Note Taking

This is my 1 Plus 3 Notes for my math course.

This week we will talk about how to take notes. For most of the courses, note is always playing a very significant role. Since you cannot remember everything single thing which you learned from lecture, so you will need to take a good note. There are basically four different choices: 1 Plus 3 Notes, Plug-in Notes, To Do Notes and SU/Cornell Notes. I have tried two of them, 1 Plus 3 Notes and Plug-in Notes. I used these two different strategy for my MAT 295 course. Both of them are good, but I think 1 Plus 3 Notes strategy works better for me.

This strategy need you to divide your notes into three different sections. We call them section A, section B and section C. We use each of them in different way. For section A, which is on top left corner, this section is for all the important terms. Section B is on the right. This section will be used to make a chart. By using this chart, you can organize the knowledge you just learned better. Generally, I organize by term, definition, and example. The last section is on the bottom. Section C is for questions. I personally believe that this is the most important but also most difficult part. After having understood everything clearly, it is time to develop your own questions. Since this is a math course, you won't be asked to explain a particular term or definition, but you will be required to solve tons of math questions which is based on your understanding of those definitions. To some extent, if you know nothing about those definitions, terms or those formulas, there is no way to sovle any question, but if you can solve those questions, that means you have understood everything you should know. So that's why I think questions are very important.

In terms of Plug-in Notes, I have to admit that this is a great strategy. However, because I am one hundred percent computer illiterate and this strategy is based on computer, so that is bad for me. For example, I spent almost two hours to try to use this for a math lecture which only took 55 minutes. That sounds not good, the lecture only took one hour, but it took me two hours to take notes.

How to Choose between 1 Plus 3 Notes and SU/Cornell Notes

For our blog this week we had to discuss about one of four note taking strategies that we found beneficial to us. Our choices were plug-in notes, To Do noes, 1 plus 3 notes, and Su/Cornell notes. For my blog i decided to compare the 1 plus 3 notes and the SU/Cornell notes. To do so I applied both these strategies to an excerpt of my math notes and found which one worked best for me.

For 1 plus 3 notes, the strategy requires you to divide your notes into three sections. The first section is labeled "A" and that is were you write the terms you learn in class. The second section is labeled "B", in this section you write the definition or equation of the term you just wrote in section "A". The final section of the 1 plus 3 note taking strategy is the section labeled "C". In this section you develop questions about the notes you've just taken. These questions can be used later when reviewing the material for an upcoming exam.

For the SU/Cornell notes, the strategy requires you to divide your notes into three sections as well. Just as you labeled the three sections "A,B, and C" in the 1 plus 3 notes, you label the three sections of SU/Cornell Notes "A,B and C" as well. The sections labeled "A and C" have the same meaning as they did in the 1 plus 3 note taking strategy. Section "B" however is a little different. it has three parts, these parts are labeled; definition, example and equation. This gives the student some options when taking his notes based on what the teacher is discussing at the moment. 

Here are examples of both note taking styles:

I personally prefer to use the SU/Cornell note taking because in section B I can choose whether my math professor is giving us a definition an example using the equation or how to perform the equation necessary to solve the problem. This note taking strategy worked very well for me in last weeks math class, as I feel much better about the math I am currently studying in class these past few weeks. 

In conclusion I like both note taking strategies but I prefer the SU/Cornell note taking scheme over the 1 plus 3 note taking scheme. 

Gabi Pontell's Note Taking

Taking efficient notes is a crucial skill to have in college both in and outside of class. Notes help you learn the information, as well as study it. Notes are essential in order to anticipate test questions, and will help you prepare for tests.

The note taking strategy I tried was the Jeopardy Note-Taking Strategy for my political science class. Because the class consists of mostly reading, taking notes during lecture reiterates what we read before class, and helps create a better understanding. In the beginning of the year, I would do the reading, but the notes I would take in class weren't beneficial because they were unorganized and didn't contribute to my understanding of the material.

