It’s been a while since I took the time to write, so here it is with something I hope you will find useful. As I am working on a new project that involves a lot of reading I was thinking of how I take notes and decided to share a few of my well-worn tricks. So, if you haven’t found something that works for you, you may want to try this.
If you are familiar with my other Online Learning Web Sites, you will know that I am found of using Mind Maps most of the time. However, before I even take out my pens there are a few things that I do first.
I’ll use the acronym SCROL to help you remember what the steps are.
S is for Survey. Survey the text, or book WITHOUT your pen or notebook. This is a mental exercise, just like you would survey a map prior to going somewhere.
Look at the table of content. Look at the section and paragraph headings to get an idea of what will be covered in the chapter, the whole text. Look at side boxes and end-of-chapter activities to get additional information. Did the author use different typeface, like bold, italics or fancy fonts in the text? Are there side boxes, examples, activities used to highlight the text? Make a mental note of these.
C is for Connecting Ideas. How is the material laid out? What are the main themes? How is the different section of the text connecting, relating to each other? Write down key words, titles, section names, etc. These keywords will likely be on your mind map later. Pay attention to the typeface used like bold, italicized words. This is where a mind map excels. As you are connecting the key ideas in your mind, a mind map makes this easy to lay it down on paper real fast. When using mind maps, remember that you are not competing for recognition as an artist. All you are doing is drawing a map of how YOU see the ideas connected. It does not have to be a Rembrandt or a Picasso, not one other that you has to understand it. Mind maps are supposed to be fast and an expression of how you understand things.
Look at the layout, did the author(s) create chapters and sub-sections?If so, then this is likely a clue on how the material connects together. Are there examples in the text? If so, don’t write those in your notes. Examples are used to help you understand a concept or to explain a key point, once you understand it you will not need the example again. So, don’t copy it in your notes.
R is for Reading. Now that you have a pretty good idea of what it is that you are going to read, actually start your reading. Make note of words you do not understand and look them up at the break. Remember to read only a paragraph or a section at a time. Once you are done reading the section or paragraph, look at your key words or look up for the description of the words you did not understand. Again, pay attention to layout and typeface. If the author used an example, then maybe that example is to strengthen a key concept or to make a point.
Another tip for you is to remember that usually the main ideas of a paragraph are in the first and last sentence. So, if you read the first and last sentence and you “get it”, don’t bother with the text in the middle on your first reading. Did I say first reading? Yes, because I usually skim through the text the first time and then re-read what needs clarification after. This is why I suggest you read only a section at a time.
O is for Outline. How you prefer to take notes will help you will decide what to do next. If you like to write notes in an outline format, you will now start laying down your notes. Likely you will use the same structure as the original material, like section, sub-sections, etc. Remember that you do not want to rewrite the book. You only want to write down the key points to help you study and remember the material later. Typically, on a 200 pages book using the outline method I will end up with 15 – 20 pages in total, depending of the technicality of the content. Then I will reduce these notes to about 5 pages at the most for exam prep.
I normally write the Section and Paragraph headings, then extract the main idea of the section. I’ll write down 2 supporting details to strengthen my understanding. One key point I need to make here is that you are not trying to copy the book, but that your notes should be a paraphrase of the original text. You need to use your own words. This will reinforce the learning as you go. It will also build confidence that you do understand the material. One way to do this is to image that you are ‘teaching’ someone that same material. If you can paraphrase some lengthy text into a few lines of plain english, then you really understand the material.
Rinse and Repeat. Now, read the next section and Survey, Connect, Read and Outline the material until you have read the entire text.
L is for Look. Once you have read the entire text (book or binder), go back to your notes and compare with the original material. Once way to do this is to look at the table of content of the original text and look at your notes to see if you got it all covered.
At this point you should have a mind map and/or some notes that are going to be useful for review. You should not need to go back to the original material, except for writing a specific quote from the book. All that you need to know is in your notes.
Remember that publishers like to “pad” the original material with lots of text. Think about it, would you pay tens or even hundreds of dollars for a textbook if it had only 70 pages? Probably not. As an example, when I wrote the learning guide for an Online Insurance Course that I taught I ended up with less than 70 pages, including a table of content, a title page and a few blank pages for layout purpose. The original material was just over 400 pages and sold for $295. Would you buy a 70 pages study guide for $295? However, all you need to know for that course is in those 70 pages.
I hope this was helpful to you. Anyway, I’ll try to write my next article on how I use mind maps. I think that should be helpful to you too.
Don’t hesitate to drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you.
