Backstory:
I entered college believing that PowerPoints substituted note taking. I thought I could write down exactly what was
on the slide, or print out the PowerPoint from the teacher’s website, and ace
the test or paper. If the professor
handed out the PowerPoint slides with the note sheet attached, I refused to
take any notes.
Then my Psychology professor handed back a test with a 68 on it. I thought, “What the hell? I studied exactly what was on the PowerPoint
slides. I should have aced this
test!” I stormed into my professor’s
office, ready to yell, determined to make the little old lady change my grade. I saw a girl from my class crying with a test
in her hand. My professor was explaining
to her that she failed because she did
not take notes in addition to the PowerPoint.
My professor said more
than what was on the slides. We both
missed the main point of her lecture and suffered as a result.
How to prevent this from happening to
you:
·
Ask
your teacher if he or she loads his or her PowerPoints onto a website. Most teachers do. Print off the PowerPoint before or after
class. Take notes on only what your teacher says in class. You can combine your notes with the PowerPoint notes later on.
·
If
your teacher does not put PowerPoints onto his or her website, ask if he or she
will email you the PowerPoint. If not, record
the lesson. You can do this on your computer, your smartphone or with a
tape recorder. Take notes on the
PowerPoint in class. After class, take
notes on the lecture you recorded and combine
these notes with your PowerPoint later on.
·
If
your teacher hands you a copy of the PowerPoint with the notes on the side,
write what your teacher says in class in the blank note space.
Taking Notes without
Handouts/PowerPoints
How do you take notes without a PowerPoint? You must listen
carefully and only write down
important information. Ask your teacher if he or she will allow
you to take notes on your laptop. This
method will allow you to catch almost everything your teacher says in
class. Your teacher might refuse
because of school policy or fear that you will be on Facebook the whole
time. Either way, you will have to pay
close attention to what your teacher says.
Let’s say you are learning about the author Ernest Hemingway
in class. The topic: Ernest
Hemingway and race. Your teacher is arguing that Hemingway was not a racist. He uses the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls as
an example.
·
Step
1: Write
(or type) the date on the upper right hand corner of your paper (or Word
Document). This tactic will help you
find your notes when you’re drafting a paper or studying for a test.
·
Step
2: Write
the topic in top center of your paper like this:
Hemingway and Racism
Your teacher begins the lecture. Listen
for the key words she says. “Robert
Jordan, the Spanish language professor in For Whom the Bell Tolls represents the most racially tolerant
character in Hemingway’s novels. In chapter ten, Robert describes a troubling
event in his childhood to Pilar and Maria.”
·
Step
3: Focus in on the main ideas. If your teacher starts the sentence with “Robert
Jordan,” you know the main idea of
her topic will be about Robert Jordan.
Make a bullet point on the
left hand side of your paper. Start your
sentence with “Robert Jordan.” Now
listen for the verb in the
sentence. A verb tells you what action Robert Jordan takes. There are
two verbs. They connect the main ideas to new ideas. Write down the new ideas after the verb(s).
·
You
can write, “Robert Jordan represents the
most racially tolerant character in
Hemingway’s novels and describes a
troubling event in his childhood to
Pilar and Maria.” If you want your
teacher to slow down, raise your hand
and ask him or her to repeat what he or she said.
Suddenly, your teacher introduces a quote. “Robert Jordan
tells the women, ‘As I said, when they lifted the Negro up for the second time,
my mother pulled me away from the
window, so I saw no more’ ”
·
Step
4: Most teachers will tell you what page
that quote is on or read the quote to you slowly. If she your teacher doesn’t, raise your hand and ask your teacher to
repeat the quote or tell you what page the quote falls on. Make a
bullet point and mark down the page number of the quote in your notes.
·
Step
5: Your teacher asks you about the significance of the quote. Look at it again. Notice the last part of the sentence. Robert Jordan’s mother pulled him away from
the window. This suggests that Robert
was upset by what he saw or was too young to understand. Read
quotes carefully. Ask why an author or
character says the things they say.
·
This
method applies for any subject, even Science.
“Evolution is the process by which organisms change over time.” In this sentence you have two subjects, two
verbs and two connecting subjects. You
can make the following bullet points:
Evolution is a process The process happens when species change over time
·
Step
6: Repeat
steps 2-5. When your teacher
introduces a new topic, write down
the topic in the center of your paper.
Next, make a bullet point and
write down the main ideas, the verbs that tell you what the main idea(s)
are doing and the ideas that are connected to the verb. Finally,
ask your teachers to slow down when they are reading quotes or ask them what page the quote falls on.
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