Jump to content

Cornell Notes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell note system

The Cornell Notes system (also Cornell note-taking system, Cornell method, or Cornell way) is a note-taking system devised in the 1950s by Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University. Pauk advocated its use in his best-selling book How to Study in College.[1]

Overview

[edit]

The Cornell method provides a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes. This system of taking notes is designed for use by a high school or college level student. There are several ways of taking notes, but one of the most common is the "two-column" notes style. The student divides the paper into two columns: the note-taking column (usually on the right) is twice the size of the questions/keyword column, which is on the left. The student leaves five to seven lines open, or about two inches (5 cm), at the bottom of the page.

Notes from a lecture or text are written in the note-taking column; notes usually consist of the main ideas of the text or lecture, and longer ideas are paraphrased. Long sentences are avoided; symbols or abbreviations are used instead. To assist with future reviews, relevant questions or keywords (which should be recorded as soon as possible, so that the lecture and questions will be fresh in the student's mind) are written in the left-hand keyword column. These notes can be taken from any source of information, such as fiction books, DVDs, lectures, or textbooks, etc.[citation needed]

When reviewing the material, the student can cover the note-taking (right) column while answering the questions/keywords in the key word or cue (left) column. The student is encouraged to reflect on the material and review the notes regularly.[2]

Studies on effectiveness

[edit]

While Cornell note-taking is frequently advocated in educational literature,[3][4][5] empirical evidence regarding the impact of the system on learner retention and student performance remains inconclusive.

On one hand, multiple studies support the benefits of the system. A study published in 2023 at Al Baha University compared two groups with one trained on Cornell note-taking and found improved performance.[6] A study from 2019 concluded that "Cornell Notes and REAP had a significant effect on EFL secondary school students' critical reading skills".[7] One study published in 2023 found a positive effect on nursing students who were taught the Cornell note-taking system.[8] A study published in 2010 by Wichita State University compared two note-taking methods in a secondary English classroom, and found that the Cornell note-taking style may be of added benefit in cases where students are required to synthesize and apply learned knowledge, while the guided notes method appeared to be better for basic recall.[9]

However, many other studies report limited or no significant impact on student performance. A 2013 study found that while students instructed in Cornell Notes (CN) produced qualitatively better notes, this did not correspond to higher achievement results; the researchers reported "no significant difference between the intervention and base classes on achievement."[10] Similarly, a 2023 study involving high schoolers determined there was "no difference in student-choice note-taking and Cornell note-taking on student performance in a high school Family and Consumer Sciences class".[11] Additionally, a 2016 doctoral thesis by Baharev Zulejka reported that 8th-grade students using Cornell Notes produced notes with slightly greater word counts but containing fewer key points compared to controls, and identified no statistically significant improvement in their comprehension test scores.[12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pauk, Walter; Owens, Ross J. Q. (2010). How to Study in College (10 ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth. ISBN 978-1-4390-8446-5. Chapter 10: "The Cornell System: Take Effective Notes", pp. 235-277
  2. ^ Wong, Linda (2014-01-01). Essential Study Skills (8 ed.). Cengage Learning. p. 288. ISBN 978-1285430096.
  3. ^ "The Cornell Note Taking System – Learning Strategies Center". Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  4. ^ Saran, Manick; Krentz Gober, Madeline; McCarty, E Berryhill (November 2022). "An introduction to the Cornell Note system". Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 101 (9_suppl): 37S – 41S. doi:10.1177/01455613221146457. ISSN 0145-5613. PMID 36548929.
  5. ^ "The Cornell Method for Note-Taking". Campus Life. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  6. ^ Abualzain, Osama Yousif (2024-08-09). "The Effect of Implementing Cornell Note-Taking Strategies on New Students' Performance in Listening Comprehension". Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 14 (8): 2379–2388. doi:10.17507/tpls.1408.10. ISSN 2053-0692.
  7. ^ Ahmad, Samah Zakareya (2019-09-29). "Impact of Cornell Notes vs. REAP on EFL Secondary School Students' Critical Reading Skills". International Education Studies. 12 (10): 60. doi:10.5539/ies.v12n10p60. ISSN 1913-9020.
  8. ^ Amhout, Aziz; Kharbach, Ahmed; Naciri, Aziz; Lahlou, Laila (2023-04-01). "The effect of the Cornell method on the quality of grade production and learning performance of nursing students". Pedagogical Research. 8 (2): em0153. doi:10.29333/pr/12787. ISSN 2468-4929.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Keil (25 April 2008). "A Comparison of Two Note Taking Methods in a Secondary English Classroom" (PDF). Proceedings: 4th Annual Symposium: Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects Conference Proceedings Held at the Eugene Hughes Metropolitan Complex. Wichita State University. Symposium Chair: David M. Eichhorn
  10. ^ Broe, Duane (Summer 2013). "Effects of Teaching Cornell Notes on Student Achievement". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1061.8854.
  11. ^ Quintus, Lori; Borr, Mari; Duffield, Stacy; Napoleon, Larry; Welch, Anita (2023-09-19). "The Impact of the Cornell Note-Taking Method on Students' Performance in a High School Family and Consumer Sciences Class". Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education. 30 (1).
  12. ^ Zulejka, Baharev (2016). The effects of Cornell note-taking and review strategies on recall and comprehension of lecture content for middle school students with and without disabilities (Thesis). Rutgers University - Graduate School of Education. doi:10.7282/T3HD7XZ8.
[edit]
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Note Taking

Digital tools

[edit]

Cornell Notes apps

[edit]

Cornell Notes templates

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornell_Notes&oldid=1286642244"