Note taking

Note Taking

One skill that is very important in learning to learn (or thinking) is note taking. Notes should be taken from oral presentations (lectures) and while reading important materials. This helps students remember the information and promotes concentration. Research has proven that the actual writing down of notes is equal to hearing the material ten times! When this concept is explained to students they may not complain as much about taking the notes.

The following activities can be classified as taking notes:

  • highlighting;
  • underlining information;
  • making a transcript of what the teacher is saying;
  • outlining the main ideas of the textbook or the discussion
    Note taking allows the student to become actively involved with the material. The material must be organized, encoded, and then integrated with previous knowledge. When students ask themselves questions while reading, the material will be understood better. When allowing students to underline (or highlight), check to make sure they are not underlining too much. This means that they are not organizing or sorting the material which is a higher level skill. When students are actively note taking, they also need to summarize the material. Check to see if they can pick out the main idea.

    When students study, their primary goal should be to understand relationships between the topics and supporting detail. They need to use a note taking system that helps them understand relationships. There are several strategies designed to help identify important relationships.
  • Reading maps/charts
  • Diagrams (graphic organizers)
  • Creating cards (including flash cards)
    Allowing students to occasionally use the notes for a quiz reinforces the idea that note taking is important. If they can see the relevance of their notes in the test questions, they begin to see the importance of good note taking.

    Taking notes in class – tips for students

  • Don't try to write down everything your teacher says
  • Pick out the important points
  • Learn to paraphrase the material
  • Good notes are always shorter than the actual material
  • Write notes in the form which is most comfortable for you
  • Develop your own shorthand (for lectures and class discussions)
  • Leave plenty of space between your notes for later additions (This allows you to add things the teacher may say later, which organizes the material)
  • Underline any important points with a highlighter
  • Write any questions you have in the margins
  • Summarize your notes at the end of the period or as soon as you can

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