{"id":1833,"date":"2016-09-19T17:55:23","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T17:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1833"},"modified":"2016-09-28T16:03:48","modified_gmt":"2016-09-28T16:03:48","slug":"note-taking","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/chapter\/note-taking\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Getting the Most From Your Math Notes","rendered":"Text: Getting the Most From Your Math Notes"},"content":{"raw":"In gradeschool, you may have had a teacher who praised students for having\u00a0neat, tidy papers. Learning can be messy, and if we restrict ourselves to neat, tidy papers, that is all we will have. Sometimes we need to try a homework problem over and over before we understand how to find a solution. In our hectic lives, it is important for us to allow ourselves time to reflect on the messy parts so we can tidy them up in our minds.\r\n<h2>Preparation<\/h2>\r\nPrepare for your classes as you would practice for an upcoming athletic event. Know the topics you are going to cover, and make a goal of being current with your assignments. Learning is not passive, so if you want to learn from your class time, you must prepare yourself to learn.\r\n\r\nConsider these two scenarios:\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<h3>Scenario 1<\/h3>\r\nGreta is busy. \u00a0She has a job and works at night after spending hours at school every day. \u00a0The last thing she wants to do is prepare for class when she gets home from work at night. Despite her exhaustion, she takes 15-20 minutes before bed to check the syllabus from her math class to see what topic will be covered in lecture the next day. \u00a0She then finds the text material related to the lecture topic and quickly skims it, reading over the headings.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<h3>Scenario 2<\/h3>\r\nGreta\u00a0is busy.\u00a0She has a job and works at night after spending hours at school every day. \u00a0The last thing she wants to do is prepare for class when she gets home from work at night. She decides to watch an episode of her favorite TV show before she goes to sleep at night.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nHow much value\u00a0do you think Greta\u00a0is gaining from her math lectures in each of these scenarios? Do you think 15\u201320 minutes really makes a difference? \u00a0If you haven't before, try spending 15\u201320 minutes skimming the material related to your lecture before you go\u2014even if you just read the headings in your text. Maybe you take public transportation to campus. If so, you could skim your text or lecture notes on the bus. If you drive, maybe you can get to campus a few minutes early to do the same thing.\r\n\r\nPreparing for class doesn't necessarily mean having read all the material related to that day's lecture. Some people gain more from reading after lecture. In general, most people do retain more from lectures if they focus their mind on the topic of the class before entering the class. Ask yourself these questions before your lecture: what did we talk about last time? What are we going to talk about this time? Am I current with my assignments?\r\n\r\nMath concepts build on each other. Because of this, keeping up with homework and assignments will help you be prepared for the next session. If you are behind, you will lose a valuable opportunity to make important connections between last week's content and this week's.\r\n<h2>Taking Notes<\/h2>\r\nIt is impossible to write down everything your teacher says during a lecture. \u00a0As you become a more skilled learner, you will learn how to glean what is important from a lecture. Here are some things that can help you organize your notes and your understanding of the content in them.\r\n\r\nConsider these things before you start writing:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Where are you going to keep your notes? 3 ring binder, folder, spiral notebook? Taking notes with a computer in your math class may prove difficult when you need to draw a graph or geometric object.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How are you going to organize your notes on the page?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What purpose do your notes serve?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How do you plan to use your notes?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Organizing Your Math Notes<\/h3>\r\n<h4>Before and During Class<\/h4>\r\nAs with any kind of class, you may need some time to figure out how to best organize the information you want to record. There are many popular styles of note-taking and if you have one you prefer, there is no reason to change. \u00a0If you want to explore more ideas that have worked well for other students in math courses, consider these:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Split your page into two columns, one for descriptions\/ definitions and one for examples<\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cornell_Notes\" target=\"_blank\">Cornell notes<\/a>\u2014good old \"C Notes\"\u2014can be helpful, but require some deeper thinking than you may\u00a0be able to do on the fly during a lecture.\u00a0Consider\u00a0saving C notes for\u00a0use while reading your textbook, instead.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If you don't understand something, write it down anyway and mark clearly that you have a question about it. If you don't have time in class to ask about it, get help with it later. Writing down what you don't understand may be the most important part of taking notes!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26141736\/2296389926_a1a573e4d4_z.