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Learning strategies

How to Take Notes of Readings

Absorbing the content of academic texts, like book chapters or journal articles, can be challenging. Taking notes while engaging in academic reading can help you navigate through dense material, making your reading more efficient and effective. This Resource Page offers 4 methods for notetaking on academic reading.

How to Take Notes in Class

Using note-taking strategies during classes can help us focus and keep our brains active, and ultimately organize our notes and ideas more effectively for our studies. This Resource Page will help you take effective notes in class.

Critical Thinking in Academic Contexts

Critical thinking is an essential skill for academic success and professional growth, particularly in graduate school where advanced analytical abilities are required. This Resource Page explains what critical thinking is and shows how to apply it to reading, writing, discussion and collaborative work.

How to Read Academic Articles

This Resource Page shows you strategies for critical academic reading depending on your reading purposes — whether for class discussions, selecting literature for an assignment, or including ideas from selected readings into your paper — to maximize your understanding and insight.

How to Understand & Plan Assignments

You may ask: “Why are assignments so common at OISE instead of exams? Why do most OISE instructors use assignments to grade students?”. This Resource Page will help you navigate the process of understanding assignment instructions and planning.

How to Organize Literature

Once you have gathered the relevant literature for your assignment and read it in detail, you need to organize key information and notes systematically. This Resource Page will help you find strategies and a system to organize your literature and notes.

How to Prepare a Literature Review

This Resource Page shows the different stages of literature review preparation and presents resources to support you at each stage.

How to Select Assignment Topics

Your course instructors might ask you to write a paper and they will often require you to choose your own assignment topic. This Resource Page will show you effective strategies for selecting a topic.