My Type of Memorizing

I know, I keep saying over and over again, how I am in the school of design, and how everything that we have been doing has not been really applying to me, but it is so true. I don't really need to memorize much for the classes that I am taking. Your probably thinking that I am such a lucky duck and all that stuff, because all I have to do is think of some crazy idea and then boom done. But that is so wrong! I have stayed up many nights till very late, working on drawing, after painting, after sketch, trying to produce a design that the teacher will like. However, sitting here having to write this blog, I am realizing I do my own form of memorizing.

I use my sketches to produce a form of memorizing. It helps me jump start my ideas and discover what I want to use, in my final draft. And when I am sketching I am forming an idea, through many, and memorizing can be seen as an idea that is repeated in some way.

SO, this past week, I had to make several sketches for a project I am doing in my 2D class. I had to make 10 sketches from the dollar bill. I had to think of an overall abstract idea that was visually pleasing. I feel like in VPA, it automatically means you are some sort of kinesthetic learner, which I learned this semester. With sketching, it really helps the visual learners like myself. Sketching has been a form of learning for me this year, that has rally helped my memory flow. I have started to produce better projects, when I am able to draw multiple ideas and then choose from one.

Memorizing

In my NSD 225 class there are quite a few minerals and vitamins that need to be remembered. Just recently we learned about a specific group of minerals, "Major Minerals". That's a group of six mineral that need to be remembered.While that's not a lot to be remembered, I had trouble trying to remember them anyways.

The first method I tried was the LINK SYSTEM. I made a chart with two columns. *The book calls for three, but I found that I need more space for the last part of the LINK SYSTEM. In the first column I listed the words I needed to remember.

Once the words were listed I filled out the second column that had what the words looked or sounded like. This was a little time consuming, but it helps to think of the most outrageous connections possible.

Finally, in what would be the third (and last) column, I made the total connection of all of the things the words looked or sounded like. This was even more time consuming because it was difficult for me to make a total connection that would stick in my mind. I struggled to create something that would make sense, yet be memorable.

Altogether, I can see how this method would work for some people, but I spent too much time trying to think out outrageous connections. It didn't really work for me to visualize these connections in my head. As a kinesthetic learner I need to be actively doing something to remember the words.

That being said, I decided to try and make an ACRONYM SENTENCE for my next MNEMONIC DEVICE. I listed the Major Minerals again, hoping that this time I would be able to remember them better. Then I pulled out the first few letters of the words and made new words to make a sentence. This was relatively quick and the sentence I came up with was pretty easy to remember. I will definitely be using the ACRONYM SENTENCE again in the near future.

It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy

[Picture]Let's be honest, we all envied those kids in high school who could sit in class without writing a single note and ace tests. Memory has a lot to do with their unfair success. I was so jealous (still am) of students who could get away with this that I actually tried their ways (no notes, no studying) and let's just say that I'll never try it again. I should have known what the outcome was going to be due to the fact that I rarely can remember what I wore yesterday.



Coming to terms with my lack of memory, I adapted a technique that helps me the most to remember; writing it over and over. It's a tedious task, but it works. The only problem is, I don't have time in the day to re write all of the notes I've taken several times to study for an exam (I'll use PSY 205 as an example). Rewriting 10 pages, front and back, several times, is just an unrealistic way of remembering the everything for an exam. Also, it takes FOREVER.



So, I'm trying something new out for my PSY 205 exam that's next week. It's called the Link System. Basically what you do is link a word you need to remember to an image. As this sounds more like what a visual learner would do (which it can be), it's also for a kinesthetic learner because I'm writing the words and also drawing pictures. As you can see I'm not the best artist, but my cheesy pictures get the point across (at least to those who can interpret what I'm trying to draw). This strategy of remembering words is just for you. So, be as detailed or as simple as you want as long as you understand the link between each word!

