Adopting a Note- Taking Mind Set. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved....

Adopting a Note-Taking Mind Set

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 9–2

Don’t just start taking notes. Get ready to take notes by

• Preparing to read

• Preparing to listen


How to be in the rightreading mind set

• Get to know your textbook

• Look over the specific assignment


Getting acquainted with your textbook and its authors

• Buy or acquire the book as early as possible

• Look over the book from cover to cover, stopping to look over – The preface

– The introduction

– The table of contents

– Headings and subheadings

– Illustrations

– The index


Why you shouldn’t skip the preface

• The preface is the key to understanding the author and the book. It provides a sense of

– The author’s personality

– The book’s objective

– The organizational plan of the book

– What makes the book different

– The author’s qualifications

– Any available supplemental materials for the book


The introduction is notthe same as the preface

• The preface provides insight into the author’s personality

• The introduction is a showcase, a preview of the book itself, often serving as a selling point for potential buyers or readers


Surveying the rest of the book

• Scan the table of contents

• Look through the material at the back of the book

– Appendices

– Glossaries

– Bibliographies


Why you should surveyeach assignment

• Surveying creates a background

• Surveying limbers the mind

• Surveying overcomes inertia


Steps in surveying anindividual assignment

• Think about the title

• Read the introduction and summary

• Look over headings and subheadings

• Note any information set apart from the text

• Glance at the visuals


Gear up for a lecture by

• Polishing your listening skills

• Providing context for the upcoming class


Triple-A Listening is the firststep in note-taking

• Attitude: You have to want to listen

• Attention: Paying attention leads to concentration

• Adjustment: Lectures aren’t always predictable. You need to roll with the punches.


Maintain a Positive Attitude

• Find areas of interest: Find a link that turns a “boring” lecture into something that interests you

• Judge content, not delivery: Instructors aren’t talk show hosts; they’re learned scholars

• Hold your fire: Don’t let the temptation to argue with the lecturer prevent you from really listening


Strive to Pay Attention

• Listen for ideas: Don’t become an automatic fact-storing machine. Ideas give facts context and meaning.

• Work at listening: Make an effort to remain engaged. You can’t listen passively.


Strive to Pay Attention (cont’d)

• Resist distractions: Discourage distractions by sitting up close and by focusing on the speaker – and your notes.

• Use your “thought speed”: Devote any extra thinking time to mulling over the lecture’s ideas instead of daydreaming.


Cultivate a Capacity for Adjustment

• Be flexible note-taker: Avoid using a note-taking structure that is too rigid

• Exercise your mind: Occasionally sit in on lectures on subjects you aren’t familiar with.

• Keep your mind open: Don’t let “red flag” works or topics cause you to shut down


Setting the table for the next lecture

• Look over the syllabus: You’ll get a big picture sense of where the lecture and the course is going.

• Review your notes from the previous lecture: The latest lecture often rests on the ideas of the previous one.

• Do the assigned reading: Readings can often provide advance organizers that make the lectures more meaningful and memorable

Adopting a Note- Taking Mind Set. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved....

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