Saturday, August 06, 2005

The Cornell Note-Taking System

Walter Pauk (1989) developed what is known as the Cornell notetaking technique to help Cornell University students better organize their notes. Today, Pauk's notetaking technique is probably the most widely used system throughout the United States. The six steps in the Cornell notetaking system are 1) record, 2) reduce (or question), 3)recite, 4) reflect, 5) review, and 6) recapitulate. Recording notes require students during lectures to write down facts and ideas in phrases, using abbreviations when possible, and after lectures to read through notes and fill in blanks and make scribbles more legible. Reducing or Questioning notes occurs after lectures and require students to write key words, phrases, or questions that serve as cues for notes taken in class. Cue phrases and questions should be in students' own words. Reciting notes require students to cover classroom notes and to read each key word or question and then recite the fact or idea brought to mind by key word or question. Reflecting and Reviewing notes require students to review their notes by periodically reciting them and to think about what they learned. Finally, recapituatling notes require students to summarize each main idea and use complete sentences. The format on paper for these six steps will be discussed in class.

Credit for the above is given to http://www.buy.edu/stlife/cdc/Learning_Strategies/study_skills/note-tak.htm 2/17/2003