Discuss about the Importance of Note-Taking And Paraphrasing in Lear.
There are several learning strategies for learners. Some students understand by taking notes while others prefer visual materials. The most common learning strategies are note-taking and paraphrasing. Good note-taking and paraphrasing strategies are essential parts of learning for students. A student might be overwhelmed by the coursework if the reading materials are not summarized. It is not possible to read volumes of books from cover to cover within a limited period. Students are not expected to internalize all the information given in class or accessed from reading resources. Paraphrased work is written in a language that the student understands. Paraphrasing shows that the student has clearly understood the information (Keira,1997).
Developing good note-taking and paraphrasing saves time for the student when revisiting the reading materials for revision. Good notes are brief and precise. Well paraphrased work is properly cited and in simple language (Erickson &Strommer,1991). This paper looks at the importance of note-taking and paraphrasing to effectively summarize academic resources. The paper explores different note-taking and paraphrasing strategies. Learning goes beyond understanding the contents of a book or journal. According to SACE Board of SA (2012), learning requires comprehension and expressing the understanding in one’s own words.
The most important reason is to have a record for future use. Every student needs to revise for the examinations consistently. A well-organized and brief record will be an advantage in the intense exam period. It is impossible to read a book to the end and understand the contents at the same time over a short period and under pressure. A paraphrased summary is usually written is the student’s own simple language. This means that the learner will not struggle to understand the contents while revising. For learning to be effective, frequent revision must be incorporated (Piolat Kellogy, 2004). For revision to take place, a proper understanding of the target topic must take place. Proper understanding is demonstrated by good note-taking and paraphrasing and composing a summary.
Note-taking enhances a learner’s organization skills. The learner should read and write at the same time. The learner should also arrange the notes systematically to make sense. The learner acquires the ability to multitask. Studies have shown that students who take notes gain more information and process it better that those who use laptops. According to Cindi May (2003), the old school way is more efficient because the student is able to rewrite content with symbols and words that are familiar. The laptop is more limiting when it comes to expressing emotions and originality than handwriting. Students who use the longhand method are likely to be more focused on the note-taking task as compared to those using laptops. A laptop has many distractions, unlike a book. These distractions might lead to shallow notes.
The second importance of good note-taking and paraphrasing is to focus attention. When reading, it is natural for one’s mind to wander off (Cary&Carlson,2001). One might think of financial problems, social life or awaiting workload. Good note-taking and paraphrasing require maximum concentration and comprehension. A learner can concentrate better while trying to comprehend the reading material. The writing keeps the reader focused. This strategy helps the reader to be active and to gather as much information as possible. Paraphrasing requires internalizing information and putting it out according to the learner’s understanding (Hadwin & Woodhouse,1999). A learner should aim at developing proper note-taking and paraphrasing strategies to avoid meaningless reading.
Developing good note-taking and paraphrasing strategies require focus, understanding, and organization. Effective summarization of academic resources is delicate. The information, in summary, is an overview of the full text. One must be careful not to eliminate the relevant information (Cary& Carlson,2001). On the other hand, one must learn how to eliminate opinions and examples. This strategy results into useful and effective summaries. The first step to an effective summary is paraphrasing. From the paraphrased information, a learner can derive notes with ease. These strategies make learning less stressful and save time (Piolat&Kellogy,2004).A summary is as a result of paraphrasing and note-taking. This is because a summary is a highlight of the main topic. A review’s main purpose is to give a rough idea of the main topic. The hint refreshes the learner’s memory.
The third reason for proper note-taking and paraphrasing is to save time in the future. A student is required to take tests and complete all coursework at the end of a semester. The exam period may be overwhelming. Short and precise notes come in handy during this period. All the learners need to do is to refresh their memories since they had already internalized the contents of the reading materials and summarized them effectively (Erickson& Strommer,1991). A quick review of a summary is enough to prepare a student for the examinations. While note-taking and paraphrasing, a student can elaborate information (Titworth&Kiewra,2004).
