Transition Planning
Considerations:
A Strategy for Note Taking
PowerPoint Slides
to be used in conjunction
with the
Facilitator’s Guide
Copyright © 2011, East Carolina University.
Recommended citation:
Bouck, C. & Henderson, K. (2011). Transition planning
considerations: A strategy for note taking – A PowerPoint
presentation for professional development. Modules
Addressing Special Education and Teacher Education
(MAST). Greenville, NC: East Carolina University.
This resource includes contributions from the module
developer and MAST Module Project colleagues (in
alphabetical order) Kelly Henderson (Facilitator Guide
Editor), Tanner Jones (Web Designer), Diane Kester
(Editor), Sue Byrd Steinweg (Project Director), Bradley
Baggett (Graduate Assistant), and Sandra Hopfengardner
Warren (Principal Investigator).
Session Agenda
• Introduction
• Session Goals and Objectives
• Importance: Background in
Postsecondary Note Taking
• Importance: Common Problems
Session Agenda, continued
•
•
•
•
•
•
Preparing for Note Taking
Commonly Used Note Taking Strategies
Using Notes After Class
Choosing a Note Taking Strategy
Summary
Evaluation
Introduction
• Lecturing is the primary method of
instruction in college. Students are
required to absorb new information on a
constant basis and may be required to
retain it far into the future.
• Unlike high school, postsecondary
instructors often write little to nothing on
the blackboard.
Introduction, continued
• Even when a lecture is accompanied by a
PowerPoint presentation, students have to
take notes in order to remember the
information. But how? What format do they
use?
• Listen to two college students expressing
their concern.
http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/tpc_sn/lib/me
dia/photo1/SlideShow.html
Introduction, continued
• Consider and list differences between
the way content is shared in high school
and in postsecondary settings.
Session Goal
• Goal: to examine what students need to
know in order to effectively take notes in
the postsecondary setting.
• Content includes:
– preparing to take notes before class,
– what to do during class,
– how to use notes efficiently after class as a
study tool,
– five formats for note taking, and
– a method for evaluating a lecturer’s style.
Session Objectives
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify why it is useful to take notes in college.
2. Identify each of the note taking methods
described in the module.
3. Select the type of setting in which each of the
note taking methods would be used.
4. Identify the need for reviewing notes after class.
5. Select the process of reviewing notes.
Importance: Background in
Postsecondary Note Taking
• In college, too much information is
presented over an extended period of
time for a student to retain it and be able
to recall it for a test.
• The primary way to store information
presented in lectures is to take notes
during class.
• But why do students need to take
notes?
Background in Note Taking, continued
• Note taking is useful because it:
– promotes active learning by helping a
student stay focused.
– requires two different modes of processing
- auditory and kinesthetic.
– provides a record of information and
instructions that can be used later.
Background in Note Taking, continued
• Instructors may expect students to remember
information for long stretches of time. Writing
down the necessary information allows
students access to this data as long as they
need it.
• Research indicates there is a better chance
for learning to occur if students can connect
what they know from their own experiences
with new information presented in lectures or
textbooks.
Background in Note Taking, continued
• Taking notes is one way to help them build
those connections.
• One study found that students who took
notes in class had higher test scores than
those who simply paid attention (Yu & Berliner, 1981).
• Several studies note that simply outlining a
lecture facilitates encoding and retrieval of
information (Glynn & DiVesta; Staley & Wolfe cited in Yu & Berliner, 1981) .
Importance: Common Problems
• Class notes are a very important tool for
college students.
• However, when the instructor moves
quickly during class there is not sufficient
time to build the connections students
need to really learn the material.
• Students are too busy concentrating on
determining the most important
information and writing it down.
Common Problems, continued
• Many students don’t inherently know how to
take notes in college or how to use them to
study later.
• The way notes are given in high school is
very different than the formation of notes in
college.
• The way notes are used also differs.
• In the postsecondary setting, responsibility
for learning falls to the student, not the
teacher.
Common Problems, continued
• Some students will develop college note
taking skills on their own, but others will
not.
• Direct instruction in taking college notes
is beneficial for all students.
Common Problems, Activity
• Three college students have been
interviewed about common issues that
occur when they are taking notes. Here
are the real comments are from students
currently enrolled in a state-supported
four year college.
• Listen to the audio at
http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/tpc_sn/lib/m
edia/photo2/SlideShow.html .
