Do you know how to take notes? Or maybe I should rephrase that. Do you know how to take effective notes? You see, anyone can take notes. But, developing a system that works for you is a skill many students are lacking.
This is no fault of their own. Some students may have been able to get away with never taking notes in high school, but college is different.
The ironic thing about college is you are going there to learn. However, many of the academic skills you need to be a good learner are not actually taught to you. Note taking being one of them.
What is the purpose of note taking?
I can hear my brother repeating this question- note taking and studying were not his thing. But I digress…
The purpose of note taking is to help you digest the lecture and ultimately get better grades. Here’s why note taking is an advantageous skill to learn:
- Taking notes encourages you to focus on what is being said.
- It helps you understand the information because you are processing the information so you can summarize it in your own words.
- There’s no way you will remember everything by just listening.
- You can make note of anything that doesn’t make sense to you so you can follow up on it.
- It is scientifically proven that writing things down helps you remember them better.
- Serves as a starting point for studying and it should reduce the amount of cramming before a test.
Effective note taking is a skill often developed in college, but it is very important in the real world as well. Summarizing meetings and on the job training are just a few examples. Therefore, mastering this in college will pay off even after you graduate.
Writing vs. Typing Notes
Any type of note taking is better than not taking any notes. However, old-school pen and paper is better than typing.
Why?
Typing you are more likely to type everything you are hearing without thinking. This is because typing is so much faster than writing. Therefore, you are skipping the step of processing the information.
When you write, you have to process the information to determine what you are going to put down and summarize it in your own words. This leads to understanding the material better and improved retention.
There have been a number of studies conducted that have proven students with handwritten notes performed better on tests than students with typed notes.
How should students prepare for lecture note taking?
Note taking starts with being prepared for class and staying organized. Honestly, freshman year I was kind of a mess in terms of staying organized for my classes. I had one notebook for all classes, which made it challenging to keep track.
One of my best tips for organizing your notes I learned from my college boyfriend (now husband). He introduced me to the concept of having a separate notebook or binder for every class. This definitely made a big difference and having a neat system actually made me look forward to taking notes.
Here are other ways you can prepare for class to take notes:
- Bring a pen or pencil whatever you prefer. For studying engineering, my personal preference were mechanical pencils. I despised taking notes with ball point pens that would smudge the page.
- Make sure you have a lot of room, not just one page of paper.
- Start each lecture on a new page with the date and title.
- If there was homework or reading assigned for the lecture do it. Make note of any questions or clarifications so you can get them answered during class or follow up with the lecturer after class.
- Sometimes, a PowerPoint presentation with slides is posted prior to the lecture. If so, print them out so you can take notes directly on the slides.
What are the different note taking techniques that work?
There are many different note taking systems. I’ll discuss the three that are easiest to implement right now. You can use these for different forms of delivery such as lectures, online classes, and textbooks.
Keep in mind, for all of these techniques be sure to paraphrase and do not write in full sentences. Additionally, do not write word-for-word everything the professor says. Only write down the important information and what the instructor stresses. Abbreviations and symbols can help you take quick notes so you can keep up with the lecture. Lastly, highlighting or underlining can help emphasize key points.
Best For Structure: Outlining Method
When thinking of note taking, this is probably the method everyone thinks of first. The main ideas or topics being discussed make up the headings for each section.
Then, subtopics are written below the main ideas and indented. Finally, add details under each subtopic that are indented as well. In addition to indents, you can add bullets, numbers, roman numerals, whatever makes sense to you.
This technique can be very detailed. It is best to read-through your notes after class and summarize the main ideas or key concepts. This will help you can see the bigger picture.
Best For Studying: The Cornell Method
The Cornell note taking method may look intimidating at first, but is fairly easy to do.
First, divide your paper into three sections- notes, cues, and summary. It is recommended to have the notes section 6 inches, the cues section 2.5 inches and the summary 2 inches from the bottom. However, if that does not give you enough space, use the front of the page for notes and back for cues.
- Notes: During class, fill in the notes section based on what the professor is saying. You can use the outline method here as well.
- Cues: This area can be used during or after class, whichever you prefer. If it is after, make sure it is done as soon as possible while the content is still fresh in your mind. Here, you will form questions to help you remember the material. Additionally, you can use this section to study by asking yourself the question and answering out loud. Again, doing this as soon as possible after class will help you retain the information, which will decrease the amount of studying later.
- Summary: After you take your notes and ask questions, summarize the class in one to two sentences at the bottom of the page. Here you can capture main ideas and key take-aways. Try to answer the question- what did you learn today? This will help you understand the big picture. You can also use this section to see connections between lectures. Do this before class by reviewing the summary from the last class. Then, you will remember what was covered last time.
The Cornell Note Taking Method can help you save time. When done right, you shouldn’t have to create study guides because your notes already have this covered.
Best For Visual Learner: Mind-Mapping Method
This process is similar to outlining, but you use bubbles and lines to connect ideas.
You will start with the topic in the middle. Then, the main ideas or topics being discussed make up the bubbles connected to the center.
Next, subtopics are branched off of the main topics. Finally, add details around the subtopic bubbles.
Mind maps are great for connecting concepts and ideas because you can quickly see how everything is related.
How To Use Your Notes
As soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours to be most effective, you should practice the 5 R’s of note taking. The Cornell Method lends itself to this, but you should do this with any form of note taking to improve your comprehension. Completing this exercise will also help your studying habits and time management.
- Record: Take notes during a lecture using one of the methods above.
- Reduce: As soon as possible after the lecture, summarize your notes. This helps you see the main ideas and helps your memory.
- Recite: Without looking at your notes, say the key facts from the lecture out loud. Then, check your notes for anything you may have missed.
- Reflect: Think about how this class relates to the course and the other classes that proceeded it. This will help the lesson sink in more.
- Review: Spend 10 minutes each week rereading your notes. This way, you will not have to cram before the test because you will be studying a little each week.
What is the best method of note taking?
The best method of note taking is the one that makes the most sense to you and the one you will actually use. For college, your main objective is to learn the material so you will do well on exams. Therefore, you want to pick a method that is easy for you to take the best notes that you can review after and learn the material.
In college, I used the outlining method because it made the most sense to me. I could quickly organize my notes and it did not take much thought. Also, I didn’t want to waste time thinking about where to write that would interfere with me listening to the lecture. I found this method easy to go back and review the notes, which helped me study.
Do you use any of these note taking strategies or maybe a different method? Let me know in the comments below!
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