The Jeopardy note taking strategy is very easy to do. Go to class as you normally would, but separate your paper into two halves. Only take notes on the right side of the page during the lecture. After the class is over, reread your notes and on the left side of the page, create a question corresponding to your notes on the right side. *Be sure to identify major points and underline or star significant points to emphasize importance.*


Here are my notes:















The strategy helped me separate ideas and main points which assisted in improving my understanding of the class topics. Not only that, but creating questions on the left side of the page helped me study and anticipate potential questions on the next exam.


I used a different type of strategy for note taking in my Addictions in Cultural Context class. This time, I used the SU/Cornell Note-Taking System.

Before Class:
Draw a vertical line 2.5 inches from the left side down the page. This is now your recall column, where you will later reduce your notes.

Next, trace the first horizontal line across the page and to the top of the paper to create your summary box.


During Class:
Record your notes in the large box on the right side of the paper.


After Class:

1. Reread your notes
2. Reduce your notes on the left in the recall column by using key words or terms that will help you remember the information.
   **This is best to do right after class**
3. Summarize your class notes a day or two later in the summary box at the top of the page.
4. Review the recall column and summary box once a week.

Here are my notes:















The SU/Cornell Note-Taking System wasn't as helpful as the Jeopardy Note-Taking Strategy for me. Maybe it would have worked better for a different class. Although not as beneficial, it helped me organize my thoughts and summarize a whole section of notes. Also, it was helpful to break down the notes into the left column because it made the main ideas stand out. We have a final paper to write in this class and I feel as though it would be helpful to use the SU/Cornell strategy to take notes while I do my research. I can write down all of my notes and break it down into main ideas, or potential body paragraphs for my essay. Also, the summary will be helpful because it basically summarizes all of my notes.

Gabi Pontell's Exam Prep

I’m sure we have all experienced the feeling of walking into class on the day of an exam completely unprepared. Whether you forgot there was a test that day, didn’t study enough or at all, or tried to cram at the last minute, there are easy ways to ensure that you will be adequately prepared for your next test.


BEFORE YOU START STUDYING, it is crucial you know: *Never review by source, review by topic!*

With that said, it is time to start preparing for your test.


There are three steps in order to prepare for tests: Organizing, Studying, and Evaluating.


Organizing:

1. Make a Source Outline
- Outline of all sources for your class that contain the information that you will be tested on

2. Make a Topic Outline
- Look at sources and group by topic
- Reorganize source outline by topic

3. Study Schedule
- Plan when to study each topic
- Using a calendar will be helpful

*Both the Topic and Source Outlines can be found in the syllabus!*


In my NSD 225 class, I have a test coming up on Thursday. My professor provides students with a weekly schedule, and the topics that will be covered in each class. This allows me to see which topics are going to be on the exam.

For example:















Now, students need to make a Source Outline. For this type of outline, it is easiest to display information by the type of source. For example, A) Textbook, then list the chapters you need to study (a. Chapter 1, b. Chapter 2...)

Here is my source outline for NSD 225:
















After making a source outline, students need to make a schedule to plan when they will study for their test. I decided it would be beneficial to resort back to the Fritter Finder we made for class to see when I have time to study.

















My study schedule:
Monday:
4 - 5 and 8 - 9:30
Tuesday:
2 - 3:15 and 5 - 6
Wednesday:
4 - 5 and 8 - 9:30
Thursday:
2 - 3:15


Plan:
I planned to begin with reading Chapter 4 in the textbook, and then review the corresponding lecture notes for that chapter. Therefore, I studied two different types of sources that cover the same topic.


Studying:

***It is important for students to make study aids!***

Examples of study aids are: Flash cards, outlines, graphic organizers, study group, review sheets.

Personally, I often make flash cards because it helps me memorize terms and learn information when I repeatedly review them.















Test Questions:
Students should anticipate questions that could possibly appear on the exam.

**Students can find or derive questions from: Syllabus, previous exams, class discussion, study aids, professors questions in class**


Evaluating:

The final step for exam prep is to answer the questions you had previously anticipated.

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!


Final Outcome:

A happy, well prepared student.

