Lesson:How to Take Great Notes

Conversation

Answer the following questions. You might be asked to write them down or answer them out-loud.

1. What is the most effective way to learn in your point of view?
2. Are you used to taking notes during classes?
3. When you take notes, what information do you write down? Do you read it later?
4. Do you think these notes might help later? Why?
5. When you read books, do you take notes about them? If so, what kind?
6. What methods do you use to remember vocabulary better?
7. When learning, what is your best skill? Viewing, listening or synesthetic?
8. Is there a formula for a person to learn things fast?
9. What contributes to a good memory?
10. Have you ever taken notes and they really helped you afterwards? What was it for?

Vocabulary

Look at the vocabulary below. Take time to explore the links for their definitions in English and their translations to Portuguese. When you are done, make a sentence with each word. Ask your teacher if you should write them down or say them out loud.

• d | t - average
• d | t - bottom
• d | t - fail
• d | t - proven
• d | t - inefficient
• d | t - simply
• d | t - pick
• d | t - concept
• d | t - binder
• d | t - capture
• d | t - pose
• d | t - deep
• d | t - grudge
• d | t - establish
• d | t - template
• d | t - comprehension
• d | t - raise
• d | t - soon
• d | t - ensure
• d | t - tip

Video

Watch the following video but DON'T read the transcript yet.

After watching the video do this listening exercise.

Reading practice

Read the following transcript then do the associated reading comprehension exercise.

Transcript:

The average student takes notes at a rate of one-third of the word per second. The average teacher speaks about two to three words per second. Bottom line: If you're trying to copy down everything your teacher is saying when he throws on about Shakespeare. You're going to fall seriously behind. Note taking is an important skill in and out of school you can make the difference between passing and failing a test, excelling at a job or even enjoying a complicated movie. And most of us don’t do it well.
Welcome to Wellcast. We took a viewer's suggestion for this week's episode: The art of note-taking. We're going to give you a three-step method for taking notes that will actually help you learn. Numerous studies over the years have proven what's already pretty obvious. People who take notes remember the material better than those who don’t. But how much better? A 1970 study by development psychologist Michael Howe, found the students were seven times more likely to remember facts one week after hearing them if they took notes. But here's the thing: Most people don’t know how to take notes. We're taught from a very young age that when a teacher starts delivering a load of information, for example: "Shakespeare described Romeo and Juliet's love as star crossed". And we should start writing down as much as what they're saying as possible. This is an incredibly inefficient way to take notes. Why? You're not actually learning anything, you're simply acting as a human audio recorder. A recorder by the way that only picks one out of ten words. And you're saving the learning for later. When you have an even less complete lesson plan to look over.
Note-taking should actually act as a form of learning. Something that helps you work your way through the lesson as the teacher is giving it, so that when you leave the classroom, already understand the concepts. So how do you do that? We have a three-step method for taking the kind of notes that force you to learn the material inside the classroom and not out. Pause and print the sheet and put it in your binder ready for your next class. Finished? Ok let's go.

Step 1: Don’t write down facts, write down conclusions! Don’t worry about capturing every single thing your teacher is saying. Spend more time listening, trying to understand the lecture. When you do start writing, format your notes as a series of questions posed by the teacher's lecture and your own answers. For example, question: "What's the central theme in Romeo and Juliet?" Conclusion: "More than being a love and tragic story, Romeo and Juliet is about the consequences of deeply held grudges." This way you're recording the importance of what the teacher is saying not just raw facts. When you do need to include data, add only the most important points under each question. This is the evidence for each question's answer.

Step 2: Use colored pens. Yeah, that's right. This will help you remember your notes visually. Also, if you establish a set template for your notes, we'll be able to take them more efficiently. Write questions in red, definitions in blue, conclusions in green.

Step 3 - Review your notes, don’t re-learn them. Spend at least ten minutes organizing your notes after class. You want to test your comprehension, try teaching the material to a classmate. This would be a great marker to see if you've actually learned anything.

Note-taking is a valuable life skill that doesn’t lose its utility when you graduate. Find ways to integrate note-taking in your daily life. You'll soon find yourself in the exclusive and creative group of people who bring out their moleskines in lectures, movies and etc.
Alright Wellcasters, let's recap! Today we learned how to take notes in a way that ensures you learn the material during class time and not after. First, write down your conclusion instead of a barrage of facts. Second, use your questions to make connections and third, spend ten minutes going over these notes at the end of the class and if you should choose, try going over these notes by teaching them to a classmate or a friend. Hey, who was that lady? Uh, ok. Did these tips help? Let us know, or if you have a wellness topic that you'd like to see covered. Do this in email, we love to see your notes!

Writing practice

Write a couple of paragraphs about the last time you took notes of something. What was it about? How much information do you still remember? Make sure to use words you learned from the text and try to make it as long as you can.

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