Common Problems,
Activity continued
• Brainstorm other challenges faced by
college learners with disabilities when
they are expected to take notes in class.
• Which of the challenges might apply to
new college students generally, and
which might be more challenging due to
the presence of a disability?
Preparing for Note Taking
• People generally remember:
– 10% of what they read,
– 20% of what they hear,
– 30% of what they see,
– 50% of what they hear and see,
– 70% of what they say and write, and
– 90% of what they do (Molenda, 2003).
Preparing for Note Taking, continued
• The act of taking notes can help students
absorb more because they are actively
engaged in the process.
• Students need to start by preparing
themselves before they arrive in the
classroom and before the lecture begins.
Preparing for Note Taking, continued
• Now, listen to what some college
students have to say about preparing to
take notes. These tips will help students
get started. With proper set up, students
are more prepared to engage in note
taking.
• Play the audio at
http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/tpc_sn/lib/m
edia/photo3/SlideShow.html
Preparing for Note Taking, continued
• Not every approach to note taking works
well with every type of lecturer.
• To best match note taking style with the
particular lecture setting, a student can
evaluate a professor’s lecture method.
• By evaluating the type of lecture, the
student will be able to choose a note
taking method which fits his or her needs
for that particular class.
Preparing for Note Taking, Activity
• Complete the Instructor Lecture Method
Evaluation Form (copy found at end of
Facilitator’s Guide) as if you are a
learner in a class you teach or as
yourself in a college course.
• These completed forms will be used in
the next activity.
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies
• There are many different note taking
formats, but five are covered here.
• Note taking style may change
depending on the class. Later, there will
be an activity on how to best pair note
taking style with lecture style.
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies, continued
1. The Cornell Method is a systematic
format for organizing notes without
recopying (Blerkom& Mulcahy-Ernt, 2005).
• Divide the notes page into two columns.
• The first column is for writing the notes;
the other for labeling ideas and details.
The Cornell Method, continued
• In advance, prepare the note page: write
the day’s topic and date at the top of the
page.
• Block off 2 ½ " on the left margin of a
notebook page - this is the recall column.
• Leave 2" at the bottom of the page to
summarize key points after class.
The Cornell Method, continued
• During class, take notes down the righthand side of the page.
• After class, review the notes.
• Add questions and key points or terms
in the recall column on the left side and
summarize all key points of the lecture
at the bottom of the page.
The data used for the sample notes in the following slides have been taken from Kevin Paul’s
(2007) Study Smarter, Not Harder.
Cornell Method
Topic:
Date:
Cue
Words,
questio
ns, key
points
(added
later)
Space for taking notes
2 ½ in
Summary of key points of lecture from the page
2 in
(added after class)
The Outlining Method
• The Outlining Method looks like the outlines
written in school for papers (Blerkom & Mulcahy-Ernt, 2005).
• The points are organized in a pattern of
spaced indentions.
• But with note taking, it is usually better to
use dashes or indentions than to try to deal
with Roman numerals. Do not become
consumed with the formal structure of
outlining.
The Outlining Method, continued
• Write the date and topic across the top of
the page.
• When taking notes, indent each level of
supporting details that accompanies the
higher level of heading, subheading, or
detail.
• Include enough detail to be useful, but don’t
overdo it either. One word outlines are not
very helpful and neither are notes that are
so detailed that key information is missed.
Outlining Method
Preparing a Place to Study
12, 2010
Find a Study Place
Not bed, table, LR, or cafeteria
Desk
Free of distractions
Do NOW
Make it Comfortable
Comfortable chair
 Padding
on seat and back
 Very important
Check the air
Regulate temperature
April
The Outlining Method, continued
• Outlines work best:
– in a class that has an organized lecturer,
– if lecture is presented in linear situation,
– when there is enough time to think about
and make organizational decisions,
– for note takers whose skills are super and
sharp.
The Outlining Method, continued
• Advantages of this method:
– It’s well organized,
– easy to edit and review, and
– good for lectures where there is time to
make organization decisions.
• Disadvantages include:
– It requires thoughtful organization,
– doesn’t show sequence, and
– cannot be used in a fast-paced lecture.
The Mapping Method
• The Mapping Method is a graphic
representation of lecture material
. It uses comprehension
and concentration skills to relate each
fact/idea to other facts/ideas.
• Write the date and topic across the top
of the first page.
(Blerkom & Mulcahy-Ernt, 2005)
The Mapping Method, continued
Two ways to structure this method.
