How to Record Cornell Lectures

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

At school we were all taught to write dictation. But this has nothing to do with lecture notes. The Cornell Method cleans up chaotic student records and makes it easy to prepare for exams. By the way, this method will also be useful to you at work during meetings and meetings.

Handwritten notes are better than sticky notes in a laptop. When you write on paper, you are more focused and attentive. However, notes in a notebook often turn into a jumbled set of squiggles, among which after a couple of weeks it is impossible to find the information you need. The Cornell method will help you out.

Cornell Method Basics

Any notepad is suitable for organizing notes using the Cornell method. On the sheet, draw a bold horizontal line 5 cm above the bottom edge. Then add a bold vertical line 5-7 cm from the left edge. As a result, you get a sheet divided into three sections:

1. The right one is for notes.
2. The left one is for basic thoughts and questions.
3. The lower part is a summary.

Customize the notebook yourself, download the PDF sheet at the end of this article, or find Cornell Notebooks in your stationery store.

Examples of using the Cornell method

Cornell's method for recording lectures

At the top of the sheet, put the date and title of the lecture. In the "Notes" column, write down the key points. You don't need to write everything down. The main rule of the Cornell Method is: less is better. Write down questions that arise during the lecture, and note points that you will understand later in more detail.

You fill in the left column when you reread a recorded lecture. Do not postpone this task, it is better to carry out the analysis on the same day or at least the next, while the memories are fresh in your head. Most likely, you recorded some phrases incomprehensibly, correct them immediately.

So, only the main theses taken from the notes and the answers to the questions that you asked yourself while listening to the lecturer should get into the left column.

The summary at the bottom of the sheet is the main idea of the lecture, a squeeze from what you heard, written down in your words. If you can write a resume, then you have learned the material.

Do not tamp the lecture on one sheet, but divide it into logical parts. If you cannot transfer a new piece to the next page, underline it with a bold line. You can summarize the whole lecture or its individual chapters.

Taking notes made with the Cornell Method makes it easy to prepare for exams. After all, the most important thing is to understand the material. And you will learn it while processing lectures. To refresh your memory, just read your short notes. Try to give yourself a test: close the right half of the sheet with notes and explain each thesis of the lecture from the left column.

The Cornell Method in Meetings and Meetings

The right column ("Notes") - records made during a meeting or conversation.

The left column ("Main thoughts") - the main ideas of the meeting, which you write down after analyzing your notes.

Your notes will almost certainly be messy. This is not a lecture. The interlocutor can get confused, jump from topic to topic, lose thought. Perhaps the meeting will even seem useless to you until you analyze it and highlight the main points.

The summary is the outcome of the meeting.

The Cornell Method for Preparing Performances

The left column ("Main thoughts") - theses of the speech.

The right column ("Notes") - disclosure of theses (briefly). Make a note of the points that need to be mentioned.

The summary is the main idea of the report.

By hand-writing theses, you will think them over again, remember. And before the speech, you can repeat the report in a few minutes.

Cornell's method for planning the week

The left column ("Key Thoughts") - plans for the week.

The right column ("Notes") is a breakdown of plans into small matters.

The resume is the main goal of the week.

The Cornell Method will get you out of the chaos of messy recordings. Not only your notes will get a clear structure, but also your thoughts!