Be Prepared for Your Classes

“You have to make your own condensed notes.

You learn from MAKING them.

A lot of thinking goes into deciding what to include and exclude.

You develop your own system of abbreviations and memory methods for the information.”

― Peter Rogers, Straight A at Stanford and on to Harvard

From Richard Branson and Bill Gates to George Lucas and Thomas Edison, many of the world’s most successful people take notes. Although each is known to have a preferred approach and type, these people are never without a notebook!

As a student, your notes can summarize key thoughts that emerged during course discussions or activities, outline content learned while reading, create important links between content and your own ideas or beliefs, and help you get clear on key points. Your notebook can also be an important place to jot down ideas you have and want to explore further or be a list of random things that you do not want to forget.

Although much research still needs to be done, many studies show that using a laptop/computer to take notes is not as effective as longhand – as in good old-fashioned paper and pen. When using their computer, students were more likely to simply type exactly what the professor said – rather than converting concepts and ideas from a lecture into their own words – and more likely to be distracted by email, task reminders, social media. In short . . . taking notes by long hand has proven more effective!

However, researchers also recognize that electronic notes are searchable, easily moved to other sections, and can include hyperlinks to course resources and articles and, given pages never run out, electronic notes can be more environmentally and storage friendly. Whether using some simple like Notepad or Word or diving into notetaking apps like OneNote or Evernote, there may be some benefit to electronic notes.

When it comes to notetaking, the key first step is to reflect on personal preference then adopt a system that will work best. Selecting longhand, for example, may not be the best approach if you find it frustrating, can never find a pen, or cannot read your own handwriting.

In addition to electronic vs. longhand, there are several note taking methods you may want to consider to ensure you are effective:

Outline – a structured format, using headings, sub-headings, and bulleted lists to keep concepts organized.

Cornell – uses a specific page layout, providing a space to jot down key points, note key words and questions, and to summarize lectures.

Boxing – uses topical boxes to summarize and organized notes; perhaps one of the only methods best suited for electronic notetaking since notes can more easily be moved and boxes expanded.

Charting – uses a table or spreadsheet to create categories of content.

Mapping – using a mind map approach to build branches, and sub-branches off the main theme

See https://medium.goodnotes.com/the-best-note-taking-methods-for-college-students-451f412e264e for more detailed descriptions of each of these methods)

Once you have your note taking system – electronic vs. longhand – and method – outline, Cornell, Outline, Mapping – remember to:

Prepare for each class or study session by doing any assigned pre-reading, reviewing previous notes, gathering all you need ahead of time.

Listen to what your instructor is saying, paying attention to phrases, cues, or key remarks that should be anchored in notes. Pay attention to the questions asked, and answers provided.

Write only what you need to. Taking notes is not copying every word of the lecture, or huge amounts of text from your readings. Capture only the key ideas, and sub-themes.

Review your notes within 24 hours, to help enhance your learning. Take this time to highlight key points, or write a brief summary.

You can see that there is scarcely an observable fact unworthy of mention in your notes,

and yet you could easily spend more time scribbling than watching, and that would defeat the purpose.

So be selective, don't be compulsive, and enjoy your note-taking.

~Robert Pyle