[Picture]

I also used this strategy for BIO 123 in my past exam. There are many words to remember in that course and only so many you remember "right off the bat". For instance, I was really confused between the difference off antigens and antibodies. Drawing a picture that ultimately told me that the body produces antibodies made it easier to answer a question that came up on the exam. Being able to answer that question correctly made me appreciate how well of a strategy this really is. So, if you don't mind drawing cheesy pictures or making up ridiculous words that represent important terms on a test, then this strategy is for you!

My Terrible Memory...

There has always been one personal characteristic or aspect within myself that I wish I possessed and that is a good memory. For years in school and even other areas I have had difficulties with remembering important information and material. This has been such a struggle for me and I repeatedly feel like there is nothing I can do about it. I have found that without a good memory there are so many things I am missing out on. I am so jealous of those select people who have a photographic memory or who can look at something once and remember all the key things they read or briefly saw. I can stare at pages of notes or even one sentence and still forget what I was staring at about ten minutes later. Even though I do have a terrible memory and I would say it affects my schoolwork I have found various ways around it and because of the memory techniques I was taught in CLS 105 when it comes down to it I can recall information better.

It happens to be very convenient for me that we are learning about memory now in CLS 105. This is great timing because recently I have been in situations where I have to memorize information and fast. I had a Spanish presentation a couple days ago where I had to remember facts about Mexico, I have a Psychology 205 exam coming up on Tuesday, and I also have a Psychology quiz and a Spanish 201 exam on Thursday. In order to get me by for this next upcoming week I chose to find the best memory strategies that work for me in my Psychology 205 class and my Spanish 201 class. The two strategies I chose were the use of acronyms and the Link System.

First off, Spanish is without a doubt a bunch of memorizing. Whether the memorizing come within conjugating verbs, remembering cultural facts, or memorizing vocabulary words, I needed a quick way to remember all of this information. Since I have a vocabulary quiz in Spanish every Thursday I choose to focus on the words and think of ways to link the words the best I can with anything I can think of. Since I am a kinesthetic learner as well as a visual learner I at first write down all the words I need to know for that quiz. I take a piece of paper and split it in half, writing the Spanish words in the left hand column and the English translation directly next to it on the left hand column. After writing down the words and seeing if I just already learned the words or not I figure out which words gave me the most trou

ble. For example, I had a tough time remembering the word “daughter-in-law” in Spanish, which happens to be “la nuera.” To remember this word I used the link system and though of something that would help me recall “la nuera.” I came up with the idea that since daughter in laws are new to a family and the word “nuera” starts with an n and somewhat sounds like the English word “new” it clicked for me. This may be a silly way to remember words but this strategy especially works in Spanish

for me. Another example using the linking method was for the word “criar” which means, “to raise children.” Since the word “criar” sounds like cry, it made sense that children cry “criar” is extremely similar in that respect.

For Psyh 205 I to look at a different angle on learning the information rather than just linking it right away. Because I am learning chapters that have a ton of different theories and stages, more so with developmental psychology, using the mnemonic device of acronyms increased my memory tremendously. An example of using an acronym to help remember the information was when I was trying to remember the three

stages of the prenatal period. The three stages were the Germinal stage, Embryonic stage, and the Fetal stage. There was no way I could just remember these stages and in order for what they actually were and meant so I created a little ac

ronym and takin

g the letters “G-E-T” and putting it in a phrase of “Girls Eat Food.” I thought this acronym was something I could remember because it makes sense in my life and it’s often times to silly that it sticks with me. The second acronym I created for Psych 205 was fir the four stages of childhood. These stages contained the letters “S-P-C-F.” I came up with the acronym that “Sally Picks Connor First.” This made sense for me because Sally is actually a woman I know very well and

her first child’s name happens to be Connor. It was natural for me to just think that Sally picks connor first and this in a way used the linking system as well because I tied it in with something familiar to my life and since Connor is her child it went along with the four stages of childhood for Psych 205!

I feel that with the linking system and the mnemonic system of creating acronyms memory is easier to come by. Especially in times when I need to learn the information fast and there will be a mass amount of information on my Spanish test and Psych exam I know I can turn to these techniques. The information that I needed to memorize mainly came from the book but then it comes directly from my notes in both Psychology and Spanish. I hope these strategies allow me to receive satisfactory grades next week!

