Reading Techniques and Note-Taking Methods for Efficient Learning

This essay discusses important reading techniques and note-taking methods that can help students become more efficient readers and remember new information. It covers various techniques like scanning, SQ3R, skimming, and active reading, along with note-taking methods like outline note-taking, Cornell note-taking, boxing note-taking, and charting note-taking. The essay also highlights the benefits of these skills for students in higher education.

Individual essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Main Body ......................................................................................................................................3
Identify important reading techniques that can help students become more efficient readers3
Note taking methods that will help students remember new information..............................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Skills are defined as an individual's ability that help them to perform defined task and
operations with efficiency and effectiveness. Skills as well as competencies are developed by
students through taking defined training sessions and experiences. In university, students
improves their reading and note-taking skills through different types of journals, books and case
studies. Note taking is the skill that facilitates students to remember academic or other concepts
for longer period of time by revising notes quickly. In this report different types of reading
techniques are covered that help students to become more efficient and effective reader. Along
with that, there is various methods of note-taking are explained that enable students to recall new
information.
Main Body
Identify important reading techniques that can help students become more efficient readers
Reading is considered as the effective mode of communication that enables an individual
to turn writing into meaning. There are various types of reading techniques and methods that
facilitates reader to convert written text in meaningful language with having high rate of
comprehension, fluency and independence. Decoding, fluency and vocabulary are reading skills
that helps students to understand whole text and connect with idea (Rosenshine, 2017). Reading
techniques or methods allow students to become efficient and effective reader. These techniques
are mentioned below:
Scanning is considered as the efficient reading technique enable students to access or
locate the precise information in effective manner. It helps students to determine key terms and
different expressions that allow to understand core meaning of text or subject. Scanning is the
method that is used by students to run their eyes over the whole text and figure out the core
concept. It helps students to become efficient and effective reader through accessing key points.
These points helps students to understand the concept of content quickly in their mind.
SQ3R technique is the another technique of reading that includes five different stages
and with passing of each stage, students understand full and depth comprehension of text. First
stage of this technique includes survey that helps to access the quick idea regarding the content
as well as structure of reading. Students make their mind to read read the core idea of content
than they prepare questions regarding the material (Reifinger Jr, 2018). In this stage different

paragraph titles are formed in question format that enable students to identify basic meaning of
that paragraph. After that in next stage, these questions are read by students and set of various
reading techniques are used to grasp the real meaning like scanning and active reading. After that
students give answers of questions that are formed in previous stage, it stage is called recite. All
answers need to be framed in proper format with having proper justification. Last stage of this
reading technique that enable students to review the whole knowledge and information that is
learnt throughout reading process. It allows students gain proper idea about the structure of
reading, prepare sequential and relative questions than answer them in proper way. This
technique facilitates students to read critical as well as comprehensive content in effective
manner and help them to become efficient reader.
Skinning is defined as the technique of reading that enable students to understand the
general meaning or idea of whole content through reading the table of content, abstract and
headings. In this technique, it is important to read the first and last paragraph as well as first and
last lines of specific sections that helps students to understand the core idea that is carried in
whole content. This technique enable students to skim the content before reading the whole
content. Through using this technique students identify key information of whole text. Skinning
is the technique that is used by students for various purposes like go through the whole content
and review course before exam (Malone, 2019). It saves students time because they only read
key points than reading the whole content. It enable students to understand core meaning of
content on quick bases.
Active reading technique helps students to improve their in-depth understanding because
whole content is read by students with full attention. It is used to read complex and critical
books, articles and other content. In this technique, students ask different related questions that
enhance their learning and knowledge (Kitchen, and Kraus, 2018). Students also relate their
content with past experience and with the knowledge that is learnt by them during their higher
education.
These are reading techniques that are used by students to read content efficiently and
become efficient reader. These techniques improve students vocabulary, writing ability, enhance
reading skill that enable them to express their ideas, thoughts as well as views in understandable
way. Effective reading enable students to perform efficiently in their higher education.

