Effective

Note Taking
DR. MIRANTI PUSPARINI, MPD(KED)
BLOK ME TODE BE L A JAR
2017
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Taking Notes

Studies on memory have shown that, without review,

47% of what a person has just learned is forgotten in the
first twenty minutes and 62% is forgotten after the first day.
Actively taking notes engages visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic learning

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Note Taking Variables
1. Presentation Styles
• PowerPoint is one of the easiest, though some faculty members still prefer the “chalk-and-talk”
method or today’s contemporary version (eg, document cameras and smart boards)
• Important information is written in front of the classroom and ideas are expanded on verbally

2. Handout Styles
• Students who recorded information during class performed better on examinations and had
improved retention of information compared to those who did not (Kiewra et al)
• Students who performed best on a post-lecture quiz were those who were told they would not be
given handouts and as a result, took their own notes (Khan at al )

3. Prescribed Note-taking Methods

• Students may need to take notes on out-of-class recorded lectures in preparation for active-
learning-based, in-class activities

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Taking Notes
• Don’t write like mad making notes on every word of the lecturer 
You need to listen as well as takes notes.
• If you can, prepare notes ahead of time with the main ideas, add to
your notes during the lecture.
• If you’re easily distracted, sit at the front of the class. Avoid sitting
near others that will also distract you.
• Identify keywords from the lecture and use them as headings for
your notes.

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Taking Notes
• Organize your notes into headings and subheadings in a format that
you can quickly identify them (highlight, underline, indent, color-
code).
• Borrow a classmate’s notes if you miss lectures. Find a friend whose
notes you aspire to and copy their format.
• If you’re an auditory learner  tape-record the lectures. Make your
notes off of your recordings.

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How to take notes
• Although you can sit in a lecture or class and listen to the
information that is being presented, taking notes can enable you to
recall more of the information later on.
• Learning which methods work for you and allow you to recall the
most information can be an effective way to make the most of your
notes.

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Listen!
• There are many people that become so absorbed in taking
notes while they are in class that they forget to listen.
• Although this seems impossible, failing to listen means that
you are automatically taking notes from the information
that is being presented, but you are failing to absorb and
learn the information.

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Listen!
• Although you are listening to the information, struggling to
capture and take down each word that had been stated is
not an effective way to learn to listen.

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Prepare to Take Notes Before the Lecture
Begins
• There is information that often
becomes available through class
outlines, handouts, and website
information.
• This can help you to become
familiar with the material that is
going to be covered in the
lecture.

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Prepare to Take Notes Before the Lecture
Begins
• There are many classes in which an outline is going to be
presented. Take the time to go through this outline and
underline or highlight any important points within the
material.
• Preparing yourself before the lecture begins can enable you
to reduce the time which is spent rushing through notes
once the lecture has begun.

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Prepare to Take Notes Before the Lecture
Begins
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.

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Prepare to Take Notes Before the Lecture
Begins
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.

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Prepare to Take Notes Before the Lecture
Begins
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.

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Avoid Distractions While Taking Notes
• There are many forms of distractions that can affect you while you
are taking notes  Mp3 players, cell phones and other electronic
gadgets as well as the actions of those around you in the class room
can often affect the ability to take notes and absorb information
through class.

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Avoid Distractions While Taking Notes
• One of the best ways to avoid distractions while taking
notes is to sit at the front of the class.
• Sitting at the front of the class  allows you to be in the
line of sight to learn the information that is being given,
reduces the mix-ups that can come when you are in the
back of the classroom.

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Avoid Distractions While Taking Notes
• You’ll also be in a great location to ask questions that you
may have about the material. Although some instructors
wait until after the lecture has been presented for
questions, be sure to take note of your question to ensure
that you are remember what to ask.

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Create an Outline for the Notes and Use
Headings as Reminders
• Take advantage of keywords and important headings within
the notes to determine important points within the lecture
 at the beginning of an important point, such as :
• A fact that is going to be on a test, or
• A formula which must be learned.

