As many students already probably know, the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center is a free resource for tutoring and improving grades. In addition to offering tutoring services, the LEC provides workshops to provide students with studying tools. In the late afternoon on Thursday, the LEC held its “Taking and Using Notes Workshop” led by Patricia Feldman, the associate director of the center.
To begin the workshop, Feldman handed out a packet filled with systems of note taking and helpful hints. The first system she covered is called the Cornell System, so named because it was developed at Cornell University. In this system, students format their papers to include notes on one side and questions to correspond to their notes on the other. That way, they can fold them over and use it as a study guide later.
The system also dictates that students should leave blanks in between ideas and only use one side of the paper to expand on their notes later. Also, Feldman noted, “this way, it makes your notes inviting.” A student will want to go back and review, rather than be overwhelmed by a series of lecture points.
Two other helpful note-taking systems include concept mapping and speed study diagrams. In concept mapping, students can transfer their notes into a visual form to consolidate their notes. This proves to be a very helpful method because, according to Feldman, “30 pages of Cornell notes could be boiled down” into the map.
Also, speed study diagrams allow students to organize their notes into charts. Finally, for those students who download notes off Blackboard, parallel note taking – writing notes next to what the professor has written – could be beneficial.
Feldman also had some samples of students’ class notes that they made for the LEC’s ORACLE (Optimum Reading, Attention, Comprehension, Learning Efficiency) class out on tables. Although each table held a specific example, she mentioned that systems could be combined because “there’s no right way to take notes.” Different methods work for different people.
While all of this seems helpful in theory, many students might remain skeptical because it takes time to reorganize what they’ve written. However, Feldman says that effective note taking pays off.
“When you put minutes in now to go over notes, you don’t need hours to study later,” Feldman said.