Note taking methods that will help students remember new information
Note-taking considered as the practice that involve the activity of recording data and
information from different sources in proper sequence. Essence of information is recorded by
students through using note-taking method that can be quickly revised in future. Main objective
if note-taking is to prepare note in shorts key points in most understandable manner. Some
methods of note-taking are explained below:
Outline note-taking method is considered as the easiest method of note-taking which is
used by students for the purpose of storing and recording information in clear sequence. As per
this method, whole idea is recorded in four to five key points that covers the whole essence of
lesson. Well organised notes are prepared through using this method or technique. This method
can be used by students in both inductive as well as deductive manner. Students developed these
notes in the form of points and sub points which can be understand through quick scanning. It is
suitable for recording information in live lecture due to requirement of clear lesson structure.
Outline note-taking facilitates students to record data in sequential and logical manner that can
quickly reviewed before examination (Boyle and Joyce, 2019). Along with that this method of
note-taking enable students to gain new information as well as recalling existing information in
future.
Cornell note-taking method is another note-taking method that is tried and-true strategy
that records information and data in efficient and effective manner. In this note-taking method,
data is being represented in columns and rows that are clearly understandable through quick
scanning. It is most versatile, useful and simple method of note-taking for almost subjects
because it enable students to prepare systematic and sequential notes (Most Efficient Note Taking
Methods, 2022). Students organise key points in appropriate manner that extract major concepts
and ideas of specific lesson. Through using this note-taking method, students record and
remember information quickly through revising the concept.
Boxing note-taking method is the note-taking taking technique in which data is
represented in the forms of boxes or table which is easily understandable. Representation of data
in the form of box are quite easy to revise or recall (Oefinger and Peverly, 2020). For the visual
learners, it is the most appropriate note-taking method in which students also uses various
features like lassoing, moving notes after resizing and writing. Students can improve their
knowledge and understanding through revising the concepts quickly because they are clearly

visible. It is the time intensive and not appropriate or practical for note-taking during the
lectures.
Charting note-taking method is the note taking technique in which charts are used in
order to classify data and information with the help of rows and columns. This method of note-
taking is not used for recording the information of any subject because it is remarkable tool
which work under some specific circumstance (Joyce and Sills, 2018). Charting note-taking
method is mostly used to record factual or statistical data in tabular form. It is not appropriate for
recording notes in live lecturers and topics that required detailed description. It enables students
to compare and prepare note in precise way and it is quite easy to understand topics with the help
of charts as well as visual representation.
Note-taking is defined as the skill or competency that helps students to record who
information of content in the form of pointers or key points that can be used in future for quick
revision. In notes whole concept or essence is covered that improve students knowledge and
understanding (Miriyev, and Kovač, 2020). Properly formed and structured notes enable students
to revise whole concept quickly to perform efficiently in their higher education.
CONCLUSION
As per the above report, it can be concluded that in higher education various skills as well
as competencies are required to achieve determined goals and objectives with efficiency and
effectiveness. Reading and note-taking are the skills that improve students overall personality
and performance. Reading techniques like like skimming, scanning and active reading are some
techniques that are used by students that help them to become efficient reader. Note-taking skill
is related to recording data and information from different sources in systematic manner.
Students use various methods of note-taking like outline note-taking, boxing note-taking,
charting note-taking and various other that enable students to prepare note in their own language.

REFERENCE
Book and journal
Rosenshine, B.V., 2017. Skill hierarchies in reading comprehension. In Theoretical issues in
reading comprehension (pp. 535-554). Routledge.
Reifinger Jr, J.L., 2018. The relationship of pitch sight-singing skills with tonal discrimination,
language reading skills, and academic ability in children. Journal of Research in Music
Education, 66(1), pp.71-91.
Malone, J., 2019. Teaching and Developing Reading Skills.
Kitchen, T. and Kraus, W., 2018. Teaching reading skills using discrete trial training. Journal of
Evidence-Based Practices for Schools, 17(2), pp.174-194.
Boyle, J.R. and Joyce, R.L., 2019. Using smartpens to support note-taking skills of students with
learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 55(2), pp.86-93.
Oefinger, L.M. and Peverly, S.T., 2020. The lecture note-taking skills of adolescents with and
without learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53(3), pp.176-188.
Joyce, P. and Sills, C., 2018. Skills in Gestalt counselling & psychotherapy. Sage.
Miriyev, A. and Kovač, M., 2020. Skills for physical artificial intelligence. Nature Machine
Intelligence, 2(11), pp.658-660.
ONLINE
Most Efficient Note Taking Methods.2022 [Online] available
through :<https://www.lifehack.org/856826/note-taking>