Exam Prep By Zane Green

Preparing for an exam can be overwhelming. And if I’ve learned anything from experience, it’s that waiting until the night before to study rarely turns out to be a good idea. There are steps that you can take weeks prior to the exam that are guaranteed to boost the productivity of your study sessions. Preparation for exams begins with these three steps: Organize, Study and Evaluate.
I. Organize
a. Topic Outline

-Syllabus

b. Source Outline
-Syllabus

c. Study Schedule

-Based on topic outline/planner

II. Study

a. Study Aids
-Flash Cards, Study Groups, Review Sheets

b. Questions
Syllabus, Professor, Previous Tests

III. Evaluate

a. Answers

We begin by developing a Topic and Source outline. We derive this outline from the course syllabus. We then create a study schedule based on our topic outline and personal planner. Having organized our study sessions, we then generate study guides (review sheets flash cards etc.) and begin anticipating questions based on course and class material. For this entry, I choose 20 minute test prep adapted strategy. The jeopardy note-taking style is particularly helpful, because it allows you to generate a study guide based on your anticipated exam questions. The following is my continued jeopardy notes for Anthropology:

ANTHROPOLOGY NOTES:

Communication

Grammatical constructions that deviate from those used by the socially dominant group in society	What is “dialect”?
A form of English spoken by many African Americans, particularly among those of rural or urban working-class background	What is “African American Vernacular English (AAVE)”? (Ebonics)
The ability of individuals who speak multiple languages to move seamlessly between them	What is “Code Switching” ?
The hypothesis that perceptions and understandings of time, space, and matter are conditioned by the structure of a language	What is the “Sapir Whorf Hypothesis”
The analysis and study of Touch	What is “haptics”?
The study of the cultural use of interpersonal space	What is “Proxemics”?
The study of body position, movement, facial expressions and gaze.	What is kinesics?
The science of documenting the relationships between languages and grouping them into language families	What is “comparative linguistics”

I also tried this strategy for Political Science

Public Opinion

Citizens views on politics and government actions	What is “Public Opinion”?
An opinions formed on the spot when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinion that is stable over time)	What is a “Latent Opinion”?
A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative	What is “Liberal-conservative ideology”?
The amount of complexity in an individual’s beliefs about government and policy, and the extent to which those beliefs are consistent with each other and remain consistent overtime.	What is the “level of conceptualization”?
The process by which an individuals political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture	What is “Public Socialization”?

When studying, it is important to remember to study by topic, not by source. Also, discipline yourself to keep to your schedule!
20 Minute Test Prep

I. After Each class
a. 20 minutes review that day’s material. Creative Study aid
-Keep aids with you!

II. At the end of each week
a. 10 minutes, review the week’s work in each course. Then 10 minutes write 5-10 test questions
-Ask professor to verify

III. A week before the exam
a. Create a topic outline. Review by topic!!!!
- Use review topic

Exam Preparation by Paul Laohapiengsak

Exam Preparation by Paul Laohapiengsak

In college, it is easy to get distracted.  For this reason, preparing for an exam can be a difficult task.  As for myself, I get distracted easily by the surrounding such as sport games, movies, and friends.  This is why the exam preparation strategies, which I learn from CLS105 class, are extremely helpful. 

The first method that I use to prepare myself for examination is the exam preparation profile, which has three that include organizing, studying, and evaluating.  It allows me to organize, study, and evaluate myself when taking an exam.  First, I must organize the materials that will be on the test.  To start I would normally study from three main resources which are my textbook, PowerPoint, and my notes.  Also, what I find helpful from the faculty interview project is that some professor would provide study guide prior to the test such as the PSY205 class, which I find exceedingly helpful.  Not only that, sometimes during the lecture, some professors would suggest the topic that is on the test, which is also important.  In addition, as for organizing I also use other two strategies to plan out my study plan, which are the ranking priorities and Target planner.

Example of my Target Planner.

