Notetaking Strategies Worth Taking Note Of

Ah, summer. The time when the academic year gets turned on its head and nothing is as it has been...

Whether you're taking an accelerated class this summer (a full term of Stats in 4 weeks? Crazy!) or taking a break from academics, now's a good time to consider working on some success strategies. Notetaking is a great one to work on, because it's something you can benefit from both academically and personally. I read a post to the DSSHE listserv by Ike Presley, National Project Manager for American Federation of the Blind. He described the process he uses to teach notetaking skills to people who are blind. I was impressed with the clarity and logic with both the process and his description and immediately asked him if I could blog it - a permission he very graciously extended.

First things first. Let's establish that taking your own notes, no matter how you do this, is always, always, always going to be better for your retention and understanding than reading someone else's - for two reasons.

1. Anytime you are actively engaging more than one process, you will learn better. Even if your notes suck - and I have students who tell me that theirs, indeed, do - they are your notes. You know your brain better than anyone.
2. Quoting from Ike here: "...the variation in what different student think should be included in the notes. I always tell people this is dependent on what the student already knows or is familiar with and thus determines what they will write down for their notes. It may be too little [or] too much for the student who will be receiving the notes."
   

So here, without further ado, is Ike's process, adapted a bit by yours truly to incorporate some specific AT ideas. (Ah, a paraphrased summary of my reading - I should retain this well!)

• "First, find some form of written note taking that the student can feel comfortable/competent with."
• Low-tech options: Pen & paper or a slate & stylus. Experiment with different sizes, layouts, and colors, if you wish.
• Higher-tech: a laptop, PDA or Braille notetaker
• "Next, use some type of recording device that will allow the student to insert bookmarks."
  
• Low-tech: a standard tape recorder. Tap the desk with a pencil to insert a unique sound into the recording as a bookmark.
• Higher-tech: use a digital recorder and the tapping method or a digital voice recorder with index marking
  
• High-tech: "To improve the quality of the audio recording provide the instructor with a wireless microphone that will work with the recording device and allow the student to keep the device near by for book marking." A Bluetooth microphone would be ideal for this.
• "In class the student will use their preferred tool for taking written/brailled/typed notes and use the audio recording as a backup." If the student has difficulty keeping up, simply create a bookmark in the recording and create a space in the notes.
  
• Low-tech: In handwritten notes, a few blank lines.
  
• Higher-tech: In electronic notes, use a string of unusual but easy-to-create characters to indicate a space. Ike suggests three asterisks (***).
• After leaving a space, start taking notes again. Rinse and repeat.
• Here's the critical step: "When the student returns to their study area they will need to open their notes file, set the recording device to the beginning of the presentation, and locate the first place where they missed some information." Yes, friends and neighbors, this means you do have to review your notes! Using this process, you can add in information you missed the first time from the recording.
  
• Low-tech: find those blank lines and fill them in.
• Higher-tech: search for those character strings and replace them with actual notes.

With a little patience and repetition, the process can not only help you cement that information from the presentation in your head, but also help you speed up your own notetaking process. It removes the fear that you missed something important, allowing you to concentrate on what's in front of you.

For a really high-tech but surprisingly simple solution, watch for my next post. I'm reviewing the LiveScribe Pulse.