Reading for the Non-Readers

For this blog, I decided to venture out of VPA, and make flashcards using the flashcard method. Because i am a kinesthetic learning I think that using flashcards works to my benefit in many ways.

I first, read all the strategies and thought that the flash cards could help me recall most of the information more easily. Also, it let me organize by chapter and subject matter better. I felt like I had most of the subject matter under control.

Labeling the front and than writing bullet points on the back, of what was first, the most important, then I wrote the definition of the term, and lastly I quickly thought of an example to help me remember the term better.

Human Sexuality gives us a reading for the week, and then in the class he goes over it, so I decided to make flashcards and use then to remember the important terms he used in class and from the textbook.

Overall I think this affectively helps me read the textbook. I will totally use it again because I need a good motivator to get me started and this worked well.

Reading

Let's be honest. No one ever looks forward to a reading assignment, especially if it comes from an old, dense text book. Lucky for me I happen to have text books of this sort for almost all of my classes. I was hoping that since it was Spring Break, my teachers wouldn't assign homework but boy was I wrong. In two classes, HTW 318 and PSY 205, I was assigned reading homework over the break. At first I was worried that I wouldn't get it done because I usually procrastinate readings and sometimes end up not even doing them. But thankfully I found a reading strategy that worked for me. TART! Tart is great for a number of reasons...

1. By reading the termsand definitions of the chapter before you actually read it, you can become familiar withthe material and know what to expect and what is important
2. Creating abbreviations for these terms makes note taking much more quick and easy
3. Doing the two steps above prepares you for class so you know which information your professor says is important, and which isn't. (I know this saved me a lot of time because I usually try to write down every single thing my professor says instead of what is actually necessary)
4. Creating test questions is a great way to review what you've learned as well as prepare yourself for the upcoming test of quiz

Here's how I did TART in PSY 205 HTW 318

1. I was very lucky in that I found a list at the beginning of both of my classes chapter's of key terms and definitions
2. Under the title "terms" I wrote these key terms and definitions followed by an arrow that led to an abbreviation I created for each word
3. Since it was Spring Break and we didn't have classes, I then looked back at past lectures searching for the terms and definitions I had written down from the various chapters
4. While doing this,if I was ever confused or had a question, I would go back to that text book to consult, as well as clarify any information I needed
5. Lastly, I created test questions (about 15 or more for each class) followed by the answers to them

TART really worked for me in both of my classes, but I think it worked better in HTW 318. I found that the terms and definitions in this class were a lot easier to create abbreviations for, and that my teacher really did stick to the book in terms of

important things to know for each chapter.

I would recommend TART for visual and kinesthetic learns like me because not only is it hands on (you have to list the terms and write test questions) but it is also visual because once you create your terms and test questions than you have them right in front of you. It always helps me to be able to see the information I'm learning and TART really supports my needs as a learner. TART works, it really does. It makes you familiar with information before the class so instead of getting to lecture and tuning out your professor, you know exactly what to listen for. It keeps you involved! Please try this strategy if you haven't, it won't let you down!

TART- Results a little sweet and sour

Spring break is finally here! Well... Almost.The week before spring break I had a lot of things to wrap up and get done, including this blog. I had a nutrition exam on Thursday and I was feeling pretty confident, except for one lecture, the last lecture before the exam. I chose to use TART as a reading strategy for my nutrition class and my psychology class.

Before each class I read the assigned chapters or pages. This helped me to familiarize myself with the material before class. As I was reading I highlighted terms and then went back and wrote down the terms that seemed to be important. This

was the "T" of my TART.

Then I attended each class. Both of my classes are mostly lectures. I found that knowing the material before class was very helpful because my PSY 205 professor moves very quickly through his powerpoints and I typically struggle to keep up, but know in advance what he would be talking about put me at an advantage. I could scribble down notes, knowing that the definitions and specifics were in the textbooks. For NSD 225 knowing the material before hand helped me to just study and see the repetitions with the lecture and the textbook that would most definitely be on the upcoming exam.

