How to take Cornell Notes
The Cornell note-taking system was devised in the 1950s by Walter Pauk, a professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. The system was designed to help students maximize how they take notes. It simplifies the acquisition and retention of information by having students break down their note pages into three distinct areas, which facilitate recall and summarize major concepts, theories and practices for a given course.
Instructions
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Use standard 8.5-by-11-inch note paper. Measure 2.5 inches from the left side of the page. Draw a vertical line down the page to about 2 inches from the bottom. This is your "Cue Column."
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Draw a horizontal line at the 2-inch mark from the bottom of the page all the way to the end of the right side of the page. This space is known as your "Summary" area. The remaining area, which is 6 inches wide and 9 inches in depth, is known as the "Note-Taking Area."
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Take class and lecture notes in the "Note-Taking Area." Keep your sentences short, using your own system of shorthand so that you can more accurately record the information. Write down all material that is presented in a visual aid or scrawled on a blackboard. Focus your notes on major topics and subtopics and avoid writing every word your instructor says.
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Review your notes after class and devise questions from the information you have written. These questions are intended to help you understand the material and can also be used as practice questions for future exams. Write these questions in the "Cue Column" of your notes, which acts as a trigger to help you understand a concept or theory.
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Summarize the notes by writing a few sentences in the "Summary" area at the bottom of each page of notes. Summaries should be concise and limited to two or three sentences. They encapsulate the material on each page of notes for quick reference. Do not use your instructor's "voice," but rather employ your own knowledge of the material in the summary.
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Test your recall by reviewing the cue section of your notes and answering the questions you have written. Do not look at the note-taking section when conducting your review.
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Review your notes for a few minutes each week to keep your recall of information fresh, especially since you will be adding note pages for every lecture.
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Tips & Warnings
Use Microsoft Word to create your own Cornell Notes templates.
References
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Comments
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Doing my paper and learning cornell notes this sucks...
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Cool! I had just learned that!
