The Cornell method: taking notes from a lecture recording
transcription saves the words of the teacher. Cornell's study notes help turn them into questions that you can answer yourself.
One sheet – three tasksWorking scheme of training notes for repetition
Short response
In the Cornell method, the notes are supplemented with questions for repetition and a short result. According to the recording of the lecture, it is convenient to first highlight the semantic fragment, then write down the main ideas on the right, formulate questions on the left and explain the topic at the bottom in your own words. The benefit appears when you really answer questions without a hint, and not only beautifully design the page.
Contents
How the Cornell Method Works
You've read the study notes, you seem familiar. But it is worth closing the page – and it is already difficult to explain the topic. The Cornell method offers to immediately prepare notes for such a check: next to the explanations, write down questions that will help restore the content from memory.
In the Cornell University described the cycle: fix the material, make questions, answer in your own words with closed notes, comprehend connections and return to repetition. This is not a competition for decoration and not a requirement to rewrite the lecture verbatim.
For our sheet version, leave a narrow column on the left for questions, wide to the right for notes and a separate field from the bottom for the outcome. Precise centimeters are not important: the question should be placed entirely, and the answer should be read without close lines. A paper or a document with a table will be suitable.
If you need regular tutorials first on a large record, start with Disassembly of lectures on semantic blocks. Here we will focus on the sheet for repetition.
How to prepare a lecture
Choose one completed topic: for example, the difference between the middle and the median. Do not try to fit the entire semester into one table. The name of the sheet should tell you what question you are currently studying.
- Get transcription or open your notes. Save the name of the class and the reference to the source.
- Check terms and numbers. Automatic text can be wrong in a sign, surname or meaning.
- Mark the missing visual part. If the teacher says “as seen in the diagram,” find the appropriate frame or slide. One audio scheme will not be restored.
- Select the boundaries of the topic. Write down the timecode of the beginning and end of the fragment to quickly return to the explanation.
In the right column, transfer meaning, not the flow of oral speech. Introductory history can be reduced. The definition, condition of application and analysis of the error is better to keep. Mark an incomprehensible place with a question mark - it requires verification, not a beautiful retelling.
Completed example: middle and median
The training mini-lecture and timecodes below are fictional. Numbers are selected to explain the way of note.
Imagine that the teacher compares the time of execution of five tasks: 10, 12, 12, 14 and 52 minutes. Our task is to understand why two indicators give different values.
| Questions for repetition | Brief notes |
|---|---|
| How to find the average arithmetic? | 03:20. Add values and divide by their number. In example: (10 + 12 + 12 + 14 + 52) / 5 = 20 minutes. |
| How to find the median of five values? | 05:10. Streamline numbers and take the central, third. Here the median is 12 minutes. |
| Why do the results vary? | 07:40. The task for 52 minutes increases the amount and average. The central value of the ordered series remains 12. |
| What will change if 52 is replaced by 102? | 09:05. The average will be 30 minutes: the amount of 150 is divided by 5. The median will remain 12. |
| Is it possible to choose an indicator without understanding the task? | 11:30. We need to understand what we describe. To explain the distribution, it is useful to see the values themselves, not just one final figure. |
The result in words. The average takes into account the value of each value, the median depends on the position in the ordered series. A large single value can significantly change the average. Before choosing an indicator, you need to look at the data and the question to which we answer.
Note the fourth line: she asks to apply the idea to the changed data. This question checks more than the recognition of a familiar definition.
Empty template of educational notes
Copy the frame. In each sheet, change the questions under your topic, rather than adjust the lecture to the same wording.
Subject / topic: [name].
Date of class: [date].
Source: [record, textbook chapter, slides].
Recording fragment: [the beginning is the end].
Left column – questions
What does [the concept] mean?
Under what condition does [the rule] apply?
How to solve [a small example]?
What is the difference [A] and [B]?
What is the easy mistake to make here?
Right column – notes
[Definition in their own words.]
[Condition and limitation.]
[An example with the progress of the decision.]
[The timecode of the place to be heard.]
The result
[A few suggestions: what explains the topic and where it will come in handy.]
It remains unclear
[Question to the teacher or place to check the textbook.]
For history, instead of computing, add the relationship of events and the author's argument. For language – the rule, the context of use and your own example. For the technical topic - entrance conditions, steps and a sign of the correct result.
How to repeat on such a note
Close the right column. Read the first question and answer aloud or write down the answer separately. Only then open the notes. Compare not the beauty of the wording, but the accuracy of meaning.
It is comfortable to note three conditions: “I explain on my own”, “I need a hint”, “I do not yet understand”. This is your work mark, not an assessment of the ability to subject. If the answer is incorrect, find a specific space: a condition is forgotten, the term is confused, or the decision step is unclear.
Return to the appropriate timecode and fix the note. Then check yourself for another example. In the case of medium and media, take a new set of numbers; do not limit yourself to playing the already learned answer “20 and 12”.
Schedule the next repetition and change the intervals from the result. Return the difficult thing earlier, confidently explained – later. There is no one timetable, equally suitable for any topic, the exam term and the person.
Mistakes that turn the method into rewriting
| What prevents | How to fix |
|---|---|
| All transcription is inserted on the right | Leave a key idea, a condition and one clear example. Keep the source text separately. |
| On the left, only the names: "Mediana", "Formula" | Formulate questions that really need to be answered. |
| The question already contains the answer | Take away the hint: instead of “A median is the middle?” Ask “How to find a median?” |
| The result is copied from the lecture | Close the source and explain the topic in your own words, then check the accuracy. |
| All the time goes to the design | Leave a simple table and spend time on the answers and analysis of the incomprehensible. |
If the whole sheet is clear only while the textbook is open, it is not yet ready for self-repeat. Add missed connections, decrypt incomprehensible cuts, and check one question without help.
Frequently asked questions
Can Cornell's study notes be on the computer?
Yes, for the described process, a document with two columns and a total field is sufficient. Choose a format in which it is convenient to close the answers and return to questions.
Do I need to write a lecture verbatim?
No. The main ideas, conditions and examples fall into the training notes. Full transcription remains the source by which to check the contraction.
Is the method suitable for formulas and schemes?
Yes, but the text of the record may not be enough. Add formulas and images from the materials you allow and check them by slides or textbook.
Can a ready-made sammari replace such training notes?
It can help highlight topics, but questions for self-checking and their own answers require separate work. A short retelling doesn't show if you can explain the material without a hint.
The basis of the method: Cornell University — The Cornell Note-taking System. An example, template and adaptation for recording the lecture are prepared by the editorial board.
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