After class I reread the textbook to get definitions and examples to back up points. Having previously read the textbook and attending lecture, I wasn't so lost with the complicated textbook language and reading.

Finally, once I was done with my reading I made test questions. I added in the answers for my PSY 205 class because the exam is in two weeks, so I can review the material in advance. I left space for answers to my NSD 225 class because I needed to actively study, since the exam was two days away. I had the answers on another sheet of paper to ensure that I wouldn't "cheat".

All in all this reading strategy did help me to feel more confident about understanding both the lectures and the textbook reading. As a kinesthetic learner, all of the activities like highlighting and rewriting terms and making test questions really helped to reinforce the material. The only "sour" thing about TART was how long it took. I found it a bit inconvenient to keep going back to the textbook. I usually only look at it once.

~The Reading Blog~

The week before Spring break and the actual week during the strategy to focus on was reading. I am surprisingly content that this was the selected topic of focus for the time period because I had plenty of reading to accomplish for two of my classes. The reading strategies I used were successful for completing my work and even during a break when focus is impossible to come by in terms of school, I still did alright.

I used reading strategies in two of my courses. I adapted the strategies to my Psych 205 class which contains a thick textbook and class notes as always, and then I brought in my ETS 107 Living Writers class into the strategies as well. For Psych 205 I used the reading strategy as a process which included the “before, during and after” method. This is key for a class like this because Psych has a textbook that never looks too friendly to read nor do am I ever motivated. This strategy worked for me because before I began reading the assigned chapter, this week it was on social psychology, I located the patterns within the text. Psychology generally has loads of definitions, so that is what I picked up from the reading. The definitions were bolded in my textbook and also outlined at the end of the chapter in the chapter summary, always a helpful aid. During the reading I used a highlighter and picked out the most important definitions, concepts, or main points. The

book is also nice because it separated the main point into paragraphs and split up the concepts by themselves so learning the information kind of built off of each other. Highlighting and writing in the margin also is a great way for me to learn this textual information because I know I am a kinesthetic and visual learner and things really pop out at me this way. Because the strategy is “before, during, and after” after the chapter reading was complete I outlined the information and took the bold headings from the text and labeled them according to outline form, so one huge topic would be I,II etc, and then the little subtitles fall under as in “a, b” etc. My notes flow under all of that and are labeled by “1,2,3.” Outlining is a great way for me to organize my thoughts and what I just read because it is almost like re-writing the chapter but in simpler terms so I really only focus on what needs to be studied in the end for my exam.

My ETS Living Writers class is a bit different than just a regular textbook class and notes taken after. We get one book to read within one week and after reading we must write a one page report on the piece, whether it be picking out a theme, analyzing a character, criticuing certain aspects all together. Furthermore, a week later the actual author comes to speak to all the ETS 107 classes in HBC and we get a chance to talk to the writers and ask them questions about their work. The reading strategy I used to complete the book I needed to read over break was also the before, during and after strategy. This strategy was definitely adjusted to fit ETS because before I began reading the book I looked to see the type of literature.

This week I had to read a poetry book, so it was a lengthy book of poems about 160 pages worth and it looked like something I could complete. Then, during the actual reading since this is comprehensive reading and not skeletal reading I had to try and analyze the poetry in different ways and grasp the message the poet was trying to convey thorough his text. Since I had to write a page report after I took plenty of notes in the margin and highlighted significant stanzas or lines in the poetry which I thought I could either quote or use as support in my paper. After I read each poem I wrote a little note at the top of the page to say what the overall subject matter was so when I went back through the poems I could flip to a page and know exactly what happened on that page. After I finished reading the entire poetry book it was time to write my paper and I flipped back to the pages where there was the most highlighted lines and written down information in the margins. After reading through the poems either once, twice, or three times it was easier for me to retain the messages and either take the poetry for a literal meaning or metaphorical meaning.

