Organizing Information and Taking Notes¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 12 studies (5 quant-synthesis, 4 causal, 2 review, 1 associational), q2–q4 · 3 of 12 report an effect size

Description¶

This strategy teaches learners to structure and record information deliberately — through graphic organizers (concept maps, matrices, Venn diagrams, flow charts), sorting tasks, and structured note-taking systems such as Cornell Notes. The goal is to convert transient, linear input into an organized external representation that reveals relationships among ideas. Because note-taking skill is not spontaneous, explicit instruction and gradual release toward independent use are essential.

Design Implications¶

Organizing information reduces extraneous cognitive load by offloading working memory onto an external structure and forcing selection and relational processing of content Chunking reduces working memory load. [+M]. The act of generating an organizer or structured note produces deeper processing than copying or highlighting, but only when learners actively decide how ideas relate rather than passively filling in a provided template Self-explanation improves conceptual understanding. [+M]. Note-taking during lectures trades attention: recording can impair listening, so scaffolds that reduce transcription burden (partial outlines, guided notes) help novices most.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Explicit instruction in the target strategy, including modeling of how an expert organizes the same material
• Graphic organizers or note frameworks matched to the content structure (hierarchical, comparative, sequential, causal)
• Opportunities for practice with feedback on the quality of organization, not just completeness
• A later retrieval or synthesis task so notes are actually used (Practice)

Constraints¶

• Provided organizers can become fill-in-the-blank busywork; learners who complete a teacher-structured organizer without making relational decisions show weaker benefits Self-explanation improves conceptual understanding. [~M]
• Note-taking during a lecture can overload novices — transcription competes with comprehension, and complete notes taken by others (instructor-provided) sometimes yield better learning for low-knowledge learners [~M]
• Learners with weak prior knowledge struggle to judge which ideas are important enough to record; without cues, their notes mirror the surface sequence of the material [~M]
• Rereading and highlighting — the default "organization" many students fall back on — are among the least effective study techniques (Dunlosky et al., 2013) [-S]

Implementation Variability¶

• Guided notes / partial outlines: instructor supplies structure, learners fill key relations — best for novices and fast-paced lectures
• Learner-generated organizers: learners construct concept maps or matrices themselves — better for consolidation when prior knowledge is adequate
• Cornell Notes: cue column, notes, and summary enforce a built-in retrieval and self-explanation cycle
• Post-hoc reorganization: learners restructure raw notes into a map or matrix after the input event, separating capture from organization

Target Learners¶

• Novices and intermediate learners who lack the prior knowledge to spontaneously impose structure on new material
• Adult learners in academic or professional settings developing study and synthesis skills
• Less beneficial as a provided scaffold for experts, who organize efficiently on their own and may find imposed structures redundant [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Comprehension and retention of structured content (relationships, hierarchies, comparisons)
• Selective attention: identifying main ideas and their relative importance
• Development of transferable study skills and independent learning habits

Instructions¶

1. Model the strategy: demonstrate organizing a short passage or lecture segment aloud, showing how you decide what to record and how to relate it (Advance Organizers can frame the structure before input).
2. Provide a content-matched organizer or note framework (matrix for comparisons, flow chart for processes, concept map for hierarchies), chunked so each section fits within working memory limits Chunking reduces working memory load. [+M].
3. Have learners complete the organizer during or immediately after input, then explain their organizational choices to a peer or in writing Self-explanation improves conceptual understanding. [+M].
4. Give feedback on the structure and selectivity of notes, not merely their completeness (Practice with instructor review).
5. Fade the scaffold: shift from provided organizers to learner-constructed ones across successive tasks, and require learners to use their notes in a retrieval or synthesis activity.

Related Strategies¶

• Annotating — text-marking is the reading-side counterpart; both depend on selective attention to importance
• Chunking — the organizational units learners form are chunks; organizers make chunk boundaries visible
• Clear Structure — well-structured source material is far easier to organize; disorganized input undermines note-taking
• Spaced review of notes [+M] — notes only pay off when revisited on a spaced schedule, not filed away
• Use the coaching framework as a structured discussion guide with a note-taking grid and study group questions

Examples¶

• Cornell Notes (Pauk & Owens, How to Study in College) — the cue-question-summary format used across secondary and higher education; the summary step functions as built-in self-explanation.
• Reading Apprenticeship (https://readingapprenticeship.org) — metacognitive routines in which students externalize and organize their thinking about disciplinary texts.
• Comparative matrices in history instruction — students fill a matrix of causes, actors, and outcomes across cases, converting narrative lectures into a structure that supports comparison and essay planning.
• Concept mapping in science courses — learners construct maps linking new concepts to prior ones after a unit, then compare maps to reveal misconceptions.

Key Sources¶

• Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. doi:10.1177/1529100612453266
• Nesbit, J. C., & Adesope, O. O. (2006). Learning with concept and knowledge maps: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 76(3), 413–448. doi:10.3102/00346543076003413
• Kiewra, K. A. (1989). A review of note-taking: The encoding-storage paradigm and beyond. Educational Psychology Review, 1(2), 147–172. doi:10.1007/BF01326640
• Pauk, W., & Owens, R. J. Q. (2011). How to Study in College (10th ed.). Wadsworth.