Making effective notes by Laura Barber

How to summarise - University of Sheffield

ldbarber1 — 2024-03-26 07:06:28 UTC

This handout from the University of Sheffield provides detailed guidance on how to effectively paraphrase and summarise.

Use the document to help create a short summary of the paragraph you were provided.

(Group 1: First Name A-H)_______Chen, P.-H. (2021) “In-class and after-class lecture note-taking strategies,” Active learning in higher education, 22(3), pp. 245–260.

ldbarber1 — 2024-03-26 07:49:51 UTC

Lecture note-taking cannot be conceived as passively copying what is heard in lectures. It involves an active learning process that strongly depends on students’ working memory to manage information comprehension, selection and production concurrently with the final written product (notes), similar to the original composition (Chen et al., 2017). Multiple learning strategies are adopted in the process of lecture note-taking. Learning strategies are mental operations or techniques that are employed to solve problems or to enhance performance (Alexander, 2006; Alexander et al., 1998). According to the information processing theory of memory, during learning, students must engage in the process of information processing, which comprises selection, construction, integration and acquisition. There are five strategies that would affect students’ information processing, including (1) rehearsal strategies, which focus on repeating of information; (2) elaboration strategies, which focus on establishing external connections between learning materials and one’s prior knowledge; (3) organisation strategies, which involve the establishment of internal connections within the parts of the learning materials; (4) metacognitive strategies (or comprehension-monitoring strategies), which monitors the process of information processing to achieve learning goals, including planning and monitoring cognitive activities, and checking results; and (5) affective/motivational strategies, which supports the process of information processing, such as attention focusing, directing anxiety, time management and reducing stress (Braun et al., 2012; Mayer, 1988, 2008).

(Group 2: First Name I-P)__________Hagen, Å. M., Braasch, J. L. G., & Bråten, I. (2014). Relationships between spontaneous note-taking, self-reported strategies and comprehension when reading multiple texts in different task conditions. Journal of Research in Reading, 37(S1), S141–S157.

ldbarber1 — 2024-03-26 08:00:07 UTC

Research on note-taking during single-text reading indicates that verbatim copying does not facilitate comprehension in the same way as note-taking that encourages meaningful, transformative processing of the material (e.g., concept maps, outlines, summary notes), which tends to improve learning (Kiewra, Dubois, Christensen, Kim & Lindberg, 1989; Robinson & Schraw, 1994; Slotte & Lonka, 1999). For example, Slotte and Lonka (1999) showed that the quality of students’ notes was related to learning outcome when reading a single text about a philosophical topic. Compared to those taking verbatim notes or notes following the order of the text, participants who took summarising notes involving the transformation of textual content performed better on a comprehension task. Likewise, Kiewra et al. (1989) demonstrated that taking structured notes promoted readers’ integration of information within a single text. However, very few research endeavours have investigated the quality of notes taken in the context of multiple-text reading. Britt and Sommer (2004) had undergraduates read two texts about a historical account, with half of them writing a summary after reading each text, and the other half not taking any notes. Because summarisers performed better on a postreading task measuring integrated understanding of the historical account, that study suggests that summary notes can promote multiple-text comprehension through its impact on intratextual comprehension. Similarly, Kobayashi (2009a) found that notes taken during the reading of two controversial texts positively affected students’ performance on an intertextual-relations task. In a second study, Kobayashi (2009b) demonstrated that undergraduates’ use of external strategies (e.g., highlighting, underlining, note-taking) positively affected comprehension of intertextual relations.

(Group 3: First Name Q-Z)_________Hebert, M., Simpson, A., & Graham, S. (2013). Comparing effects of different writing activities on reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. Reading & Writing, 26(1), 111–138.

ldbarber1 — 2024-03-26 08:16:15 UTC

Theories for how writing inuences learning also apply more specically to the inuence of writing on reading comprehension. In a recent review, Graham and Hebert (2010, 2011) provided empirical evidence to support the claim that writing about text read improves comprehension. In their review, Graham and Hebert used meta-analysis to examine the effects of writing on reading by including studies that compared treatment conditions in which students wrote about text read using various writing activities (e.g., summary writing, answering or generating written questions, note-taking, and extended writing activities) to no-writing control conditions in which students mostly read the same text and participated in non-writing activities such as rereading or oral discussion of text. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, they conclude that writing about text was effective in improving reading comprehension as measured by both norm-referenced (ES = 0.40) and researcher created (ES = 0.51) assessments. Studies included in the analyses employed a variety of standardized and researcher-created measures to assess comprehension of text, including writing extended responses to essay questions, answering multiple choice or short answer questions, retelling what was read orally or in writing, summarizing what was read, and identifying words systematically omitted from text (cloze procedure), among others.

Hebert, M., Simpson, A., & Graham, S. (2013). Comparing effects of different writing activities on reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. Reading & Writing, 26(1), 111–138.

Chen, P.-H. (2021) - Laura

ldbarber1 — 2024-03-27 12:09:46 UTC

Effective note-taking during lectures is an active learning process, not just passive copying, involving comprehension, selection, and note production based on working memory. Chen (2021) suggests it employs multiple learning strategies including rehearsal strategies: elaboration strategies; organisation strategies; metacognitive strategies; pus monitoring and planning cognitive activities to achieve learning goals.

Group 1 - Aicha

2024-03-27 12:11:24 UTC

Note taking during lectures should not be perceived as copying. This process requires students to actively engage with the material, organize their thoughts, and synthesize new information in order to create a unique and meaningful record of their understanding. (Chen et al., 2017). Taking notes is not merely a one step activity, but involves multiple learning strategies. By actively participating in the note-taking process, students are able to improve their retention of the material as well as comprehension, develop critical thinking and writing skills. (Alexander, 2006; Alexander et al., 1998).This process requires students to actively engage with the material, organize their thoughts, and synthesize new information in order to create a unique and meaningful record of their understanding. The way students process information involves five strategies. (1) trial and practice focusing on information being repeated;

Group 3: Vanya

2024-03-27 12:11:36 UTC

This was about how writing techniques influence reading comprehension. According to Graham and Hebert, they wanted to support the idea that writing about text improves comprehension. They have done a study where students are put in two groups 1) students administered writing activities such as summary and note-taking 2) non-writing activities such as rereading and oral discussion. They found that writing about the text was more effective in improving reading comprehension.

Group 2: Israa

2024-03-27 12:15:58 UTC

Single-text reading:

· Research has found that notetaking by verbatim copying is not more effective than concept maps, outlines and summary notes when it comes to learning.

· Students who took summarizing notes perform better on comprehension tasks and had better integration of information than those who take ordered, verbatum notes.

Multiple-text reading:

· Few research studies have compared quality of note taking with multi-text reading.

· When it comes to summarizing notes versus not taking notes after reading multiple-texts, summarizers performed better on post-reading and displayed better understanding.

· It was found that taking notes during reading positively affected performance on intertextual-relations tasks.

· Highlighting, underlining and note-taking positively affect comprehension of intertextual relations.