Overall, I learned that the before, during, and after method can be changed and adapted to whatever type of text a student is reading and I find this method to be successful for a learner like me because it breaks down the assignments and reading into three parts and I don’t feel as overwhelmed while I’m trying to soak up information or review it by the end.

1+3= A better grade?

About five weeks ago I took my first nutrition exam. I thought it would be a piece of cake- the professor had told us all of the test questions the class before the exam! I didn't need to study anything else... How wrong was I? Let's just say that I was a little disappointed with my grade and I knew I needed to change my methods of studying and note taking for that class.

I was pleased to see that CLS 105 had a project that was the perfect opportunity for me to try new ways of studying for NSD 225. This week for note-taking I chose to do the 1+3

method. The 1+3 method has three separate parts that help you to identify important information from readings, or in my case, the online lecture notes that my professor always provides us with.

Previously, I printed out the lecture notes, highlighted them whenever something important was mentioned, and then put them away in my binder until the night before the exam. This time I decided to try out more active note taking.

I chose a lecture we haven't gotten to yet and dove right in. Yes, I was a little lost as I was reading, but I went back a few times and finally it all started to make sense. After I understood the reading I made the skeletal form of my 1+3 notes: dividing the paper into three portions. Then I went back to my reading and pulled out the key terms or concepts that I thought would be important to studying and to understanding the material.

After the key terms were pulled out I made a graphic organizer involving those terms to show how they were all related. As a visual/kinesthetic learner graphic organizers are a great way for me to better understand the material. Rewriting the material helps to keep the information in my mind and visualizing the connections and relations reinforces it too.

Once I was done with the graphic organizer I filled in the last box. I made a bunch of questions from the reading and the key terms and the graphic organizer. These questions helped me to think about all aspects of the material- not just the key terms, but also the little details that may not be a main concept of the reading, but still important to an explanation. After completing all parts of the 1+3 notes I went back and answered the test questions and then reviewed the key terms.

The 1+3 notes were kind of a pain to make on the computer, but the format is now saved on my computer, so the next time I make them I will only have to fill them in. Other than that, I have no complaints. As a visual/kinesthetic learner repeating key terms, making graphic organizers and making test questions are all very active methods of studying and taking notes. The repetition and the visuals help me to remember the information.

Another thing to note is how easy 1+3 makes studying later on. If you have a bunch of 1+3 notes for a class and you have an exam coming up, instead of going back through all of your class and textbook notes, you can just gather each of your 1+3 notes. The key terms can be made into notecards, the graphic organizers can be combined or made bigger so that all of your material comes together. And the test questions can all be brought together so that you have the whole unit covered as you study.

I used this note taking method for the test prep that it seemed to give me... Hopefully my NSD 225 exam goes well!

Struggling with Notes

This weeks topic for College Learning Strategies was note taking, and as I saw earlier, Dom has already stated that, in VPA, it is hard for to take notes in my classes. It is also most of the time, unnecessary. I do remember that Dr. Blumin, had mentioned the To Do Notes, but I was done with my studios for that week, after Wednesday. However, I am defiantly going to try that strategy out tomorrow morning.
So, this week, I had a project for my 2D studio class where I had to make 10 sketches and from those 10, I had to choose six to redraw and make into final bristol board drawings. As I was sitting on the floor in my dorm room sketching, I realized that this in itself was a form of notes. Because I am in a very different set of classes then most people, we don't have to take notes, or take tests, but we make up for it in other ways. Such as sketching out our ideas. If you go back and look, I myself like to include more words and little side notes, then drawings themselves.
So, I took my sketch book and planned out what I thought looked pleasing to the eye and what I wanted to draw, close up, from these dollars bills, and put in a larger scale. At first this was challenging because there were so many different parts that I would have loved to incorporate. But then as I started moving, the ideas started flowing. I then drew 10 large squares, where I would draw examples of what I wanted my final product to look like. Coming up with 10 was hard because, after a while I started to get tired. I decided to take a 10 minute break and then go back to my work. This is when I started to work on the final projects. I think the 10 minute period of rest, was very useful because it helped me stay focused again, to work very slow and tediously.
Overall, I think sketching can really help produce ideas, and help remember what you would like to include. Almost like a reminder, where you can go back and look at what you had orginally wanted your project to look like.

