This year at North, you may have noticed that many of your teachers have been asking you to use Cornell notes. In the 1950s Cornell notes were created by Walter Pauk, a professor at Cornell University. They are formatted by dividing the paper into two sections. One section is used for splitting up the different parts of the notes with titles and questions. The other section is for writing the information that falls under the topic, and answers any questions that you have. When you are finished taking the notes you are supposed to write a short summary about what you have learned. Several studies have been done on their effectiveness, but do they actually work? Or are they just a bunch of extra work?
What actually makes Cornell notes different from other types of notes? According to Mrs. Chauby, North High School’s principal, “The Cornell system of note taking is very different from other types of note taking formats. The questions and main ideas which are written down the left side of the notes are questions and main ideas that the students generate. Also, the Summary at the bottom is student generated. Having the students generate questions, ideas and summaries, forces students to actually think about the concepts and ideas which are outlined in the notes rather than just copying them down.”
Cornell notes help students by providing more steps than just copying down what you see on a board. They provide ways to help you think about the stuff you're writing. For some students this approach does not work. Answering the questions and writing the summary doesn't reinforce the notes for some kids, and is just seen as extra work, or a waste of time.
Mrs. Chauby's response when I asked her how do you think Cornell notes could help student's was,"The Cornell not taking system helps students take ownership of their own learning. It also provides a good format for studying. Study's show that students who take notes and study from those note 10-15 minutes each day, perform better on tests than those students who do not take notes and do not study."
Students that use Cornell notes might like or dislike them for the extra work they create that can help reinforce the concept of the notes in your mind. While Cornell notes are helpful tools for some students, they do not work the same way for each student.
by:Meghan Senik
What actually makes Cornell notes different from other types of notes? According to Mrs. Chauby, North High School’s principal, “The Cornell system of note taking is very different from other types of note taking formats. The questions and main ideas which are written down the left side of the notes are questions and main ideas that the students generate. Also, the Summary at the bottom is student generated. Having the students generate questions, ideas and summaries, forces students to actually think about the concepts and ideas which are outlined in the notes rather than just copying them down.”
Cornell notes help students by providing more steps than just copying down what you see on a board. They provide ways to help you think about the stuff you're writing. For some students this approach does not work. Answering the questions and writing the summary doesn't reinforce the notes for some kids, and is just seen as extra work, or a waste of time.
Mrs. Chauby's response when I asked her how do you think Cornell notes could help student's was,"The Cornell not taking system helps students take ownership of their own learning. It also provides a good format for studying. Study's show that students who take notes and study from those note 10-15 minutes each day, perform better on tests than those students who do not take notes and do not study."
Students that use Cornell notes might like or dislike them for the extra work they create that can help reinforce the concept of the notes in your mind. While Cornell notes are helpful tools for some students, they do not work the same way for each student.
by:Meghan Senik