1. How to make notes from your reading and lectures

2. Workshop plan Reading Making notes
Selection of material - While reading
- Active reading - While listening

3. Learning objectives
By the end of the session you will feel more confident…
selecting relevant material
making useful notes that work effectively while reading or listening
that you are developing transferable skills to use in your future employment

4. Selecting what to read Making the most of your time 4 Rs
- Plan your reading
Making the most of your time
4 Rs
Activity 1: Selection
4 Rs: Recommended (or Reading list), Reliable, Recent, Relevant – discuss…
Principle doesn’t change for postgrads selecting their own reading / creating reading list that they’ve compiled themselves
ACTIVITY 1: Selection task in S4S (on handout)

5. Active reading Activity 2: Skimming & Scanning Topic sentences
Key words
“gist”
Reading for information
Critical reading
Critical reading: Critical reading is focusing your attention much more closely on certain parts of a written text, holding other information in mind. It involves slower reading so you can analyse, reflect, evaluate and make judgements (Godfrey, 2009) –

6. Making notes while reading
Don’t…
Write in full sentences
Copy from the text
(just) highlight photocopies and class handouts
Do…
Be brief and organised
Use your own words
Use shortcuts
Make connections
Use ; underlining
Record them if you prefer
Think critically
COLOUR
Examples include: mind maps, linear notes, SQ3R

7. Notes It has been discovered that the human brain
with the help of its eyes takes in information
far more easily when the information
is conveniently grouped in meaningful bundles
Once you have selected info to “note” you could consider how to put your notes together
Buzan, T. (2011) Buzan's study skills: mind maps, memory techniques, speed reading. Harlow: BBC Active

8. explore S4S if want to know more

9. Linear note

10. Survey Question Read Recall Review SQ3R method
DO THE MATCHING EXERCISE!
Survey - Look at the title, headings and sub-headings/ Study the graphs and diagrams for key features/ Read the first and last paragraph of a chapter/ Read the topic sentences of the other paragraphs. N.B. The topic sentence summarises the whole paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first sentence.
Question - Think what you already know about the topic and what you expect the author to tell you/ What information are you looking for? Which section of your plan are you trying to fill?  
Read - Read quickly for gist and answer your questions above/ Which bits of the text are worth reading in detail? Read those again slowly and really try to understand the main points: look for key statements and signposts e.g. however/ in conclusion/ additionally. Which detail does the author use to support the main statements?
Recall- Put the original down and imagine you are explaining what you have read to a friend. Make notes, in your own words, without looking at the original i.e. paraphrase. When you have finished, briefly look back at the original and check the accuracy of your notes. E.g. Have you changed a date/a statistic? Have you noted something as a fact when it was expressed as a possibility in the original? Now, what do you think about what this author has written. Make a note also of your critical thoughts!
NB. Read and Recall should take no longer than 15 minutes!
Review- Finally, take a short break, 2-5 minutes. On return, try to recall the main points of the previous section and then go on to read the next.
Adapted from Rowntree, 1988 in: Table 8.3 Reading for remembering: the SQ3R method. McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2011) How to write dissertations and project reports. Gosport: Pearson Education Ltd

11. Your notes could include:
Reference
Main point
Supporting detail
Critical thoughts
Activity 3: SQ3R practice
ACTIVITY 3: SQ3R practice
Mention that exercise forces you to take notes in a linear way, but if this doesn’t suit your preferred note taking style, please use a mind map or other method that works better for you.

12. Making notes in lectures
Before
During
After
It’s important that you don’t just turn up, take notes and never look at them again… until you come to revise, or write an essay and have no idea what they mean….
Prepare – print slides if poss, background reading on subject, formulate own ideas or questions, make connections with previous knowledge
Listen – abbreviations, (do the students recognise all these?) numbered or headed sections, active listening (ie. questioning), space for adding further thoughts later on
Review– Review, add missing material, make connections, organise (label, cross-reference etc)

13. Before Download from Blackboard Read, question, make connections
Print/download slides if possible
background reading on subject
formulate own ideas or questions
make connections with previous knowledge

14. Making notes in lectures
Before
During
After
Making notes in lectures
Activity 4 : have a go from this lecture clip
The Open University (2009) The Gate Theory. Available from: [Accessed 19 September 2016].
Listen
Which style works best? Active listening/ Leave space/ Headings, numbers, symbols, abbreviations
Activity 4: Practicing taking notes from a lecture clip

15. Example: notes (unedited)

16. Activity 5 : edit the notes you made
Making notes in lectures
Before
During
After
Activity 5 : edit the notes you made
Review– Review, add missing material, make connections, organise (label, cross-reference etc)
Review
Edit
Use colour, underlining, highlight
Make connections
Use the space
Activity 5: Improve your notes by editing / colour etc.
Imagine that you’ve got home after university in the evening and you are reviewing the notes that you took in the lecture that day.
Read back over them. How can you improve them and add value? Are there any things you need to explore further? Are you missing any information that you need to go and find out e.g. references? Can you make any connections to things you already know? Add any critical thoughts you might have.

17. Example: notes (edited)
Gate Control Theory
= Pain management strategies
Descartes 1764 – simplistic, biological, linear *FIND REFERENCE
Malzack & Wall 1965– Gate Control Theory *SEE LECTURE 2 NOTES
Patients’ belief and perceptions affect pain experience
The more they think about it – the worse it will be
Pain transmissions can be blocked
Nococeptive signals * blocked before they reach brain with trycyclics * OR attitude to pain/illness
Model for helping patients to develop strategies * to deal with pain*LOOK UP
And deal with associated issues – stress, anxiety, mood and social aspects
Critical thought: where is the evidence for success?

18. Skills for the workplace
At university:
How to make notes from your reading and lectures
In the workplace:
Reading effectively to understand a report
Taking useful notes at meetings

19. Other workshops How to plan your writing
How to reference and avoid plagiarism
How to put your reading into your writing
How to get started with critical writing
How to improve your critical writing
How to search effectively : database searching and RefWorks

20. Academic skills workshops
Further help
Library online workbooks
Ask a Librarian
Academic skills workshops
Study skills webpages
Other workshops – they all fit together
Ask a Librarian – link
UWE Study skills webpages -
Skills4study – independent online learning resource
Books ( ) and e.books