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Create an Outline for the Notes and Use
Headings as Reminders
• It is important to ensure that you are able to learn to
recognize these keywords. These keywords are often found
• on the introduction of the outline of the class lecture, or even
• in the outline of the course
Therefore reading this information can help you to easily
and readily determine this information.

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Create an Outline for the Notes and Use
Headings as Reminders
• Use these keywords as the heading for the small section of
the notes to ensure that your notes remain organized.
• This can make it easy to create study aids as well as being
easy to locate specific information that you are looking for
when it comes time to write a test or to review a term or
concept that you were unfamiliar with.

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Don’t Rush
 Rushing means that you are entering information quickly
and therefore it can sometimes be impossible to
understand.
 Rather than rushing through the notes  learn to focus on
the key points and pieces of information that are being
presented to you and use this information to create a basis
for your notes.

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Don’t Rush
 At the point that you find the instructor moving on to a
new topic, but you are still taking notes on the previous
topic 
 Don’t be afraid to leave the section blank and
 Use the information in the textbook and other sources to
complete the notes once the lecture has been finished.

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Use Symbols and Abbreviations
 The use of symbols and abbreviations is useful for note taking in
lectures, when speed is essential.
 When you use symbols and abbreviations, develop a system; use
commonly used or personal symbols and abbreviations.
 However, you also need to be familiar with the symbols or
abbreviations frequently used in your particular field of study.
 It’s important to be consistent when using symbols and
abbreviations so you will remember what they represent and be
able to use them with ease.

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Symbols
= equals/ is equal to/ is the same as — less, minus
≠ is not equal to/ is not the same as → gives, causes, leads to, results in/
from, is produced by
≡ is equivalent to
↑ rises, increases by
+ and, more, plus
↓ falls, decreases by
> more than, greater than
< less than

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Abbreviations
 Common  Discipline-Specific
Many are derived from Latin ◦ ec. (et causa) = cause by
◦ no. (numero) = number ◦ dex (dextra) = right
◦ etc. (et cetera)= and so on ◦ sin (sinistra) = left
◦ OD (occular dextra) = right eye
◦ OS (occular sinistra = left eye

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Use Concept Maps and Diagrams
You can also set down information in a concept map or
diagram. This presents the information in a visual form and
is unlike the traditional linear form of note-taking.
Information can be added to the concept map in any
sequence.
Begin in the middle of the page and add ideas on branches
that radiate from the central idea or from previous
branches.

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Use Concept Maps and Diagrams
Arrows and words can be used to show links between parts
of the concept map.
Color and symbols are important parts of concept maps,
helping illustrate ideas and triggering your own thoughts.

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Use Concept Maps and Diagrams

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Digital Note Taking
• Speed, legibility, and searchability are 3 positive attributes of digital
note-taking
• One benefit of tablets for note-taking is the ability to hand write
notes, add drawings, and highlight text while still retaining the
digital format
• Note Taking Apps that permit students to draw upon, edit,
summarize, and highlight handouts in a manner that allows
cognitive involvement in the note-taking process are most
beneficial to learning

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Digital Note Taking
• Possibly the biggest concern with student use of laptops in class
is computer-aided distraction
• Students who took notes on a laptop did not remember
conceptual material as well as those who took handwritten
notes, though they performed equally well when questioned
about factual information (Muller and Oppenheimer)
• Students taking handwritten notes demonstrated better
performance than students who typed digital notes on both
factual and conceptual questions (Piolat et al)

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Digital Note Taking
• Students using tablets are much
less likely to access distractions
such as e-mail, Facebook,
messengers, or YouTube during
class compared to those using a
laptop (Mang and Wardley)

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6 Note-Taking Tips
for Medical School Students
1. Put pen (or pencil) to paper
• Students who take notes by hand actually learn more than those
who type them on a laptop
• The act of hand writing notes delivers a stronger conceptual
understanding of the material
2. Prepare for every lecture
• Make time for assigned chapters, and take notes on the main
concepts presented in the textbook.
• Jot down important medical terms, and look up those that are
unfamiliar
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6 Note-Taking Tips
for Medical School Students
3. Limit yourself to essential points when possible
• Scribbling furiously will do little more than give you a hand
cramp, so pay attention to your lecturer’s cues instead
4. Write down your questions
• If you miss a point or don’t understand something, make a note
and consult your lecturer later
• Finding a study buddy with whom you can share notes may also
be helpful for filling in the gaps

