Kwantlen Counselling Services Present . . . Tips on Effective Note-Taking. Why
take notes? In short, taking good notes is essential to your success as a student.
Kwantlen Counselling Services Present . . .
Tips on Effective Note-Taking Why take notes? In short, taking good notes is essential to your success as a student. You can’t rely on your memory alone: research shows that after only 24 hours, you will have forgotten up to 80% of what you absorbed in a lecture. Regular review from effective notes, however, can reverse these numbers so that you retain at least 80% of the course material. Why is taking notes so crucial? There are several reasons. First, taking notes makes you a more active participant in the class. It forces you to listen carefully and to synthesize what you are hearing so you can write it down. Second, the act of writing down important points helps you to remember them, even before you have formally studied the material. Third, organized notes will help you to identify the most important ideas in the lecture. Fourth, some information given during lectures may not appear in handouts or texts – your lecture notes will be your only source to review it. Finally, personal notes are usually easier to remember than the text. “Do I Need to Write this Down?” How many times have you asked yourself this question in the middle of a lecture? Deciding what’s important enough to include in your notes can be difficult and frustrating. You need to find a balance between participating in class – actively listening to the instructor, reflecting on what’s being said, asking and answering questions and offering opinions -- and recording the most important parts of it. It’s impossible to try to capture everything that’s said, so how can you tell if something is important enough to write down? Here are a few clues. Write it down if: • the instructor spends a lot of time on it and/or repeats it many times; or • it’s written on the board or shown on an overhead; or • the instructor summarizes it in “capsule” form; or • the instructor looks carefully as his/her notes just before making the point; or • you think it’s likely to be included on a test. Listen to This! To be an effective note taker, you have to be a good listener. Here are a few tips to improve your listening skills in class, and therefore, your note-taking skills. 1. Prepare for your classes. Have pens and paper ready. Read or at least skim the next chapter of your text before class. Review your notes from the last class. 2. Listen for the ideas. If you try to write down everything that’s said in a lecture, you end up listening to each word, rather than focusing on the meaning of what’s being said. Try to listen for the main ideas and concepts that should be included in your notes. 3. Summarize. As you listen, try to summarize these key points the instructor is making. He/she will probably indicate main ideas by using phrases such as “in conclusion”, “four reasons
for”, “the characteristics of”, etc. When you hear these kinds of cue words, it’s a good idea to summarize the information in your notes – in your own words, not the instructor’s. 4. Push yourself to participate in the class. This can make it a lot more interesting, help you to resist daydreaming and increase the likelihood that you will remember what you’re learning. When you’re having trouble grasping a concept, take a deep breath and ask for clarification from the instructor. Chances are, you’re not the only one having difficulty understanding it. Want Some Extra Tips? 1. Write the name and date of the class and the page number on every sheet of paper you use. This way, if your notes get mixed up, you can easily put them back in order. 2. Go to class early and stay late. Be attentive and take notes right until the instructor dismisses you. Pay close attention to the summary at the end of class, if there is one. 3. Sit close to the instructor. You’ll be able to hear more clearly, and distractions will be minimized. If you know the instructor can see you, you’ll be more inclined to pay attention. In addition, it’s easier to get the instructor’s attention for questions and comments. 4. Use abbr. Developing your own set of abbreviations and symbols will save you time in class. Here are some examples of common abbreviations students use: Original according to And continued
Abbr. acc to & contd
Original each equals example
Abbr. ea = eg
Original management maximum minimum
Abbr. mgmt max min
Original results in should be therefore
definition
def
important
nb or *
number
#
without
Abbr. ? s/b . . . w/o
5. Use lots of paper. Don’t cram your notes together, or they’ll be harder to read later. Write on one side of the page only. This is not a waste! The back of the paper can be used later for integrating notes from the text, filling in points that you’ve missed or making study notes. 6. Leave spaces if you can’t keep up. Get down what you can, leave ample blank spaces, and listen carefully to the rest of the lecture. Immediately after the class, fill in the missing information. If you can’t remember it, borrow a friend’s notes or ask the instructor. 7. Use a separate binder for each subject. A binder makes it easier to incorporate handouts, and it’s simple to insert notes in the right place if you’ve missed a class. With multiple binders, you won’t lose your notes for all of your subjects if you lose one binder. 8. Don’t rewrite your notes. This method of studying is not usually a productive use of your time. Reviewing your notes is a faster and more effective way of learning. In Conclusion . . . Listening and note taking are skills like any others. The more you practice these techniques, the more skilled you will become. For more information on this subject, see the Kwantlen handout “The 4R Method of Note-taking”. Sources: University of Illinois website and Fraser, L. (1996). Making your mark (5th ed.) December 2002