1. Take notes anywhere on the paper. After
class, circle each point or fact and then
draw lines and arrows to create
connections between topics and facts.
– The following example uses the same
data from Study Smarter, Not Harder.
Mapping Method
April 12, 2010
Find
place
PREPARI
NG A
PLACE TO
STUDY
Make it
comfor
table
• Not bed, table, LR
• Desk
• Free of
distractions
• Do it NOW
• Comfortable chair
• Good seat/back
padding
• Regulate air
temp/quality
The Mapping Method, continued
2. Write the main point, list the sub-points on
the paper, and write details underneath.
After class, the student connects the
information using lines or arrows.
The Mapping Method, continued
• In both Mapping formats information from
the textbook should be added after class.
• Mapping can be used:
– when lecture content is heavy and wellorganized or with a guest lecturer,
– when the student doesn’t know how material
will be presented.
The Mapping Method, continued
• Advantages of this method:
– maximizes active participation,
– tracks lecture regardless of conditions,
– helps the student more easily see
relationships between concepts,
– facilitates easier note card creating for
studying, and
– allows the student to add information from
the textbook directly into class notes.
The Mapping Method, continued
• Disadvantage
– can be difficult to hear changes in content
from major points to facts.
The Block Method
• Write the lecture topic and date at the
top of the page (Blerkom & Mulcahy-Ernt, 2005).
• Write the first main point, or heading, on
the left side of the paper.
• Go to the next line and indent.
The Block Method, continued
• Begin writing the notes in phrases
continuously across the lines, continuing
to indent until a new topic begins.
Separate the details with dashes (-),
slashes (/), or semi-colons (;).
• Skip a line between each new heading or
topic. The student can leave extra space
to add notes from the textbook after class.
Block Method
Preparing a Place to Study
4-12-10
Find a Study Place
establish only for studying/quiet comfortable
relaxing/not
bed, table, LR, or cafeteria/do it
NOW
Make it Comfortable
get a good chair/padded on seat and back/ideal
height takes
pressure off joints/spend
money/consider air quality and
temperature/plants improve air quality
The Block Method, continued
• The Block Method for works for:
– virtually any lecture format, and
– when the lecture is fast-paced and/or full of
content.
• The advantages of the method:
– needs little thought or organization,
– the easy format is particularly useful for
students who struggle with note taking
The Block Method, continued
– a learner can easily leave extra space
between headings for adding notes from
text and be easily converted to note cards
for test preparation.
• A disadvantage to the Block method
– making the notes into an effective study
guide requires some manipulation.
The Modified Block Method
• The Modified Block Method is very
similar to the Block Method (Blerkom & Mulcahy-Ernt,
2005) .
– Instead of writing the details continuously on
the same line, each detail gets its own line.
– Continue to skip at least one line between
each heading or new topic.
Modified Block Method, continued
• This method looks less cluttered and
appears more organized but without the
thinking involved in outlining.
• It also makes reviewing notes easier. If
written on only one side of the page, the
notes can be photocopied then cut out
and glued to index cards for easy flash
cards.
Modified Block Method
Preparing a Place to Study
4-12-10
Find a Study Place
• establish only for studying
• quiet comfortable relaxing
• not bed, table, LR, or cafeteria
• do it NOW
Make it Comfortable
• get a good chair
• padded on seat and back
• air quality and temperature
• plants improve air quality
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies, continued
• Students can use one of these five note
taking methods or adapt it to fit their own
needs and the requirements of the class.
• The important thing is that they take
complete and ordered notes throughout
the entire class period.
• Organized notes will help a student
focus on the instructor’s expectations
and minimize distractions
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies, continued
• Instructors often give clues as to what is
important by changing the tone of their
voice or repeating information.
• Students should also write down any
examples or stories that help explain
the topic.
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies, continued
• Any abbreviations can help them save time.
• Students can use common abbreviations,
such as b/c for because.
• Can also make up their own abbreviations
relevant to the lecture topic, such as a capital
P for Pavlov. In this case, students should
make a small key on the first page of the
notes to remind themselves of the meaning of
each abbreviation.
Commonly Used Note Taking
Strategies, Activity
• Individually complete the student practice
activity about abbreviations (found in the
Facilitator’s Guide). This activity could be used
for teaching a lesson on abbreviations for note
taking.
• Exchange forms and have a partner check the
matching and look over the filled-in
abbreviations.