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6 Note-Taking Tips
for Medical School Students
5. Choose a method that works
• Outlining, mind mapping, charting  no single note-taking
method is right for every medical school student (Cornell)
• Choose the one that most closely matches your natural thinking
style
6. Review your notes ASAP
• Reading through your notes will aid in memory retention
• Take time to clarify points that are unclear—by rereading
chapters or asking your professor—and you’ll ensure you have
notes you can actually understand as well
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The Most Common Note Taking Mistakes
1. Try to write down every single thing the lecturer says without actually
listening
 75% listening and only 25% writing
2. While taking notes, students do not think about the topics their lecturer
are saying
 It is more important to understand the new complex ideas that are being
introduced
3. Students do not ask questions while lecturer is lecturing, when the ideas
are fresh in their minds
 You should not wait until after the lecture (if possible) to ask questions,
because you will end up going through the rest of the lessong missing a piece of
information

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Learning Style
• In preclinical years, medical students experience different learning
environments whilst acquiring large amounts of information.
• To achieve this, each student must adapt his or her own learning
style preference ( http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/ )
• Learning style is the composite of cognitive, affective and
physiological characteristics that serve as relatively stable indicators
of how a learner perceives, interacts and responds to the learning
environment (Keefe)

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Learning Style
• Many factors can influence student learning styles. These factors
are: gender, age, academic achievement, brain processing, culture
and creative thinking
• Four sensory modalities described by Fleming are: visual (V), Aural
(A), Reading/Writing (R) and Kinesthetic (K), which is called as VARK
• The result of Version 7 of the VARK questionnaire that consists of
16 questions with four options each : 5.5% visual, 11.6% aural, 2.1
% reading/writing, and 8.2% kinesthetic as only preferred learning
style. A further analysis showed that 72.6% of students preferred
multiple learning styles (Nuzhat et al)
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 Learning Style

V A R K
Reading /writing learners Tactile/kinesthetic
An aural learner uses
A visual learner prefers to can be approached with learners prefer to learn
listening techniques to
learn visually information depicted in via experience—moving,
learn
words touching, and doing

Write, write and rewrite

words and notes.
Active exploration of the
Graphs, charts, diagrams, Lectures, discussions, Organize diagrams,
world, science projects,
symbols, etc. tapes, etc charts, and graphic
experiments, etc
organizers into
statements

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VARK Questionaire
http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

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VARK Results – Learning
Your scores were:
Visual 14
Aural 4
Read/Write 10
Kinesthetic 5

You have a multimodal learning preference. (VR)

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VARK Results – Teaching
Your scores were:
Visual 13
Aural 1
Read/Write 7
Kinesthetic 5

You have a strong visual teaching preference.

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References
Bitran M, et al (2012) Medical students' change in learning styles during the course of the
undergraduate program: from ‘thinking and watching’ to ‘thinking and doing’ , Canadian Medical
Education Journal 2012, 3(2) e86
Bohay, M., Blakely, D. P., Tamplin, A. K., & Radvansky, G. A. (2011). Note taking, review, memory, and
comprehension. The American Journal of Psychology, 124, 63–73. doi:10.5406/amerjpsyc.124.1.0063
Fleming, N. D. and Mills, C. E, (1992) Not Another Inventory, Rather a Catalyst for Reflection, To
Improve the Academy, Vol. 11, p. 137.
Fleming, N., and Baume, D. (2006) Learning Styles Again: VARKing up the right tree!, Educational
Developments, SEDA Ltd, Issue 7.4, Nov. 2006, p4-7
Nuzyat et al (2011) Learning style preferences of medical students: a single-institute experience from
Saudi Arabia, International Journal of Medical Education. 2011; 2:70-73
Stacy ME et al (2015) Note-taking and Handouts in The Digital Age, American Journal of
Pharmaceutical Education 2015; 79 (7) Article 107

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 Educating the mind
without educating the
heart..
Is no education at all

- Aristotle -

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