Cornell Note-Taking

1. Cornell Note-Taking

2. The Curve of Forgetting • The Curve of Forgetting describes how we retain or get rid of information that we take in. It's based on a one-hour lecture. • On Day 1, you go in knowing nothing, or 0%. At the end of the lecture you know 100% of what you know, however well you know it (where the curve rises to its highest point).

3. The Curve of Forgetting • By Day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in that lecture, didn't think about it again, read it again, etc. you will have lost 50%-80% of what you learned. Our brains are constantly recording information on a temporary basis. Because the information isn't necessary, and it doesn't come up again, our brains dump it all off, along with what was learned in the lecture that you actually do want to hold on to!

4. The Curve of Forgetting • By Day 7, we remember even less, and by Day 30 we retain only about 2%-3% of the original hour! This may account for feeling as if you've never seen this before in your life when you're studying for exams - you may need to actually re-learn it from scratch.

5. The Curve of Forgetting • Good news - You can change the shape of the curve! A big signal to your brain to hold onto a specific chunk of information is if that information comes up again. When the same thing is repeated, your brain says, "Oh-there it is again, I better keep that." When you are exposed to the same information repeatedly, it takes less and less time to "activate" the information in your long term memory and it becomes easier for you to retrieve the information when you need it.

6. The Curve of Forgetting • Here's the case for making time to review material: Within 24 hours of getting the information - spend 10 minutes reviewing and you will raise the curve almost to 100% again. A week later (Day 7), it only takes 5 minutes to "reactivate" the same material, and again raise the curve. By Day 30, your brain will only need 24 minutes to give you the feedback, "Yup, I know that. Got it.” New Curve!

7. The Curve of Forgetting • Often students feel they can't possibly make time for a review session every day in their schedules. However, this review is an excellent investment of time. • If they don't review, they will need to spend 40-50 minutes re-learning each hour of material later – do they have that kind of time? • Cramming rarely plants the information into long term memory where they can access it to do assignments throughout the term as well as be ready for exams.

8. Why Take Cornell Notes? • Cornell Notes are an excellent tool to take focused notes, use inquiry to highlight the main ideas, and to summarize knowledge learned. • The idea is to emphasize not just taking notes, but also the importance of refining and using the notes as a study aid. • They were developed at Cornell University in the 1950s by a frustrated professor who wanted to help his students learn to retain information better. • They have become a cornerstone of the AVID program because of their usefulness in all content areas and for all students. • Three advantages of CN: • It is a method for mastering information, not just recording facts. • It is efficient. • Each step prepares the way for the next part of the learning process.

9. Why Take Cornell Notes? • Long story short: • When you write down even brief notes about what you are hearing/ experiencing, you keep 60% of what you hear/learn. • When you take thorough, organized notes and review them, you keep 90-100% of what you hear/learn. • Cornell Notes is a process to cover all of these steps.

10. The Curve of Forgetting • Depending on the course load, the general recommendation is to spend about 30 minutes every weekday, and 1.5 - 2 hours every weekend in review activity. • Perhaps you only have time to review 4 or 5 days of the week, and the curve stays at about the mid range. That's OK, it's a lot better than the 2%-3% you would have retained if you hadn’t reviewed at all. • Many students are amazed at the difference reviewing regularly makes in how much they understand and how well they retain material. It's worth experimenting for a couple weeks, just to see what a difference it makes!

11. Some Basics • Advantages • Method for mastering information • Efficient • Sequential • Materials • Cornell note paper • Basic loose-leaf paper

12. C-Note Paper Samples

13. Let’s Practice…

14. Heading… Learning to Take Cornell Notes Name AVID/ Per. September How are taking Cornell Notes different from how I have taken Notes in the past?

15. During the Lecture During Lecture Write In This Section Only

16. Why Take Cornell Notes? • Help you work on assignments and study for tests outside of class • Stimulates Critical Thinking skills • Helps organize and process information • Help you recall information and use your notes multiple times

17. First & Last Name Class Title Period Date Topic Essential Question Questions, Subtitles, Headings, Etc. Class Notes 2 1/2” 3 to 4 sentence summaryacross the bottom of the last page of the day’s notes, which answers the Essential Question

18. Before the Lecture Fill in Heading

19. When there is no Essential Questions

20. During the Lecture • From “lecture”, text, video, projects, etc. • Paraphrasing • Skip lines between ideas • Abbreviate • Use phrases • Use bullets/lists • Recognize cues from teachers • Use outline style, diagrams, pictures, graphs

21. After the Lesson… • Highlight important information • Cross out non-essential information • Star (*) any information that might show up on a test/quiz.

22. After the Lesson… Compare your notes with a partner!

23. Phrase the Question on the left so that it helps you recall the information on the right What type of question should I write? • Your questions should reflect: • Information on the right side • Questions that help you study • Info that might appear on a test • Info you don’t understand • Gaps in your notes • Generate Good Study Questions

24. At home that night… • Look over that page of notes (1-3 mins.) • Write a 3 or 4 sentence summary • Identify the most important pieces of information. • Answer the Essential Question and your questions on the left side in that summary.

25. Using your notes to Study Cover the notes on the right Rework/Answer questions on the left

26. Let’s Focus on your Notes • Look over your notes • Underline/highlight important information • Cross out unnecessary information • Review with aPartner • Fill in missed information • Generate two good study question in the left column

27. Tonight’s homework • Insure you have 2 good study questions on the left • Set a timer for 3 minutes (or watch the clock), and do a Quickwrite summary answering: • How are taking Cornell Notes different from how I have taken Notes