• In pairs, develop a short list of other words and
their abbreviations that might be helpful to
learners in classes you teach or are familiar
with.
Using Notes After Class
• Listen to the audio at
http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/tpc_sn/lib/med
ia/photo4/SlideShow.html
• In a college class, learning takes place on
two levels:
– when taking notes while listening to the
lecture; and
– later, when reviewing the notes. In order to
effectively learn from a lecture, a student
should review class notes on a regular basis
beginning immediately after class.
Using Notes After Class, continued
• If possible, students should take the 1020 minutes immediately after class to
read back over the notes and:
– make sure all writing is legible,
– add any information the student can recall
from the lecture but neglected to write down
in class.
– The longer students wait to complete this
step, the less they will be able to recall from
the class.
Using Notes After Class, continued
• In the few minutes just before the next
class, the student should do a quick
review of the previous notes.
• This helps refresh older material and get
the brain focused on what the student
will be learning in that class period.
Using Notes After Class, continued
• Within one week of the class, students
should:
– spend about 20 minutes going back over the
previous week’s notes.
– They can add more information (either from the
lecture or from the textbook),
– test themselves on what they remember,
– recite important points, or
– make flashcards.
This simple re-exposure to the information will
help transfer it to their long-term memory.
Using Notes After Class, continued
• Students should also intensely review all notes
for a class about once a month.
• A minimum of 20-30 minutes (on top of the 20
minutes reviewing for the previous week)
should be spent.
• The more active students can be with this
review (i.e., rehearsing or amplifying important
points, writing things down, creating mind
maps) the more likely they will increase
memory.
Choosing a Note Taking Strategy
• The table that follows provides a brief
description of the note taking strategy
and descriptions of settings where it can
be used.
• This table may be the most useful for a
teacher who is wondering how to help
his or her students make wise choices
regarding note taking strategies.
Note
Taking
Method
Cornell
Method
Description
Situations in
Which to
Use
‫ ٭‬A systematic format for organizing notes
‫ ٭‬Can be
without recopying.
used in any
‫ ٭‬Divides the notes page into two columns: one
lecture
for writing the notes and one for labeling ideas
situation
and details.
‫ ٭‬Write the day’s topic and date at the top of the
page; block off 2 ½ " on the left margin of a
notebook page - this is the recall column and
leave 2" at the bottom of the page.
‫ ٭‬In class, take notes down the right-hand side
of the page.
‫ ٭‬After class, review the notes adding questions,
key points, or terms in the recall column and
summarizing all key points at the bottom of
the page.
Note
Taking
Method
Description
Outlining ‫ ٭‬Looks just like the outlines for writing
Method
papers in school.
‫ ٭‬The points are organized in a pattern of
dashes or indentions rather than Roman
numerals.
Situations in Which
to Use
‫ ٭‬Outlines work best
in a class that has
an organized
lecturer and if
lecture is presented
in linear situation.
‫ ٭‬Write the date and topic across the top of ‫ ٭‬It is also useful
the page.
when there is
enough time to
‫ ٭‬Indent each level of supporting details
think about and
that accompany the higher level of
make
heading, subheading, or detail; include
organizational
enough detail to be useful, but don’t
decisions and for
overdo it.
note takers whose
skills are super and
sharp.
Note
Taking
Method
Mapping
Method
Description
‫ ٭‬A graphic representation of lecture
material relate each fact/idea to other
facts/ideas.
Situations in
Which to Use
‫ ٭‬This format can
be used when
lecture content
is heavy and
‫ ٭‬The student can do this one of two ways:
well-organized
1. Take notes anywhere on the paper; after
or with a guest
class, circle ach point or fact and then
lecturer.
draw lines and arrows to connect topics
and facts.
‫ ٭‬It can also be
2. Or write the main point, list the subused when the
points on the paper, and write details
student doesn’t
underneath
know how
material will be
‫ ٭‬After class connect the information using
presented
lines or arrows.
‫ ٭‬In both cases information from the
textbook should be added after class.
Note
Taking
Method
Block
Method
Description
Situations in
Which to Use
‫ ٭‬Write the first main point, or heading, on the ‫ ٭‬Use the Block
left side of the paper.
Method for
virtually any
‫ ٭‬On the next line (with an indention) begin
lecture
writing the notes phrases continuously
format.
across the lines.
