Action
Research Report: Note-taking Strategies
Introduction/Background
I am conducting this study to
address the note-taking deficiencies amongst students in my classroom. I am performing this study in my World
Geography/United States History classes.
The results found as a result of this study are described in the
following report.
I am a teacher at La Grange High
School in La Grange, Texas. La Grange is
a small community that sits on the Colorado River in Central Texas. The town was founded as a German and Czech
settlement, and is a rural community that sits halfway between Austin, Texas
and Houston, Texas. It is a community
that is made up of approximately 4,500 residents.
Our high school services grades nine
through twelve, and enrollment averages around 610 students. The demographic breakdown of our school is
changing on a yearly basis. Currently
the demographic breakdown is 59.5% White, 27.6% Hispanic, 9.1% African
American, 0.5% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, and 2.8% Two or more races. Our campus Economically Disadvantaged stands
a 42.6%.
Throughout my career I have been a
teacher of some sort of Social Studies.
I have been a teacher of World Geography, U.S. History, and World
History. Every year students enter my
class without the knowledge or ability to take adequate notes. Due to the nature of social studies classes
and my students’ inability to take notes, I have seen their grades suffer.
I am completing this study so that I can
see what is the most efficient and effective way for students to take notes in
my classes. When I am able to determine
the most efficient way, I will be able to instruct students and help them with
this technique. This ability to take
notes will not only help them when participating in my class, but other classes
and when continuing their education after high school.
Literature Review
There are a number of different
resources to draw from when researching note-taking strategies. The first issue I wanted to address is the
purpose of note taking. On its most
basic level, note taking is used to “help you study better and more quickly”
(Wax). To study more quickly as stated,
a student must be able to filter information that is not essential. Also, as Boch and Piolat (2005) state, “one
of the major aims of note taking is to build up a stable external memory in a
form that can be used at a later date.”
I want to build this external memory in students through the most
efficient manner possible.
When researching, I found a number
of different types of note taking strategies.
Ultimately, I narrowed my research to include five different strategies
to implement and test in my classroom.
These five strategies were, Cornell Method, Mapping, Outline Format,
FORM Strategy, and Two Column Method.
Walter Pauk developed the Cornell
Note-Taking Method in the 1950’s. Pauk
was searching for an effective way for his students to take notes, and
“developed the Cornell note-taking method as a solution” (Ruschhaupt, 2010). One advantage to Cornell note taking is the
ability to use the technique in any curriculum area. When using this technique, the paper is
divided into different sections. There
is a two and one half inch margin created on the left hand side of the paper. On the right hand side of the paper, is the
note-taking column. The smaller left
hand column is used as the cue column.
The cue column should include key words that will make your notes easier
to read. There should also be a section
at the bottom of the page. This section
is used for summaries, and should be filled in shortly after the class has
ended.
Mind mapping, is a method of
organizing and visualizing concepts.
Tony Buzan developed this note-taking strategy in the late 1960’s. In order to create a mind map for note taking
purposes, you must begin with the central theme in the center. You then distribute ideas or notes radiating
outward from the central theme. It is
extremely important when using this style of note taking strategy, to use
single words or simple phrases.
Outlining is another method of note
taking I tested in my classroom. This
style of note taking “requires more thought in class for accurate organization”(CPSU). When using this style of note taking, it is
customary to begin with the most general information furthest to the left. As the material becomes more specific, it is
gradually indented. Also used for levels
of indenting in this style is a series of Roman numerals, numbers, and letters.
The FORM strategy can only be used
in certain situations in which the instructor helps to facilitate the note
taking. In this strategy, the teacher
provides the students with the Focus
of the lesson, Organization of the
lesson, Relationship, and what it Most important to learn. This strategy “helps students to follow
lectures and pick out the most important information to be recorded in
notes”(Muskingum).
The two-column method of note taking
is very similar to the Cornell method.
However, notes are not repeated on both sides of the chart when using
the two-column method. So, in the
structure of the two-column method, key words are identified on the left side
of the page, while the more in depth descriptions are found on the right hand
side.
Action Research Design
The target populations for my
research were students from my classroom.
I took a sample of sixty students who were enrolled in my classes. The sample of students chosen, were a
reflection of La Grange High School’s student population. Therefore, sixty percent (36) of students
tested were of white descent, twenty-eight percent of students (17) were
Hispanic, nine percent (5) were African American, and two students were
Asian. Also, 21 (35%) of the students
were labeled as economically disadvantaged.
All of the research was performed
inside the controlled environment of my classroom. Each note taking strategy was implemented in
two-week blocks. To check for
understanding, note taking effectiveness, and retention levels, students were
tested periodically throughout each two-week period. At the end of all sessions, the results of
periodic testing were compiled. From
this compiled data, the most efficient note-taking strategy was determined.
