Creating+Notes

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Can I Study for English? Creating Notes Section 1 - Reading Section 2 - Writing Section 3 - Viewing

There is no perfect formula for note-making; it really is a matter of what suits your learning style. But there are a number of things that effective notes have in common: · They are clear and can be understood months later. · They are comprehensive enough not to require extensive review of the original materials. · They are well-organised. · They are succinct, meaning that they contain short pieces of information ordered in a logical fashion. · They are stored in a common place.

Let’s reduce this to simple maths. On average, a larger text takes about 4 weeks to cover in class, and amongst that might be two or three smaller texts (e.g. short stories). A set of notes for a text might take as long as 8 hours to create (four hours for a larger text and two hours each for smaller texts). That amounts to about 2 hours each week spent on study for English. Considering that only about 10 out of the 15 weeks of a semester is spent on close textual study (the rest is one oral production and written production), it is inconceivable that students cannot develop effective sets of notes. It’s a matter of **motivation**, **discipline** and **organisation**.

Keep in mind that notes are only intended to be stimulus for memory and for thinking, which is why you should not try to put everything in your notes. Effective notes are those that are able to help you cue in to the key ideas that will help you answer any question in the exams. Notes can take a variety of forms. Among these are: · Mind-maps · Organised notes · Tables

You will find that some topics lend themselves to one form or another. Mind-maps are useful for organising links between ideas. The sample to the right is by no means completely comprehensive but is offered as a sample. There are several computer packages that can help (e.g. Inspiration, Microsoft Visio etc.), but these can be expensive. Many students prefer to use pencils. Effective mind-mapping has the following in common: · Done on large paper (A3). · Use colour to represent different groups of ideas. · Often use pictures to stimulate ideas. · Start from the centre of the page and move out. · Aside from these commonalities, mind-maps are unique to their creator; they are as much a thinking tool as they are a memory aid.

The mindmap below was created using Microsft Visio, which is a very powerful tool but also a costly one.



There are many free mindmapping tools and graphic organisers available on the web, many of which can be used for collaborative planning and learning. For an introduction to those, go to the Thinking Tools on the Leanring@Mazenod.

Notes, on the other hand, are typically more consistent in there structure. It is important to create headings and sub-headings. Notes should be written neatly using clear bullet points. Students are strongly urged to create a study note-book that is separate from their class work. Prior to exams, this will become the primary reference point for your study. Creating notes on a computer can be helpful, but they should be printed out and stored in an organized file with other notes.

Alternatively, a table can organise a range of thoughts on a single page. To some extent, tables are a happy medium between the mind map and the structured notes. The table form might otherwise be construed as a structured overview.