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2212\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26141736\/2296389926_a1a573e4d4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up photo of a girl's hand writing math problems on notebook paper\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a>Homework Journal<\/h2>\r\nThere's a good chance you are going to be assigned online homework in at least one of your math or science classes while you are in college. Often, students fall into the habit of working through online homework without keeping track of their work. \u00a0If there's one thing you take from this page, it should be\u00a0this: <strong>Keep an online homework journal<\/strong>!\r\n\r\nHere are some important things to\u00a0include in your homework journal:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The title of the homework set\u2014even if it is just the number, such as 2.3.\u00a0This will help you use your work as a reference for study.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Write down each problem you do\u2014if there are easy ones, just write the answers to them if you don't think you will forget the steps.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If you make a mistake\u2014just circle it and note that it was wrong. If it takes a ton of tries, that's okay\u2014it's your homework journal, and you're not turning it in for a grade.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAllowing yourself to make mistakes in your homework journal gives you freedom to learn and not be worrying about a perfect paper.\r\n<h2>Summarizing\/ Reviewing<\/h2>\r\nSummarizing and reviewing what you have done will help to solidify the ideas that are now swirling around in your head. You go to lecture, take a bunch of notes, do a ton of homework problems, and then what? \u00a0Your brain needs time to make connections between practice, what you have in your notes, and what you may have read in the text.\r\n<h3>After Class\u00a0\/\u00a0Homework<\/h3>\r\nWhat's the point of taking notes or doing homework if you never look at them again?\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The sooner you can get your questions answered the better you will understand the answers. Remember those questions you circled in your lecture notes? Make sure you resolve them as quickly as you can.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Compare your class notes to the assigned reading\u2014maybe you can reorganize your thoughts, or answer one of your own questions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>As you do your homework, keep your notes open.\u00a0Ask yourself, \"is this question like an example from class?\"<\/li>\r\n \t<li>After you do your homework, try to place the practice problems into the corresponding readings\u00a0in your text\u2014what are the key terms or definitions related to those problems?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<p>In gradeschool, you may have had a teacher who praised students for having\u00a0neat, tidy papers. Learning can be messy, and if we restrict ourselves to neat, tidy papers, that is all we will have. Sometimes we need to try a homework problem over and over before we understand how to find a solution. In our hectic lives, it is important for us to allow ourselves time to reflect on the messy parts so we can tidy them up in our minds.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparation<\/h2>\n<p>Prepare for your classes as you would practice for an upcoming athletic event. Know the topics you are going to cover, and make a goal of being current with your assignments. Learning is not passive, so if you want to learn from your class time, you must prepare yourself to learn.<\/p>\n<p>Consider these two scenarios:<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<h3>Scenario 1<\/h3>\n<p>Greta is busy. \u00a0She has a job and works at night after spending hours at school every day. \u00a0The last thing she wants to do is prepare for class when she gets home from work at night. Despite her exhaustion, she takes 15-20 minutes before bed to check the syllabus from her math class to see what topic will be covered in lecture the next day. \u00a0She then finds the text material related to the lecture topic and quickly skims it, reading over the headings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<h3>Scenario 2<\/h3>\n<p>Greta\u00a0is busy.\u00a0She has a job and works at night after spending hours at school every day. \u00a0The last thing she wants to do is prepare for class when she gets home from work at night. She decides to watch an episode of her favorite TV show before she goes to sleep at night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>How much value\u00a0do you think Greta\u00a0is gaining from her math lectures in each of these scenarios? Do you think 15\u201320 minutes really makes a difference? \u00a0If you haven&#8217;t before, try spending 15\u201320 minutes skimming the material related to your lecture before you go\u2014even if you just read the headings in your text. Maybe you take public transportation to campus. If so, you could skim your text or lecture notes on the bus. If you drive, maybe you can get to campus a few minutes early to do the same thing.<\/p>\n<p>Preparing for class doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean having read all the material related to that day&#8217;s lecture. Some people gain more from reading after lecture. In general, most people do retain more from lectures if they focus their mind on the topic of the class before entering the class. Ask yourself these questions before your lecture: what did we talk about last time? What are we going to talk about this time? Am I current with my assignments?<\/p>\n<p>Math concepts build on each other. Because of this, keeping up with homework and assignments will help you be prepared for the next session. If you are behind, you will lose a valuable opportunity to make important connections between last week&#8217;s content and this week&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<h2>Taking Notes<\/h2>\n<p>It is impossible to write down everything your teacher says during a lecture. \u00a0As you become a more skilled learner, you will learn how to glean what is important from a lecture. Here are some things that can help you organize your notes and your understanding of the content in them.