‫ ٭‬It’s especially
‫ ٭‬Separate the details with dashes (-), slashes
useful when
(/), or semi-colons (;) .
the lecture is
fast-paced
‫ ٭‬Skip a line between each new heading or
and/or full of
topic and indent the new line.
content.
‫ ٭‬The student can leave extra space to add
notes from the textbook after class.
Note
Taking
Method
Modified
Block
Method
Description
‫ ٭‬Instead of writing the details continuously
on the same line, each detail gets its own
line.
‫ ٭‬Continue to skip at least one line between
each heading or new topic.
Situations in
Which to Use
‫ ٭‬Use the Block
Method for
virtually any
lecture
format.
‫ ٭‬It’s especially
useful when
‫ ٭‬This method looks less cluttered and appears
the lecture is
to be more organized; it also makes
fast-paced
reviewing notes easier and the notes can be
and/or full of
photocopied then cut out and glued to index
content.
cards for easy flash cards.
Choosing a Note Taking
Strategy, Activity
• In groups of six, assign roles: One participant is
the lecturer and five are note takers. Each note
taker uses one of the note taking methods:
Cornell, Outlining, Mapping, Block, and
Modified Block.
• While the lecturer speaks for 5 minutes on a
topic, using content from a text, web source or
personal knowledge, group members take
notes consistent with the method assigned.
Choosing a Note Taking
Strategy, Activity continued
• Following the lecture, review the formats
used and compare and contrast the different
methods.
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
each
• Which was most effective for the type of
content and setting of the lecture?
Summary
• Lecturing is the primary method of
information delivery in the postsecondary
setting.
• Because the format is very different from
high school to college, students need to
learn how to take notes before they embark
on the path to higher education.
• There are many different formats to use to
take notes.
Summary, continued
• Students need to develop the skills to
evaluate the lecture format and then
choose and effectively use the note taking
system which best fits the format.
• They also need to learn what to do with
notes they’ve taken, after the class is
ended.
• Through direct instruction and practice in
high school, the students will be more likely
to be successful in the college setting.
Session Evaluation
• A form for participants to evaluate the
session is available in the Facilitator’s
Guide.
Focus and Reflection Questions
1. Students need a great deal of help in
determining what to write down. How do
they know what’s important? What are
cues teachers may use to clue them in?
Focus and Reflection Questions,
continued
2. Students also need further guidance in
using their notes and getting the most out
of a college course. What else can they
do to ensure greater understanding-get to
know instructors, making study guides
from notes, form study groups or note
sharing groups, etc.
Application & Extension activities
Activities for the Classroom
1. As an introduction to note taking, the teacher
presents a lesson on a particular topic asking
the students to refrain from taking notes. The
next day the students are given a quiz over the
material.
After the quiz, the teacher presents on a
similar topic, but this time the students are
instructed to take notes. (The teacher may
choose to collect the notes at the end of the
period to prevent students from studying
overnight.) A second quiz is given the next day
and the scores are compared.
In theory, even without studying, the students
will do better on the second quiz simply
because they took notes.
2. Teach a lesson without writing all the notes on
the board or using a PowerPoint. In either case,
the students should be required to practice
taking notes simply by listening to the
instructor, preferably using one of the methods
described in this module. Then ask the students
to trade notes with a neighbor.
In different colored ink, they can read through
the other person’s notes and add any
information that they remember from the
lecture but wasn’t recorded. This process can
be repeated several more times with different
partners.
3. Have students practice a different note taking
format per week for 5 weeks. At the end of
each week, have them share their notes with
a partner and allow the partner to critique
them. (This would require a rubric, checklist,
or some other way to measure accuracy.)
Application & Extension activities
Activities for a Full-Day Workshop
1. One area in which students often need note
taking instruction is in lectures which
primarily use PowerPoint to present
information. Many students simply print the
slides and use them to study from without
adding any extra information that the
instructor might present. Often, college
professors will use the slides to bring up
key points or topics and then elaborate on
them during the lecture. Students who fail
to take notes on the examples, illustrations,
or explanations will miss key information.
Application & Extension activities,
continued
2. After the 5 styles have been introduced,
have the teachers continue the workshop
taking notes using one of the methods.
Provide them with an evaluation tool (rubric,
checklist, etc.) to grade themselves on their
use of the format.
Self-Assessment
• A self-assessment with response
feedback is available at
http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/tpc_sn/quiz/
Participants may take this assessment
online to evaluate their learning about
content presented in this module.