Reading and Note Taking

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSxUpcDVLH8haXpy-WWDC_3-U9RRDY44x6Jv1pmBcq1zujTnRrhalPD_SD31q0Nyeze1MjYwyEWlpIl/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss the way reading differs in college and how to successfully adapt to that change.

2. Demonstrate the usefulness of strong notetaking for college students

Stop and Think!

On a scale of 1 (I need significant improvement) to 4 (I’m doing great), reflect on how you’re doing right now on these statements:

1. I am reading on a college level.
2. I take good notes that help me study for exams.
3. I understand how to manage all the reading I need to do for college.
4. I recognize the need for different notetaking strategies for different college subjects.

Why did you answer the way you did? What experiences have you had (positive and negative) with reading and note-taking in an academic setting?

Active Reading

“[R]eading volume [how much you read] made a significant contribution to multiple measures of vocabulary, general knowledge, spelling, and verbal fluency.” -Cunningham and Stanovich

Jot down your responses to these questions:

• What are the pros and cons of online reading?
• How can distinguishing between reading types help you academically and personally?
• How can you best prepare to read for college?
• What is the most influential factor in how thoroughly you read the material for a given course?
  • How engaging the material is or how much I enjoy reading it.
  • Whether or not the course is part of my major.
  • Whether or not the instructor assesses knowledge from the reading (through quizzes, for example), or requires assignments based on the reading.
  • Whether or not knowledge or information from the reading is required to participate in lecture.
• What best describes your reading approach for required texts/materials for your classes?
  • I read all of the assigned material.
  • I read most of the assigned material.
  • I skim the text and read the captions, examples, or summaries.

There are two primary objectives you will have when reading for college:

1. Reading to introduce ourselves to new content, OR
2. Reading to more fully comprehend familiar content.

Depending on which is your objective with any particular reading assignment, your strategies and the time you budget for your reading will be different.

Reading to Learn More

• How does reading about something you already know differ from reading unfamiliar content?
• Have you ever been overconfident about your knowledge?
• What can you do to make sure you get the most out of your reading?

Source: The Open University (2018). Active reading.  http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/active-reading.php  ​

Following are descriptions of three important skills for active reading: previewing, recursive reading, and annotating.

Preview When you first encounter a piece of text, start out with a quick preview. Skim through the text, estimate the level of reading difficulty, and determine the main idea.
Practice Recursive Reading Find a distraction-free setting​ Highlight important passages​ Look up unfamiliar words Keep in mind that recursive reading is a circular, not a linear process Practice the “SQR3” Method: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review
Annotate Follow these steps to annotate your college reading assignments​, which will help make them more manageable and improve the learning experience. Number the paragraphs​ Break the paragraphs up into small groups of 2-4 paragraphs (aka “chunking”)​ Write one-sentence summaries of your “chunks” in the left margin​ Write questions or comments in the right margin​ Circle unfamiliar words and look them up​ Underline key phrases

Active Reading Review

Preview Skim the text Estimate difficulty Determine main idea

Highlight Find a distraction-free setting Highlight important passages Look up unfamiliar words

Annotate Mark it up! Make connections Ask questions

One final reading consideration: What kinds of reading does your major require?

Depending on your chosen degree, you will likely encounter different kinds of reading. Here are some common categories for college reading assignments:

• Articles
• Chapters
• Books
• Primary sources
• Technical writing

Each may look very different, but the steps outlined above will be helpful for all of them. If you struggle with learning how to best approach the reading assignments in a class, reach out to your instructor or to the CWI Tutoring Center.

Notetaking

Jot down your responses to these questions:

• What best describes your notetaking style?
  • I use a systematic method such as the Cornell method or something similar.
  • I highlight or underline all the important information.
  • I create outlines and/or note-cards.
  • I use an app or program.
  • I write notes in my text (print or digital).
  • I don’t have a style. I just write down what seems important.
  • I don’t take many notes.
• Do you currently have a preferred way to take notes? When did you start using it? Has it been effective? What other strategy might work for you?
• How can you prepare to take notes to maximize the effectiveness of the experience?
• What are some specific strategies you can employ for better notetaking?
• Why is annotating your notes after the notetaking session a critical step to follow?

Notetaking Systems

There are many different possible ways to take notes. You might take traditional pen and paper written notes in a notebook. Perhaps you prefer typing so you use a laptop or tablet to take notes. In some settings, you might take notes on note cards (also called index cards). Or maybe you are taking notes while you read and write notes directly in your textbook.

Regardless of the format of your notes, you should always include the following information:

• Date
• Course Name
• Chapter or Topic

Following are three common notetaking systems. Whether one is a good option for you to use can depend on many different factors, from your personal learning style to the subject matter you are studying. You can find YouTube videos and online tutorials if you want to learn more about how to start using these (or some other) system for taking class or reading notes for your college courses.

Cornell Notes You might have been required to take Cornell notes in high school. Even if you didn’t love them, it might be worth revisiting this notetaking system for your lecture or reading notes for college classes. There are three primary components of the Cornell system: Notes Questions Summary One thing that makes this valuable is that you go back and revisit your notes later to answer the questions and write your summary.
Outlining The following formal outline example shows the basic pattern: Dogs (main topic–usually general) German Shepherd (concept related to main topic) Protection (supporting info about the concept) Assertive Loyal Weimaraner (concept related to main topic) Family-friendly (supporting info about the concept) Active Healthy Cats (main topic) Siamese …
Concept Mapping Concept Mapping, also called Mind Mapping, is a less formal approach to notetaking. Some of the advantages of this approach are the following charactaristics: Visual Creative Engaging Would this be a useful notetaking style for any of your class lectures or reading assignments? Is it a good fit for your learning style?

Final Thoughts

What are your three main takeaways from this lesson?