tugas ketinggalan (note taking)

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD NOTE TAKING

NOTETAKING is one way to enhance listening, and using a systematic approach to the taking and reviewing of your notes can add immeasurably to your understanding and remembering the content of lectures. (Berkeley). It’s a simple fact of academic survival – the best students take the best notes! Notes not only aid comprehension, but they also make learning active and, most importantly, make study time more efficient, especially during end-of- the semester review sessions for final exams. (Colgate University).

Effective notetaking is an essential part of any successful academic study program. It is a high level skill, involving such complex cognitive processes as analyzing, synthesizing, writing, evaluating, and reviewing. But more than anything else, it requires active listening. (University of Texas at Austin).

A relatively easy way for students to improve their retention and comprehension is by learning how to effectively take notes. Several studies have been done on the importance of taking lecture notes in college and how doing so improves a student’s grades. First, it is important to understand why taking notes is so crucial. A person’s ability to remember material presented to them fades very quickly. Hence, having notes to fall back on for review is essential for attaining good grades.

Some tips so you can make a good note taking:

1. Go to class prepared.

• Use a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or bound book. Pages can be easily removed for reviewing. Handouts can be inserted into your notes for cross-referencing. You can insert your own out-of-class notes in the correct order (Ellis).
• Bring highlighters to class. Instructors will frequently make comments like, “This is an important concept.” Or, “Make sure you understand this.” These are direct clues that this will more than likely be on an exam. Highlighting these notes will help remind you later that this is definitely something you need to know.
• Read assigned material and previous class notes before class. Make notations about material or concepts you don’t understand. Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. You will have a better understanding about what the instructor is lecturing about and that will allow you to better decipher the more important points of the lecture.

2. Improve your listening skills.

• Start by entering the classroom with a positive attitude. Going to class thinking, “This is the last place I want to be today” only sets the stage for inattentive listening. Approaching lectures with a positive attitude allows one to be open-minded and enables you to get the most out of the information presented.
• Make a conscious effort to pay attention. Concentrate on concentrating. “Without concentration there is no focus, and without focus there is no learning” (Pauk 190).
• Adapt to whatever direction a lecture takes. When a lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asks a question you aren’t particularly interested in, students have a tendency to “zone out.” Before you know it, the lecture got back on track five minutes ago, and you missed crucial information that should have been noted.

3. Develop a notetaking method that works for you.

Fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes to increase your notetaking speed and comprehension later.

• Start each new lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The sequence of material is important.
• Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.
• Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions later.
• Make your notes as brief as possible. “Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a phrase when you can use a word” (Berkeley).
• Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible.
• Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don’t understand. This reminds you to look them up later.
• For examples of popular notetaking formats, see Notetaking Systems athttp://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

4. Pay close attention to content.

Knowing what and how much to write down is sometimes difficult. Rely on some of the following tips for what to include in your notes.

• Details, facts, or explanations that expand or explain the main points that are mentioned. Don’t forget examples.
• Definitions, word for word.
• Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed.
• Material written on the chalkboard or on a transparency, including drawings or charts.
• Information that is repeated or spelled out. (University of Texas at Austin)

5. Review and edit your notes.

·         Take Solid Notes by Keeping Them Simple

·         It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours.

·         Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear later.

• Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class and what you filled in later.
• Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column.
• Note anything you don’t understand by underlining or highlighting to remind you to ask the instructor.
• Compare your notes with the textbook reading and fill in important details in the blank spaces you left.
• Consider rewriting or typing up your notes. (Ellis).

Relatively few students know the importance of taking effective notes and how much it can improve their retention and comprehension of lecture material. By following a few simple guidelines on how to take notes effectively, a student can improve their college GPA, and relieve a lot of stress when it comes time to study for and take an exam.

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