Experts say that without the help of notes it is difficult (a) _________ effectively. So, as you read a lesson, it is important
that you (b) __________ the essential points in it. Write them down in (c) ________ because when you translate the ideas
in your own words, it aids your understanding of the lesson. Organising notes is as important as making them. The process
of (d) ________ grouping notes together helps you to organise your notes and remember and recall thoughts easily
Answers
Note-Taking Strategies
Everybody takes notes, or at least everybody claims to. But if you take a close look, many who are claiming to take notes on their laptops are actually surfing the Web, and paper notebooks are filled with doodles interrupted by a couple of random words with an asterisk next to them reminding you that “This is important!” In college, these approaches will not work. In college, your instructors expect you to make connections between class lectures and reading assignments; they expect you to create an opinion about the material presented; they expect you to make connections between the material and life beyond college. Your notes are your road maps for these thoughts. Do you take good notes? After learning to listen, note taking is the most important skill to ensure your success in a class.
Effective note taking is important because it:
Supports your listening efforts.
Allows you to test your understanding of the material.
Helps you remember the material better when you write key ideas down.
Gives you a sense of what the instructor thinks is important.
Creates your “ultimate study guide.”
Effective note-taking helps students retain what they learned in class so that they can use the material to study and build their knowledge and tackle more complex concepts later on. In fact, research indicates that there’s a 34 percent chance that students will remember key information if it’s present in their notes but only a 5 percent chance if it’s not. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to write brief summaries or make visual guides and diagrams in your notes. The important thing is to find a note-taking strategy that works for you.
There are various forms of taking notes, and which one you choose depends on both your personal style and the instructor’s approach to the material. Each can be used in a notebook, index cards, or in a digital form on your laptop. No specific type is good for all students and all situations, so we recommend that you develop your own style, but you should also be ready to modify it to fit the needs of a specific class or instructor. To be effective, all of these methods require you to listen actively and to think; merely jotting down words the instructor is saying will be of little use to you.