Thinking, reading and taking notes
Have you ever sat down to study, spent a while reading the material, then realised that you don’t remember anything? Thinking, reading and taking notes will help you develop successful study techniques. Become an active reader, learn to take effective notes and think more critically.
Critical thinking
What is critical thinking? How can it help you in your study? Your course will provide many practical opportunities for developing your thinking skills.
- Critical thinking – an outline of the stages and skills needed for critical thinking
- Ways to develop critical thinking – strategies for developing your critical thinking skills
Reading
Reading for study takes time, because understanding requires the development of your thoughts and ideas in response to the text. Learn to be more focused on what you are doing, and clarify your purpose by using some of these active techniques.
- Reading for your course – how to read through your course materials
- Finding and evaluating material – sources of relevant resources
- Fast reading techniques – make your reading more effective
- Active reading – be fully focused on your task
- Reading critically – consider relevance, validity and objectivity
- What good readers do – try out some of their ideas
- Five steps to better reading – improve your understanding
- Coping with difficult content – top ten tips on reading difficult texts
Taking notes
Making well organised notes saves you time, consolidates your learning and helps you revise.
- Taking notes on your course – the importance of good notes
- How to take notes – advice on finding the right techniques to use
- Taking notes from speech – some important points to consider
- What to avoid when taking notes – tips on what not to do when you're taking notes
- Techniques for taking notes – explore different ways to take notes
- Organising your notes – using notebooks, folders and your computer
- Using abbreviations – how to use symbols and shorten words
Language courses
All language courses include an audio component, and most a video component as well.
- Taking notes for language students – working with language material
- Audio and video resources – how to get the best from your course resources
- Make your own notes – think about what style of notes will work for you
Using maths on your course
You need to practise techniques and work through new problems.
- Reading maths – tips on learning and understanding maths symbols and language
- Writing maths – good notes help to clarify your thoughts and understanding
- If you get stuck with maths – strategies for dealing with difficulties
Further advice
- Working with charts, graphs and tables – learn how to interpret data set out in mathematical formats
Booklets
These
booklets complement what you will find on this website. If you are an OU
student and would like a printed copy of these booklets, contact your regional
centre.
You will need your OU computer username and password to access the booklet.
Reading and Taking Notes (PDF, 1.08MB)
Make life easier
Time spent thinking and planning can save unnecessary work.
Know why you are reading - what are you going to get out of this text? Scan or skim a document first to see whether it contains what you need.
OU websites
- PC4Study - get the most out of your computer for study
- Web Guide - make effective use of the web
- Systems practice managing complexity – different ways of thinking