information retrieval strategies
Information retrieval strats | Raymond Sheehan | September 7th, 2002
Anybody else have comments on reading strategies they employ when dealing with a large amount of books and articles? I don't try too hard to retain a lot of the details of what I read, being more impressed in a global sort of way by, for example, somebody's powerful argument about adult learner characteristics or whatever...but I try to have a system where I can go back and find the quotations/information/references again when/if I have to. So a second question is: any tips on information/reference storage strategies?
Raymond
Retrieval strategies | Andy Boon | September 8th, 2002
In response to Raymond's question:
When I take notes from a book or article, I assign it a letter: A, B, C and so on (if I get to Z, I start again at AA, BB). I write this letter, then book title, year, author etc. in my notebook and then take the notes I want making sure I jot down page numbers (believe me if you don't it's a right royal pain in the backside when you come to write the assignment and you want to re-read a certain part and you can't find it!!)
Additionally, when writing notes, I use 2 pens: black ink - direct notes from the book or article, red ink - my own comments, observations pertinent to the particular assignment.
Once I make a rough plan of the assignment, I can then "letter, page no." code the plan to point me to the correct areas of my notes.
E.g. Under my introduction heading will be a mass of letters and numbers - A: 23 D 45 and so on.
This system has got me through my undergraduate and most of the MSC so far - I guess I was excessively potty trained when I was a kid!!!!
Andy
Re: Retrival strategies | Mike McDonald | September 8th, 2002
That sounds a very effective system. If I can get it together I'll give it a shot.
Mike
Reading Strategies | Jerry Talandis Jr. | September 8th, 2002
I agree with the advice of not getting bogged down. You need to find a way to capture the essence of stuff without it taking tons of time. I usually skim and write up a short blurb at the end of the article/book consisting of my thoughts and reactions. When it comes time for my assignment, these notes come in handy, refreshing my memory and helping me decide if this source is relevant to my assignment. Once I get a stack of stuff for possible use for my assignment, I type up a "Literature Review." This is a paragraph on each source, focusing on how it fits into my argument. I'll always start off by writing out the full reference. This comes in handy later when I need to put together my references section. If there is a good quote, I'll type it in italics and make note of where and how it could be used. This review process takes a bunch of work, but going through each source carefully really helps me figure out what I want to say in my assignment.
Good luck finding your own system!
Jerry
Note taking | Francesca | September 9th, 2002
Francesca here...
Great to see so many people contributing to the list. Over the two years that I've been on the course there seem to have been high and low points of participation. Certainly my own contributions have corresponded directly with the amount of time I've been dedicating to study in general, the period of most participation being during the first year.
Raymond asked for tips on information storage. I like mind mapping and have a large notebook in which I mind map each unit of the module and all the core reading. The challenge is to get the essential info down in no more than two pages, mostly key words, names and terminology together with page reference numbers and at the center of the mind map the title and full reference. This system makes information retrieval quick for me. Like other CPs I don't read in much detail at first unless I find the material particularly interesting. Rather, I try to work quickly and then go back to things if they are relevant to my assignment later on. I also note ideas for possible assignments in a separate section of my note book ( these are usually triggered when reading ) so that when I've finished the module, if I haven't decided on one area of focus yet, I have several possibilities to consider. Finally, I've returned to using the diary at the end of study sessions to reflect on what I've read. It's well worth an extra fifteen minutes of study time especially as I have no one to discuss the material with.
Gotta class to teach now,
Francesca
Brazil
with 
and 
