Coordinator: Today's discussion is on note-taking. Note-taking is one of the important skills for class-room success. There is no one best way to take notes but your own experience and some suggestions may help you to cope well with university study here. Chris, you start first. How do you take notes when you are in class?
Chris: I always keep track of the notes by putting a date and heading on the first page and numbering pages that follow. And I often make sure to identify the lecture topic and the class in which the lecture takes place. I think this is very important because when you study later, you will be able to match up class notes and textbook notes or assignments on the same topic.
Linda: I do the same. I often keep the notes for one class separated from the notes for other classes, so I use separate notebooks for each class.
Chris: I use dividers to set aside different sections in one notebook.
Coordinator: ... are good. Some students like to use a loose-leaf binder so that lecture notes, textbook notes, and the instructor's handout may be taken out of it and reorganised for study purposes.
Chris: That's a good idea to use a loose-leaf binder. I will buy one for my note-taking. I'd like to use a ballpoint pen for taking notes.
Linda: So do I. But I prefer to use blue or black ones because other colours, such as red or green, are hard on the eyes.
Coordinator: It's a good idea to use a ballpoint pen because pencils fade easily and a pen sometimes blurs and soaks through the paper.
Chris: My handwriting is poor so I often print the notes for clarity after class.
Coordinator: That's a very good way to do it. It's very important to make your notes clear to read because you may use them for your essay.
Linda: I often use standard abbreviations in my notes in order to speed up note-taking. For example: intro for introduction, info for information, dept. for department.
Coordinator: This is one way to speed up your writing. You can also make up some of your own words or phrases that you use often. Make a key for your abbreviations so you won't forget what they mean.
Linda: OK. I will try next time.
Chris: I often copy anything that is written on the board or on overhead transparencies into my notes because I find test questions often come from material that is presented in these ways.
Linda: Really? I hadn't noticed that.
Coordinator: I think you'd better organise your notes after class. Try to summarise the points in your own words. It will be easier for you to remember your notes.
Chris: That is a good suggestion.
Coordinator: Another suggestion is that you should review your notes to fill in gaps while the information is still fresh in your mind. The purpose of taking notes is to help you remember information.
Linda: When I seem to be missing something, I often compare notes with my classmate or see the instructor.
Coordinator: That's the way to do it. Thank you very much for your time. I think new students may use and adapt some of your good methods for note-taking into their own study.