As for the ranking priorities, I was able to see ahead of time when the assignment is due and my task for those assignments.  I find this helpful because it gives me more time.  Not only that, ranking priorities also help me identify which task and more important than another when there is limited time to study.  In addition, I find that using target planner along with the ranking priorities is a perfect combination to prepare myself for a test.  I would use the ranking priorities to distinguish the most important task as allow my self to become aware of the due date while I use target planner to plan out my study for a certain test.  Furthermore, I use target planner for classes that has many steps toward a certain goal.  For example, I use the target planner for my English research projects, as there are many steps toward the final draft.  This way I can distribute my workloads in a certain day instead of doing everything the night before the project is due.  

Example of Ranking Priorities.

Ranking	Class	To do	Due Date
A1	MAT 284	Online homework (Chapter 3, course campus)	Tuesday 15th at 11:00 p.m.
A2	MAT 284	Exam 1 (Chapter 1-3)	Wednesday 16th at 3:40 – 5:00 p.m.
A3	PSY 205	Exam 1 (Chapter 1-4)	Wednesday 16th at 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
A4	CLS 105	Faculty Interview Project	Monday 21st at 12:45 p.m.

After organizing myself of what I must go over, the next task is the method of studying.  For myself, studying refer to the method used to memorize and review for a certain class.  Most of the time, I would study by going over notes and rewrite what need to be memorized a few times as I am a kinesthetic learner.  In addition, the strategy that I find help is the Jeopardy Note-taking strategy.  I use this strategy for many classes including MAT284, which is shown below.  Jeopardy Note-taking strategy allows myself to the formula and functions of the graph.  This strategy is quite extraordinary it helps user in memorizing by first to create question then attempt to answer them.

Example of my  Jeopardy Note-taking strategy

The last step is to evaluate.  This determines if I am really ready for a test or if not what I need to study on.  Evaluate is what I believe the most important part of preparing for a test as it is somewhat a contingency plan for any unexpected incidents.  Overall I find Exam Preparation profile very helpful.  Also, what I believe is the key to a successful test preparation is to use the combination of many techniques.  As for myself, I would use the target planner, ranking priorities, and jeopardy note taking strategy to prepare myself.  I encourage other students to use the combination of learning strategies to ensure the most efficient method of studying.

Viola’s Exam Preparation

During the ECN class on Thursday, the professor announced that there was only two weeks from the mid-term exam. My first thought was: “Oh, my god! Only two weeks!” Then I realized that I could use the 20-Minute Test Prep-Adapted strategy to prepare for my mid-term exam.

This strategy is very good to prepare for ECN class as the focus of this class is facts and its pattern is definition and listing. So this strategy is just suitable for the review of the class as this strategy is based on a list of topics that will be covered in the exam.

So I just create an outline of the topics in the first place. As the PowerPoint is the major source of the information in ECN class, I create the list according to my PowerPoint. Here is my topic outline.

I write some questions to check my understanding of all these concepts in the margin. This list of concepts is a list of questions itself. As I read the list, I can quickly check whether I understand the definition. So it is very convenient to review these important concepts.

I also create study aid to help me with memorizing and checking. I create cards with the important concepts on one side and the detailed definition on the other side. I find these cards are very useful as I can carry them with me in my pockets so I can study whenever I have time. As there are definitions on the back of these cards, I can read them whenever I cannot remember them.

I find this strategy extremely useful for my ECN class, so I apply this strategy to my MAT course. I find the outline of topics still useful but not as much as the ECN course as there is more than concepts in MAT class. Here is my list of topics. I make it according to my class notes in MAT as the lectures are the major source of information for this course.

Then I find that only being familiar with these main points is not enough. The application of the theorems is much more important in a math course. So I collect previous exams and previous homework to create list a questions with different sections. I use this materials because I know the questions in exams are very similar to these in the previous exams/quizzes and homework assignments. I can use the list I create as a practical test before the exam approaching. 

In general, the 20-Minute Test Prep-Adapted strategy is extremely useful for classes in which definitions or concepts are the major information that should be known. While for classes in which application of concepts is more important, one should use other strategies as complements, like creating a list of questions using previous exams. It is also helpful to create study aids while using the 20-Minute Test Prep-Adapted strategies like creating cards and outlines.