<\/p>\n<p>Consider these things before you start writing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Where are you going to keep your notes? 3 ring binder, folder, spiral notebook? Taking notes with a computer in your math class may prove difficult when you need to draw a graph or geometric object.<\/li>\n<li>How are you going to organize your notes on the page?<\/li>\n<li>What purpose do your notes serve?<\/li>\n<li>How do you plan to use your notes?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Organizing Your Math Notes<\/h3>\n<h4>Before and During Class<\/h4>\n<p>As with any kind of class, you may need some time to figure out how to best organize the information you want to record. There are many popular styles of note-taking and if you have one you prefer, there is no reason to change. \u00a0If you want to explore more ideas that have worked well for other students in math courses, consider these:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Split your page into two columns, one for descriptions\/ definitions and one for examples<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cornell_Notes\" target=\"_blank\">Cornell notes<\/a>\u2014good old &#8220;C Notes&#8221;\u2014can be helpful, but require some deeper thinking than you may\u00a0be able to do on the fly during a lecture.\u00a0Consider\u00a0saving C notes for\u00a0use while reading your textbook, instead.<\/li>\n<li>If you don&#8217;t understand something, write it down anyway and mark clearly that you have a question about it. If you don&#8217;t have time in class to ask about it, get help with it later. Writing down what you don&#8217;t understand may be the most important part of taking notes!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26141736\/2296389926_a1a573e4d4_z.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2212\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26141736\/2296389926_a1a573e4d4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up photo of a girl's hand writing math problems on notebook paper\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a>Homework Journal<\/h2>\n<p>There&#8217;s a good chance you are going to be assigned online homework in at least one of your math or science classes while you are in college. Often, students fall into the habit of working through online homework without keeping track of their work. \u00a0If there&#8217;s one thing you take from this page, it should be\u00a0this: <strong>Keep an online homework journal<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>Here are some important things to\u00a0include in your homework journal:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The title of the homework set\u2014even if it is just the number, such as 2.3.\u00a0This will help you use your work as a reference for study.<\/li>\n<li>Write down each problem you do\u2014if there are easy ones, just write the answers to them if you don&#8217;t think you will forget the steps.<\/li>\n<li>If you make a mistake\u2014just circle it and note that it was wrong. If it takes a ton of tries, that&#8217;s okay\u2014it&#8217;s your homework journal, and you&#8217;re not turning it in for a grade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Allowing yourself to make mistakes in your homework journal gives you freedom to learn and not be worrying about a perfect paper.<\/p>\n<h2>Summarizing\/ Reviewing<\/h2>\n<p>Summarizing and reviewing what you have done will help to solidify the ideas that are now swirling around in your head. You go to lecture, take a bunch of notes, do a ton of homework problems, and then what? \u00a0Your brain needs time to make connections between practice, what you have in your notes, and what you may have read in the text.<\/p>\n<h3>After Class\u00a0\/\u00a0Homework<\/h3>\n<p>What&#8217;s the point of taking notes or doing homework if you never look at them again?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The sooner you can get your questions answered the better you will understand the answers. Remember those questions you circled in your lecture notes? Make sure you resolve them as quickly as you can.<\/li>\n<li>Compare your class notes to the assigned reading\u2014maybe you can reorganize your thoughts, or answer one of your own questions.<\/li>\n<li>As you do your homework, keep your notes open.\u00a0Ask yourself, &#8220;is this question like an example from class?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>After you do your homework, try to place the practice problems into the corresponding readings\u00a0in your text\u2014what are the key terms or definitions related to those problems?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1833\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of writing math problems. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: awkward_lastwords. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4uVAHL\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4uVAHL<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives <\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":21,"menu_order":21,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of writing math problems\",\"author\":\"awkward_lastwords\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4uVAHL\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-nd\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"cd4153b7-424e-4214-ba06-890e982ff4d5, f8d0378f-3bac-4aa0-a234-51b75b65ae71","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1833","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":133,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2312,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1833\/revisions\/2312"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/133"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1833\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1833"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1833"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/isucceed-wm-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}