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Action Planning Template
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Goal: Find out what note-taking strategies
allow students to comprehend and retain the most information.
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Action Steps(s):
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Person(s) Responsible:
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Timeline: Start/End
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Needed Resources
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Evaluation
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Research multiple note
taking strategies
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Klinton King
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November 2011/December
2011
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Various Literary Studies
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Ensure that there is an
understanding of multiple note-taking strategies.
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Implement first
note-taking strategy
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Klinton King
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January 3, 2012/January
13, 2012
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Students
Notes
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Test knowledge and
comprehension of notes.
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Implement second
note-taking strategy
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Klinton King
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January 16, 2012/January 27,
2012
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Students
Notes
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Test knowledge and
comprehension of notes.
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Implement third
note-taking strategy
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Klinton King
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January 30, 2012/February
10, 2012
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Students
Notes
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Test knowledge and
comprehension of notes.
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Implement fourth
note-taking strategy
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Klinton King
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February 13, 2012/February
24, 2012
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Students
Notes
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Test knowledge and
comprehension of notes.
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Implement fifth
note-taking strategy
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Klinton King
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February 27, 2012/March 9,
2012
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Students
Notes
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Test knowledge and comprehension
of notes.
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Review of collected data
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Klinton King
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March 12, 2012/June 1,
2012
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Collected Data
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Review data to determine
best note-taking strategy
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Disseminate all
information learned from action research.
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Klinton King
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August, 2012
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Research Findings
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Ensure all info is
disseminated and being used.
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Findings
For each two-week block, there were ten
tests given to check for comprehension and retention. The results were as follows:
Cornell Method
Mapping
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Student Average Grade Earned
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Number of Students
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Student
Average Grade Earned
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Number of
Students
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A
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41
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A
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27
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B
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9
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B
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13
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C
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8
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C
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12
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F
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2
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F
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8
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OVERALL STUDENT AVERAGE: 89
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OVERALL STUDENT
AVERAGE: 81
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Outline FORM Strategy
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Student Average Grade Earned
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Number of Students
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Student
Average Grade Earned
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Number of
Students
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A
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32
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A
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30
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B
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10
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B
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12
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C
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10
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C
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11
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F
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8
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F
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7
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OVERALL STUDENT AVERAGE: 84
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OVERALL STUDENT
AVERAGE: 83
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Two-Column
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Student Average Grade Earned
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Number of Students
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A
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39
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B
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11
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C
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6
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F
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4
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OVERALL STUDENT AVERAGE: 87
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Conclusions and
Recommendations
The initial data collection was done
in a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. This
format allowed for easy calculation of data as it was received. As can be seen from the data collection, the
Cornell Method facilitated the most comprehension and retention of any of the
note taking methods. Also separated
above the others through student achievement was the two-column method. As I calculated and charted the data, this
was very interesting due to the similarities of the top two methods. I am glad to have performed this action
research du to the fact that I have been implementing the Outline method previously
in my class.
I do feel that this studies result
could change given different ethnic or campus culture breakdowns. If at any point I leave the current campus I
am working on now, I will perform this action research as one of the first
things I do on my new campus. Through
this study I was trying to receive an overall method that provided the best
results for most students. This would
allow for our campus to save instructional time by each curriculum area
utilizing the same note taking strategy.
There were some students who did better on the lower grading strategies,
and did not do well while using the top two strategies. For these students I will have modifications
moving forward to allow them to use their best strategy.
In conclusion, I am very pleased
with the outcome of my Action Research.
The research was fairly easy to conduct, and the format of the research
itself was very productive. Moving forward,
I will implement the Cornell and Two-Column methods of note taking in my
classroom. I will periodically perform
this research again, as our demographics and culture change. The number one priority and the reason I
performed this action research, is to ensure student comprehension and
retention of information. Student
achievement should be our number one goal.
References
Boch, F., & Piolat, A. (2005).
Note taking and Learning: A
Summary of Research. The WAC Journal, 16, 101-113. Retrieved from http://wac.colostate.edu/journal/vol16/index.cfm
California Polytechnic State University. (n.d.). Student Academic Services. Note Taking Systems. Retrieved from http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetakingsystems.html
Muskingum College. (n.d.). Learning
Strategies Database. Forms of Organization. Retrieved from http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/general/notetaking3.html
Ruschhaupt,
P (2010, June). Using the Cornell Note-Taking System. Retrieved from http://www.uhv.edu/ac/study/pdf/cornell.notetaking.pdf
Wax, D.
(September 7). Advice for Students: Taking
Notes that Work. Retrieved from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/advice-for-students-taking-notes-that-work.html