Note-Taking

Note-taking has always been something that I've wanted to improve. It's a skill that some people have mastered learned throughout school, but for me, I find myself changing my techniques often. Going from writing notes on my computer, to writing detailed notes in my notebook, and sometime not even writing notes at all, just listening (which never works).

For a class like Chem (CHE 116), I've found that I've tried all of those techniques above, but I still don't have a comfortable note taking strategy. When the different startegies were presented in class, there was one specific one that was recommended for a science class, 1-Plus-3 Notes. For this strategy you write your notes on one side and leave the other blank when writing notes in lecture then accomplish these following steps

1. In lecture, write notes like you would usually do

2. After class, reread the written notes

3. Then, on the opposite side, blank side, draw a box (like shown).
   -->Box A: Write key terms/concepts
   -->Box B: Make a graphic organizer to represent those key terms
   -->Box C: Predict test questions

4. REVIEW WEEKLY
   
   
   

This strategy was a great change-up from my normal note-taking. 1-Plus-3 Note-Taking forced me to summarize the notes on each page, which I would have never done before. It also erased the extra information I didn't need. The charts are going to be extremely helpful when it comes time for the 2nd exam. Plus, CHE 116 has a lot of equations and definitions that we need to know by heart for each exam and especially for the final.

My second technique that I tried during the process of finding note-taking strategies that work for me was Plug-In Notes. This strategy works especially well on a computer note-taking program. I use Preview, which is a viewing application for lecture documents. Preview has a great feature where you can annotate and highlight text. I just started using this application in BIO 123 because Dr. Wiles just allowed lecture notes to be posted before class. During class I write any side notes that he mentions other than what is written on each slide. Having this application also allows me to write predicted questions as I go along. I love this application because it makes my notes neat and organized. These annotated notes can also be printed for feature use....(hint-hint: studying for the final)

Note Taking

This week's topic was note taking, a skill I personally struggle with. I always feels the need to write everything down that the teacher says, even when its irrelevant. Even after talking to my teachers during the Faculty Interview Project who said that there was no need for me to take down every word they said, I still feel that it is necessary. Not only that, but because I am a visual learner I also like to add a lot of diagrams as I take notes. I have tried many different note taking techniques and this week I finally found one that worked: Plug In Notes. This strategy is great because it incorporates something for every type of learner. You can type up organized notes, draw diagrams or graphs, record bits of lectures, and more. Everything a student needs is only a click away!I decided to try this strategy in two classes: PSY 205 and MAT 121. Plug In Notes was very successful in both classes but more so in PSY 205 because there were more notes.

What I did in PSY 205:

1. It is alwaysimportant to title your notes, and Plug In Notes has a "title" line ready on each note. I labeled my notes the title of the class, PSY 205, and added the date too so I can keep my notes organized
2. Since we rely on power points in this class, I began taking down the points on the projector, bolding the different topics covered, and then adding bullets to support or add to my points. As you can see I also took advantage of the clip are tool and added a graphic to my notes where it was necessary. This program really offers everything a note taker needs!
3. As class went on we were presented with a graph, where I used the scribble tool to recreate it in my notes. It took a little getting used to, but I eventually steadied my hand to draw straighter lines. This tool is really important to me because I am a visually learner so seeing how things interact and effecteach other really helps me better understand the material.

What I did in MAT 121:

1. Always title your notes first to help you stay organized. Formymath notes I titled it twice; first with the name of the class, and second with the topic for the day.
2. I next took down the notes as he wrote them on the overhead
3. I utilized the "scribble" tool again in an example of the factorial rule.

