What Are Cornell Notes?

The Cornell note form is an excellent strategy for comprehension of new information. These notes are useful to organize ideas into categories and to help students better understand printed text, lectures and media. The note strategy can be used for many different types of classes and purposes. Reviewing the notes helps students study and recall information for tests. Once students learn this strategy by taking notes from printed text, their notetaking from lectures is improved. Regardless of how the teacher organizes the material, students can provide the organization that makes sense to them. After class, they review the notes to organize the material better. Some students use highlighters at this stage, rather than rewriting everything. Cornell notes assist in recall of main ideas as well as key details. Reviewing the notes before a test helps students efficiently study the words, ideas or events that might be on a test.

Need more information on C-notes?  Here are several files that you might find helpful.