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Reading & Note Taking

Reading & Note-Taking

Reading is one of the main ways of obtaining new information and knowledge, so there is certainly no shortage of reading that you will be required to do at College!  The good news is that there are a number of strategic ways to approach your readings so you don't become overwhelmed throughout the term.

Note-Taking is also a skill required of College students as a way to capture important information from your lectures, labs, field trips, etc.  Learning ways to take great notes will not only help you when it comes to test/exam time, it can also help you to become better acquainted with the material you are learning about.

image of open book

TOP TIPS

  1. Get active with your reading by reading with intent and purpose!  
  2. Ask yourself questions as you read to engage deeper in your material
  3. Be sure to read in preparation for your classes so you can build on the information you've read in your classes
  4. Explain what you've read to someone else to assess how much you've retained
  5. Keep your notes organized, dated and complete!
  6. Do not soley depend on powerpoint slides from your instructor - compliment these with your own notes
  7. Have fun with your notes and make them meaningful to you - use colour, pictures, mindmaps, etc. 

 

Common Challenges & Questions

There is a lot more to reading than simply sitting down and starting in. There are ways to be more active in your reading that can help you better retain the information and can actually take less time. Check out this tip sheet on Reading Retention: READING RETENTION.docx 
Learning to take notes that can make sense to you and be useful to you for studying, is a skill. There are many ways to take notes and you will have to find ways that work for you. A great method of note-taking is the Cornell method. You can read about it here: THE CORNELL METHOD.docx.  To begin using this method for your classes, here is a template to get you started!  CORNELL TEMPLATE.docx .
Making visuals and connections can also be really helpful and some students use mind-mapping as one of their main note-taking techniques. Read this handout to learn more about the Mind-mapping strategy: MINDMAP.docx.
Check out The Learning Portal's awesome resources on Reading & Note-taking
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