Plug In Notes worked great in both classes but better in PSY because it had more notes. I recommend using this strategy in classes that are note heavy, as in lectures or recitations. But because it offers so many note taking tools, it really is a strategy that will be successful in any class.

Why it worked for me:

I was also able to fulfill all my needs as a visual and kinesthetic learner by utilizing all parts of the program. These two learning styles are often linked together because they are very similar. Visual learners learn predominantly with their eyes. They prefer to see how to do things rather than just talk about them. Plug In Notes meets these needs by offering organized notes in a way that is easy to see and is also easily accessible, and non distracting (I found myself paying attention more in class because I wasn't tempted to doodle on my notes because it wasn't an option). Kinesthetic learners are people who enjoy lots of hands-on work tend to keep coming back to something so physical. This program is very hands on and keeps the note taker actively engaged and participating in whatever class they may be in. Plug In Notes successfully accomplishes both of these descriptions and thats why I know it worked for me. I definitely suggest this strategy to my fellow classmates.

Note Taking- The 1 plus 3 method

I have always found myself a decent note taker, if not, a very good note taker. I have no problem sitting in lectures and writing rather rapidly in attempts to cover all the material my professor is teaching. My notes are well are legible within my spiral notebooks and when the

time comes to review for a test I can find most of the information from my notes rather than the textbook. I prefer to look at my lecture notes rather than read a lengthy textbook as well. Like I said, I never have a problem writing everything down that I want to write and covering what the professor is teaching at the time, however when it comes down to taking a quiz or test I usually have pages and pages of notes and it consists of bullet points, random headings, underlining important words and bubbling other things or attempting to copy down how the professor is posting his/her slides.

This creates a serious problem for me because then my notes appear a little unorganized. I know that all of the material is on the page some how...but reviewing the notes quickly turns into a drag and something that I dread. I have an issue with thinking that every little word the professor

says is important and so therefore I write down every detail from the slides and it ends up to be a ton of notes and clearly overwhelming. To cure my problem of over-writing notes and copying down too much and deciding which is important information and which material I can toss to the side, I landed on the 1 plus 3 note-taking method.

The first time I tried this method I used it with my Psych 205 lecture notes and the notes my recitation gave out as well. I followed the directions from page 101 in the CLS textbook and took a piece of paper dividing it into three sections. But first, I had to make sure that this piece of paper lies to the left or right of a page of notes I took in my spiral. The three different boxes were divided with two side by side on the top half of the page, and then one giant box rested below.

I labeled the first box with an "A" and this was for key terms and concepts to be placed. The next box was "B" and this was for definitions or examples. And then the last box "C" was for test questions that I thought about from the page of notes I took.

This strategy really helped with my organizing and allowed me to categorize my notes that actually made sense. It works like a little summary in a way and it's so easy to look at my page of notes from lecture, and then to the left see the same information appear on the 1 plus 3 side, but rearranged and looking ready to review. Especially for Psychology this method is so helpful because there is a vast amount of terms and concepts, and it was nice placing them on the left side and then directly to the right of the term I have a definition or example about the term or concept. The questions were a great thing to do after I took the notes above because this allowed me to review my notes yet again one more time. I wrote down 5 questions at the bottom which made me think about what I just wrote down in the other two boxes.

The only complaint I think I would have about this method is that sometimes I would have so much material and information within my notes that breaking my notes down and converting it to the 1 plus 3 method I didn't have enough room to cover all the key terms and definitions. I could always split it up and maybe convert about half of the page and then continue but I found that since the way it was set up in restricted boxes I kind of wanted to elaborate more in box "B" about a definition but it was tight on room and I had to shorten the material, which I always have a problem with. I do think I will continue to use this note-taking strategy though because it allows me to organize my jumbled notes and pick out what is the most important on a page and easily create a definition and example that is so careful to look at and grasp right away. The test questions at the bottom are a great thing to think about before a quiz, test, or exam and it makes me feel like I have a good hold on the subject matter. I would recommend this strategy to fellow classmates.