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Meeting My Goals – Research Paper

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Meeting My Goals – Research Paper
Jeffery Fholer
ITT-Technical Institute

Meeting my Goals: Better Note-taking/Studying Techniques

To be a more successful college student and in turn a more productive employee, I have found I need to learn more effective note taking/studying techniques. As I started my research for this project, I found there are a million-and-one ways to better study and take good notes. Some are actual studies completed by renowned universities and others are merely guides written by persons based off of their personal experience. The first source I selected “Taking Notes: 5 College Success Tips” was posted by Dennis G. Jerz as submitted to him by one his Technical Writing Students Vivinette K. Dietsche. In her paper, Dietsche outlines five basic principles that are beneficial when it comes to taking notes: go to class prepared, improve your listening skills, develop a note taking method that works for you, pay close attention to content and review and edit your notes. Going to class prepared can be as simple as ensuring you have all the supplies i.e., paper, binders and writing instruments necessary to complete assignments. Also covering the course material before showing up to class will give you a better idea what is going on in the day’s lesson plan. Improving your listening skills is crucial in understanding what is being taught. Dietsche talks about having what we called in the military a PMA or Positive Mental Attitude. If you start the class thinking negatively you will not be of the right mindset to actively listen to what the instructor is trying to teach you. This will cause you to miss pertinent information needed to complete assignments. The best way to take notes is the way that is most beneficial to you. What format do you understand the most? Starting each class on a separate sheet of paper, paraphrasing the material covered and making annotations in the margins are few of the ways listed in the paper that can be utilized for effective note taking. Paying close attention to the content being listed is equally important. Knowing what needs to be written down and how much of it is pertinent to what you need to know can be difficult. Dietsche recommends writing the different details, facts and explanations of what is being discussed. In my experience if a teacher or instructor writes something on the board, it is a good bet it is something you will need later on. Reviewing and editing your own notes is important. Making sure they are legible and make sense will help later on when you are out of the classroom setting and cannot receive the clarification needed to decipher what you wrote down. This is a good point and something I can work on due to me taking all online courses right now. All of the steps listed by Dietsche I have used in some form or another but having them described in the detail they are will allow better utilization by me. The second source I looked at is titled The Adult Student’s Guide to Survival and Success written by Al Siebert and Mary Karr. In this the guide the authors discuss such things as setting “study goals” and how to manage your time by establishing weekly schedules. They also talk about having a designated study area either at home or at school. This topic I found most interesting due to my study location being at home. It can be hard finding the perfect study spot that is quite and conducive to learning when my 15 month old son is constantly roving around or being curious and climbing in my lap. The tips given about neutralizing “noisy distractions” was also beneficial. One thing that I do is turn off everything electronic so my focus is entirely on my work. Every 15 to 30 minutes I take a break and watch some TV or go outside and do some yardwork. The distraction these breaks provide offer my brain a chance to unravel. Another way to increase studying success is to skim through the chapters and look for the sources of questions. Looking at the end of each chapter for a summary of what was covered and going over it allows for better understanding and what the purpose of your reading is. By doing this, I will have a better understanding of what I am supposed to be learning from each chapter and retain that information for when I may need it later. Overall, the information I learned from the two sources I used was very informative. Some of the information provided I have already been exposed to and used and some of it was totally new. I am definitely going to implement some of the techniques and strategies covered so that I can take better notes and have better study habits. By doing so, I will become a better student and a better potential employee.

References:

Jerz, Dennis G., posted 23 February 2001, retrieved from http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic1/taking-notes-5-college-success-tips/
Dietsche, Vivinette K., 12 December 2000, “Taking Notes: 5 College Success Tips” • Berkeley College. A System for Effective Listening and Note taking. 12 October 2000. http://www-s/c.uga.berkeley.edu/CalRen/Listening.html • California Polytechnical College. Academic Skills Center – Note taking Systems. 12 OctoDudycha, George J. Learn More with Less Effort. (1957). Harper & Bros. New York, NY. • Ellis, Dave. Becoming a Master Student. (1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. • Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. (1984 and 1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. • Pegg, Bruce. Note taking. (4 October 1995). 12 October 2000.http://www2.colgate.edu/diw/notetaking.html • University of Texas at Austin. Making the Grade 101. (27 February 1998). 20 October 2000.http://www.utexas.edu/student/lsc/makinggrade/inclassnotes.html
Siebert, Al; Karr, Mary 2008 “The Adult Student’s Guide to Survival and Success”, 6th Edition. Pages 48 – 61, eBook retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.itt-tech.edu/eds, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

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