 2

What do you mean by a good lecture?

Are lectures out-of-data?

Will books ever make lectures unnecessary?

Discuss with your tutor

Exercise 3

When you have finished your discussion, make a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of a) learning from lectures b) learning from books.

Taking notes from a text

The first thing to do is to survey the text. The purpose of the survey is to acquaint yourself with the text, so that you can quickly find out what the writer’s main points are, what he is driving at. Surveying is something you cannot do with a lecture, so take advantage of it. But remember that it should be done quickly.

Then read the text again quickly making a note of the main points and how they relate to one another. This can be done mentally (if the text is a short, uncomplicated one); or on the text itself by underlining (if the text is your own!); or directly into your notebook.

If you are writing the main points in a notebook, put them down in some way that relates them to one another. If you can put the information in the form of a diagram, do so. Diagrams are usually easier to remember. If you decide to you use a list (which is often the most convenient method) there are various listing, systems one can use — the table below gives some examples. Choose a system and stick to it. It could be very confusing to switch from one system to another.

Listing and numbering

Arabic numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.

Decimal system 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, etc. (not usually combined with other systems. Subdivisions are usually also decimalized e. g. 2.1.1, 2.1.2, etc.)

Large roman numerals I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, etc.

Small roman numerals (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), etc.

(usually in brackets)

Capital letters A, B, C, D, E, etc.

Small letters (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), etc.

(Often in brackets)

Except for the decimal system, these systems can be used in combination.

Compare:

I 1

II A 2 (a)

B (b)

1 (i)

2 (ii)

3 (iii)

4 (iv)

III A 3 (a)

B (b)

C (c)

IV 4

Exercise 4

Below are some headings from the lecture on ‘communication’.

There are three main sections to the talk: Non-electronic method (i.e. methods which do not use electricity), Electronic methods, and the Use of satellites. Use numbering to show how the topics fit into one another. The notes will also be clearer if you see spacing i. e. start some lines further in from the margin than others to make your message clear. Use a large sheet (A₄ –size if you have it). Use the full length of the page.

Communication

NON-ELECTRONIC METHODS

Messengers

Human messengers

Birds as messengers-pigeons

Signals

Signals that can be seen

Smoke signals

Lighthouses

Semaphore

Handwriting

Printed books

Newspapers

Signals that can be heard

Drums

Horns (motor-horns, fog-horns)

ELECTRONIC METHODS

Using wires

Telephones

Cables

Without using cables

Radio

Television

Radio-television

Cinema

THE USE OF SATTELITES

Communication satellites

Weather satellites

Navigation satellites

References:

1. Taking notes Tony Buzan: Use Your Head (BBC Publications, London, 1974). A lively, interesting book, with lots of ideas.