In my opinion, the most useful thing I learned in this module is the method to make note. For our students, the class note is a very important part of learning. A good note is sometimes even more important than the teacher’s handout. However, there is a significant problem that how to make a good note. In the Module 5, it introduces four major methods to make notes. And in my eyes, these methods all have their advantages and disadvantages.
The first method is called “The List Method”. It is similar to almost people understanding about class notes: the students list all information on the note paper. This method has a large advantage that it can help us go over the class very well. If we can record all information in the class, we will not need to worry about missing knowledge points in the subsequent learning process. However, the disadvantage of “The List Method” is also obvious as well. It is almost impossible for students to record all information in the note. Therefore, to improve the quality of class notes, we need other methods.
The second method is called “The Outline Method”, which is the most widely used method of note-taking. For this method, students should write down the outline of class in their note books. Compare with whole information, the outline of knowledge is much easier for students to record in the class. The outline is constructed by topic points of lecture. The Outline Method can help us connect important points and create a web of knowledge. Although the outline method is useful, it also has disadvantage. Because the notes do not explain the knowledge points, students need to review the course several times and refer to more materials to review.
The third method is called “The Concept Map Method”. We can also call this method the mind mapping. This method is different from other two methods in the context. The concept map is a picture, and students use lines to connect bubbles on this picture. Each bubble is a topic point of lecture. This method is simple enough. However, I don’t suggest students use this method to review their lecture. The concept map method is more suitable for preview rather than review.
The last method is “The Cornell Method”. This method combines the first and second method in the context. It divides the note page into three parts. The major part records mean information of the lecture, which is on the right of the note page. The question part is on the left of major part. In this part, students can point out questions about lecture. The third part is on the bottom of the page, which is used to supplement the content of major part.
These four methods all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the students should use them for different areas. Only using one method is not a good idea.