Chapter 14: Organizing Information for Study

The ability to determine main ideas and locate details is the key to all of these basic study techniques.

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Five Study Skills

• Marking and Annotating Texts

Marking textbooks: underlining or highlighting topics, main ideas, and important definitions

Annotating textbooks: writing explanatory notes and symbols in the margin

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• Note taking from texts: on separate paper, creating your own personal record of information from the text

• Outlining: a specific way of organizing main ideas and details on the page to show the relationships between them

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• Mapping: an informal way of organizing main ideas by using boxes, circles,lines, arrows, etc.; also called a study map, learning map, or concept map

• Summarizing: a condensation of the main ideas presented in a longer selection, written in your own words

notetaking

marking

annotating

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Marking a Textbook

Marking a Text: • To avoid over marking a text, read, think

and then mark.• Underline or highlight stated main idea

sentences and important definitions.• Circle or box key terms.• Remember to number supporting details.

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Annotating a Textbook

• Write topics beside paragraphs.• Formulate and write implied main ideas.• Write out important definitions or use def.• Put question marks by things you don’t understand.• Use an asterisk (*) to signal overall main ideas,

summary statements, and conclusions.• Write ex beside important examples.• Add numbers and letters to create “outlines” from

headings and subheadings.

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Outlining

• Outlines are beneficial when dealing with complex material, when you need to condense material, or get an overview.

• They show the relative importance of each part of the material. The less important the material, the farther to the right it is indented.

• Outlines can be formal (Roman numerals, letters, numbers) or informal (numbers, letters, dashes, bullets).

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Note Taking from a Text

• There are many note taking formats.• A popular one is the Cornell format:

--Rule off a 2”-3” review column on the left side of a page.

--Take notes in outline form in the larger space to the right of the column. --When you have finished taking notes, fill in the review column with questions or clue words. --Cover the main portion of the notes so that only the review column is exposed.

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Note Taking (continued)

--Read each question or clue word and use it to trigger your recall of the corresponding information.

--If you cannot answer the question or say the material aloud, uncover it, reread it, cover it up, and try again.

--Rehearse (recite) it until you can say it from memory.

--Until you can say it without looking, you don’t know it.

• The Cornell method works because it incorporates reading, writing, reciting, and hearing. Utilizing these together makes memorizing more efficient.

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Outlining

• Outlines can be sentence outlines or topic outlines.

• Indent details on separate lines.• If a line is longer than one line, continue it

on the next line and align it with the first letter of the word above it.

• Give your outline the same title as the original material. Do not title it “Outline.”

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Mapping

• Mapping works well for those who are more “right-brained” (artistic, intuitive, creative).

• Start by writing the topic or overall main idea in a circle or box in the center of the page.

• Branch details out from the center.• Use key words, symbols, and pictures.• Vary word size; use color; use capital letters.• Practice and be patient: redrawing your map helps

you remember the material.

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Summarizing

Summaries are an excellent way to prepare for essay tests.

Follow this procedure:• Use the title of the original material as the title for

your summary. Do not title it “Summary.”• Include all of the main ideas in the same order as

the author presented them.• Do not include details unless it is impossible to

understand the material without them.

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Summarizing (continued)

• Do not add your own opinions or any information from other sources.

• Paraphrase the information and add transition words and phrases to make the meaning clear and the ideas flow smoothly.

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The Edge: Pointers from the Coach

• Experiment with the various study techniques to discover what works best for you.

• Developing study skills takes time and practice. • To polish your skills, team up with a classmate

and compare your notes, summaries, etc.• In courses that are difficult for you, form a study

group with other serious, motivated students. Preparing ahead of time and participating in a study group enables you to read, write, hear, and say the information. Utilizing multiple sensory channels strengthens learning.