Note+Taking+and+Summarizing

Note Taking and Summarizing

Note taking is an important task that should be practiced by all students. Important and relevant information should be jotted down and looked over time after time. This process allows for students to retain information. Class notes also serve as an important tool for reviewing for exams. When taking notes, you should listen carefully, stick to a note-taking method that works for you, be sure to understand things before noting them, and review, review, review!

Teaching students how to take notes

Try this:

Note Taking: • Use of symbols- This allows students to write fast and not stay stuck in one part. • Abbreviations-facilitates note taking process by shortening lengthy words. • Contractions- Believe it or not, a lot of people need to first learn what something is not in order to remember what it is. Contractions serve as quick reminders of what you have to remember. • Webbing- Webs with information can also be a helpful technique. Students can write keywords and save a lot of time. They can connect one web with another to show that they go hand in hand.

Summarizing

When summarizing, large amounts of information are reviewed and understood then reduced to their bare essentials. Extra information is omitted and crucial details are kept. Key ideas and main points are the most important chunks of information.

Teaching students how to summarize

Try this:

Summarizing: • Selective underlining- Have students read through the material and underline key words and main points. • Memorize- Have students close book or handout and see how much they have retained. This will tell you if they understood the material as well. • The 5 Ws.- Who, What, When, Where, and Why. • Sum everything up! • See the following video for a quick step by step explanation on how to summarize.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO0AUyev1IY

Both of these techniques can be used to improve teaching and learning in many ways. Students that practice the strategies will be able to read any material and explain or teach it to the others. Both, note-taking and summarizing go hand in hand. You need one in order to do good with the other, ie. you read and article, take note, review notes, summarize.

Both of these strategies are helpful and highly recommended during FCAT testing.

Tania Florian