Paraphrasing is an important element of academic writing(SACE,2012). The reason learners paraphrase is to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as using someone else’s work and passing it as one’s own. Paraphrasing another writer’s work without proper citations is plagiarism (Bretag&Carapiet,2007). Proper paraphrasing and recognition of the original writer are allowed in academic writing. It is important for students to learn how to paraphrase correctly to avoid penalties that come along with plagiarism. Paraphrasing is also important in the provision of evidence (Titworth and Kiewra,2004). A learner must provide proof of information, and this can only be achieved by referencing previous works. Paraphrasing is important to show recognition of past studies.
Finally, note-taking and paraphrasing are important in improving vocabulary (Hadwin &Woodhouse, 1999). When a student is paraphrasing, a dictionary is an important asset, especially in complex materials. The student notes the new words and can use the words in other contexts in the future. Complex learning sources need to be broken down to simple language for future reference. A thesaurus and a dictionary should be selected according to the learner’s level. An advanced level dictionary is not recommended because it only complicates the resources further. A student may opt for the easy way out by sharing notes with other course mates. This shortcut does not work because every student takes notes according to how they understand a point. The understanding of one learner may be confusing to another.
There have been critics of the methods of taking notes and paraphrasing. One such study advocates for retrieval practice. This method involves putting away all notes and resources and trying to remember information without referring to the notes. The study tries to explain that referring to books and notes encourages cramming. The study goes further to explain that expressing ideas without referring to a source demonstrates better a understanding of a topic. This idea has been dismissed by tutors who believe that note-taking and paraphrasing work for all students, unlike the above-mentioned idea that favors fast learners (Brown et al.,2014).Learning should focus on all students and their learning abilities. An exam period is intense, and a learner may be too nervous to remember past materials. Brief and precise notes come in handy.
Conclusion
Students who fail to take notes do not do well as compared to their counterparts who take notes. As this paper has demonstrated, note-taking enables a student to have a better understanding of what is being studied. Note-taking enables long-term comprehension of a topic. The focus and attention that is required while paraphrasing sharpens a learner’s mind and enables the learner to take in more information. Good note-taking and paraphrasing involve sieving unnecessary information from the most important information. Poor note-taking is a great disadvantage for any student. Unorganized notes will lead to confusion in the future. The record will not be viable for future use.
Students should put emphasis on taking good notes. Good notes have features such as brevity, preciseness, accuracy, and organization. Learning is a process and internalizing everything is impossible .Paraphrasing and note-taking enhance reading skills. These strategies keep a student on focus and enhance comprehension. These two strategies discourage shortcuts such as recordings and note-sharing. Students are encouraged to rely on their minds as well as sharpen their skills. Proper paraphrasing is the surest way to avoid plagiarism.
References
Bretag, T., Carapiet ,S.(2007),A Preliminary Study to Determine the Extent of Self- Plagiarism in Australian Academic Research, Plagiary: Cross Disciplinary Studies in Plagiarism vol 2(5) Retrieved from https://www.plagiarism/brookes.pdf
Brown, P., Roediger, H., McDonald, M .,(2014), Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning London: Belknap Press
Cary,M. ,Carlson,R.(2001), Distributing Working Memory Resources During Problem Solving. A Journal of Experimental Psychology 25(4) 1053-1070
Erickson,B., Strommer,D.(1991) Teaching College Freshmen San francisco: Jossey-Bass
Hadwin, A., Woodhouse, R.(1999), Individual Differences in Note-Taking Summarization and Learning from Lectures. Alberta Journal of Educational Research 45(5),1-17
Keira,K.(1997), Learning How to Learn: Presentation to Campus-wide TA Workshop Lincoln: University Of Nebraska
May, C.(2003), A Learner’s secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop Charleston: University of Charleston
Piolat,A.,Kellogy, R.(2004), Cognitive Effort of Note-Taking: Applied Cognitive Psychology,8,1-22
Titworth,B.,Kierwa,K.(2004),Organizational Lecture Cues and Note-Taking Facilitate Student Information Processing, A journal of Contemporary Education Psychology 29,447-461
SACE Board of SA (2012), Guidelines for Referencing. South Australia :SACE
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