By The Keystone Newspaper The center recently gave a seminar on reading and note-taking skills
By Amelia Lewin
Many aids are available for those struggling in classes or for students who want to be more effective in their work.
Among these are tutoring sessions, both group and individual, course assistance and workshops.
Jessica Smith of the Center for Student Success & Academic Excellence recently gave a seminar on tips for efficient reading and note taking. The workshop was entitled ‘The Write Stuff.’
During the 35 minute workshop, Smith, a graduate assistant for first-year experiences in student success, detailed various strategies and tips in being an active reader and organized note-taker.
Regarding being an active reader, Smith defined the acronym SQ4R and encouraged students to use the reading system, which is utilized at KU and other campuses across the country.
The S stands for Surveying, which means to look at a chapter and search for how the chapter is broken up, subtitles used, note any questions that come up, highlight definitions and skim the review section. This can be done not only with a textbook, but also with class powerpoint presentations if they are available. This preparation before class can lead to a better understanding of the material.
The Q stands for Questioning. More engagement with the text occurs as independent thinking and questioning are prevalent.
Some helpful questions Smith pointed out as examples were, “What’s the main point? What evidence supports the main idea? What are the examples that the text is using? How is this related to the book, the rest of the chapter, or me?”
Once these questions are formed, it helps to annotate them into the text. Recording those questions will make it easier to go back and answer them once the entire text is understood.
This transitions to the first R, to Read. Specifically, it represents being an active reader, which is not just skimming through the text, but understanding and evaluating it. Smith said that by not being an active reader “you’re wasting your own time” in the long run.
The second R stands for Recite. In 2017, the University of Waterloo conducted a study that found that reciting information out loud leads to better memory retention. This was determined as the best method out of three other study strategies, which included writing information, silent reading, and hearing someone else read.
The third R is Record. By highlighting, annotating, and writing notes, a student’s thought process is able to be more organized and easier to look back on in the future.
The last R stands for Review. This is the only area where it may be appropriate to skim, but must still be done diligently. Looking over the content and making your own brief notes on the main ideas can help better prepare for a test.
Overall, regarding reading, Smith said that only two questions really need to be asked, “Are you understanding what you’re reading? And how can you improve in that area if you’re not understanding?”
Note-taking was the second concept covered during the seminar.
Smith prefaced this portion by acknowledging that notes can be tedious, but that they are useful in the long run as they force students to listen carefully, pay attention in class, and they are extremely useful in tests and understanding.
The most important part, however, is that the notes make sense for an individual. There is no right way to take notes, and they are made based off of what the student is most comfortable with. It is also important to consider what note format makes most sense for the class.
There are two ways to take notes, digital or physical. Once a student decides which way they prefer, they can choose from outline, Cornell, and web note-taking formats.
Outline is the most common format, with bullet points of main ideas, summaries, support, and other important features in a lecture.
Cornell is a format with three sections, the main note-taking area, the cue column and the summary.
Lastly, webs are most convenient for those who work best with visual representation. A web starts with the main idea of the lecture and then sub-headings and ideas branch from this main idea.
It is also important to stay organized. Writing the date and subject matter at the top of notes can make it easy to go back and review. Color coordination or other methods would also make for easy access in the case of an open-book test.
These methods for being an active reader and organized note-taker result in an effective student who not only can get good grades but has the ability to understand the material.
Students who wish to visit the Center for Student Success & Academic Excellence can visit during their hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Rohrbach Library. Appointments can be scheduled in Starfish.