The world recognized note-taking Method! Cornell-Note Taking-System.

NEWYES
4 min readFeb 8, 2022

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Cornell note-taking system, also known as the 5R note-taking method, is a note-taking method proposed by Cornell University education professor Walter Pauk in the 1940s.

Overview

Cornell note-taking provides a systematic format for organizing notes. The notepaper is divided into three columns: the note column is usually on the right and is twice the size of the question column (keyword column) on the left. Leave five to seven lines, or about 5 centimeters, at the bottom of the page for the summary column. Notes from lectures or classes are written in the notes column; notes usually consist of the main ideas of the text or speech, explaining long-form points, using short sentences as much as possible, and using simple symbols. Leave some space between each point. We should write relevant questions or keywords in the question column for future review. These notes can come from any source of information, such as fiction books, DVDs, lectures, textbooks, etc. Within 24 hours of taking notes, students must write questions and summaries. When reviewing notes, students can block the note column on the right and try to answer the questions in the question column on the left, retelling what was said in class. This note-taking method effectively encourages students to think about the material and review their notes regularly.

Five principals

1. Record

When listening to a class or reading, take notes in the central column of the notebook page (upper right side), be as brief as possible, and make good use of symbols and abbreviations. And, try to keep your notes organized and self-explanatory: use serial numbers to list bullet points.

Cornell note-taking system also proposes that recording dates, subjects, content topics, etc., can make notes systematic and easy to find at the top of the page.

In this section, an essential thing should be: the notes you take should be processed as briefly as possible. Don’t think of yourself as a typist, and keep copying ppt or what the teacher says.

Listening/reading is not a process of unilateral indoctrination but a process of in-depth understanding and interaction.

2. Reduce

Left is a sub-column for a concise summary of the notes on the right.

In the left sub-column, write down keywords and critical sentences to summarize the notes on the right for recalling knowledge.

This is a process of timely recalling and processing, which is equivalent to the first memory. If you want to memorize and understand what you have learned, the most important thing is actively processing the received knowledge.

Hua Luogeng said:

There is a process of “from thick to thin.” You must chew, digest, organize, and scrutinize what you have learned and integrate them to extract the key issues, see the context, and grasp the main points.

The things digested in this way are easy to remember and can be used with ease.

3. Recite

Cover the note-taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue words.

4. Reflect

Record your extended thinking about the content of this page at the bottom of the page: What facts, phenomena, and theories are they related to? Where can it be used?

Contrary to the previous “thick to thin” process, this is a “thin to thick” process.

This is especially important for those who wish to have independent thinking skills.

If you have your ideas, viewpoints and experiences, even if they are not so mature or illogical, you must put them into words and express them.

Record the moment of “inspiration”, and then there will be an opportunity for improvement.

5. Review

Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as for the exam.

4 tips for those who want to try:

1. It is best to write the page number, date, and subject in the blank space at the top of the page, so that it is convenient to search and browse later.

2. You can set up your table of contents in the first few pages of the notebook via the page numbers to create your retrieval system.

3. The highlighting pen is very suitable for use in the left column to make note keywords more eye-catching. After all, one of the advantages of the Cornell note-taking system is that you can use the left column to absorb the information you want quickly.

4. Use different colored pens to create your color retrieval system, but don’t use too many colors, three colors are the best, for example: black is the concept, blue is the example, red is the critical information (person or date, etc.) ) label.

You can apply this method to any notebook. I recently used a notebook from NEWYES. They have smart notebooks to transfer my notes to the phone quickly. It’s super convenient for reviewing, no matter where you are. And they also have reusable notebooks, so if you often make writing mistakes, you can look at them. It keeps your notes as clean as possible.

Cornell Notes is not that complicated to use. It is effortless to use. This note-taking method can effectively encourage you to develop the habit of reviewing after class, summarizing knowledge points from a macro perspective, and reviewing it multiple times. Compared with traditional reading notes, it is also closer to recalling knowledge points during exams.

enjoy an isolated learning atmosphere

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