Tech 4 Note Taking by Paul Laohapiengsak

Paul Laohapiengsak

Tech 4 Note Taking

 Note taking is one of the most important learning strategies in college.  This is because most of the introduction courses have lectures in large auditorium.  Therefore, by being able to get the most out of note taking will definitely help one in doing well in collecting information as well as using the notes as an effective tool to study for exams.  As for myself, I use many notes taking strategy in courses such as MAT 284 and PSY 205.  Firstly, in MAT284, there are many formula as well as many methods to solve for the solutions.  For example, as I am currently learning about limits, there are many methods to solve limits such as factoring, simplifying, multiplying by the conjugate and so on.  Therefore, taking good notes is extremely important in order not to miss small details about the classes.  Also, as for my PSY 205 class, there are many terms to memorize which is also why taking notes well can be beneficial. 

Currently, I am using two types of notes taking strategy, which are Jeopardy note taking strategy and SU/Cornell note taking strategy.  The jeopardy note taking strategy is well suited for course that require memorization of key words because user are basically creating questions from their notes which will help them memorize even faster.  The Jeopardy note taking strategy is done by writing notes on the right side of the page while leaving the left side blank.  The empty space will be later used to write questions or main points of the following topics.  From using the Jeopardy note taking strategy, there are many benefits that I gain from.  This includes ensuring that I really understand the material by forcing myself to create a question, help myself organize ideas from the notes, and allow myself to see area that I may not understand from attempting to create and answer question.  I use the Jeopardy note taking strategy in two classes, MAT 284 and PSY 205, which can be seen below.

From the pictures, it is obvious that both courses require memorization of equations, methods of solving, and vocabulary and terms.  Therefore, Jeopardy note taking strategy is a perfect way of taking notes.  Users do not only benefit from taking better notes, but also knowing the area that they require more time to study as well as consolidating their understanding.

Another note taking strategy that I use is the SU/Cornell Note- taking system, which also well suited for courses that require memorization skills.  This method of note taking divides the notes in three zones, which are 1. Notes taken in class 2. Reduce notes to only key terms and 3. Summarize and organize ideas.  I use SU/Cornell Note- taking system particularly in my PSY 205 class.  This is mainly because there are many ideas to remember as there are 4 chapters consisted in one test.  Also, because many information are related, using the SU/Cornell Note- taking system can help organize the notes and relate them if possible.  Shown below is my note for my PSY 205 class.

From using SU/Cornell Note- taking system in PSY 205 class, there are things that I learn from.  For example, I have to force myself to rewrite all the notes, which help me really understand and learn the material without having to blindly memorize terms.  Also, I was able to use the box on zone 2 to recall terms a anticipate test questions.  Last but not least, SU/Cornell Note- taking system allows me to organize my thoughts and recognize how each topic is related to avoid any confusion that may occur.  I highly encourage every college students to use the following tools as it can immensely improve their note taking skills and is also an effective way to prepare oneself for an exam.