Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Preparing for the lesson
• Part 2 of 4: Optimize your notes
• Part 3 of 4: Review your notes
• Part 4 of 4: Trying the Cornell method of taking notes
• Tips
• Warnings

Effective annotations are not the same as a sound recording or transcription. It is an active part of the learning process requiring the rapid absorption of teaching material and recording key elements in a way that suits your learning style. After proper preparation for class, optimize this process by taking notes. By taking these steps, along with a quick review and reorganization, you can learn to take better notes.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Preparing for the lesson

1. Complete your notes for the day of class. Teachers take notes so that you will become familiar with the topic being discussed in class. If you take the assigned notes before class, you will already have enough knowledge of much of the background details. Then you can focus your own notes on key concepts.
   • Also review your notes from the previous lesson. This will help you get back to where you left off in class.
2. Search for course materials and topic summaries online. If your teacher has provided summaries, PowerPoint slides, or even a brief overview of the upcoming lesson, use them to your advantage. Think of this as the shell of a house, which you will then finish and decorate with your notes.
   • It can be tempting to just print out that lesson overview or slideshow with the idea that you can just skip taking notes during class - or just jot down a few things here and there on your prints. But it is much better to use these materials as a structure for your own notes. This is the best way to process information, which is the purpose of note-taking.
3. Consider the pros and cons of taking notes in class. Many students find it easier to type than to write, but there are still reasons to use the proven method of pen and paper. Some studies indicate that students who take notes with pen or pencil are better able to understand and remember the material taught in class than those who type. It can be easy to lapse into transcription mode on a laptop. This happens when you write down everything that is said, instead of actively writing down only the most important thing. By writing notes with pen you can work more focused.
   • On the other hand, with a laptop or other electronic device, you will be able to format, save, edit, share and read notes more easily (without worrying about sloppy handwriting).
   • Tools for taking notes on laptops are nearly endless, for example: The "notebook" formatting of Microsoft Word; software that allows you to link a recording of a lesson to your notes; organization programs that allow you to combine materials of different types and formats, such as emails and PDFs; and note taking platforms that allow you to take notes with others in real time. This can save you or be a distraction for you. Only you can judge what works best for you.
   • Some teachers and institutions prohibit the use of laptops in the classroom, so don't ignore the need to know how to take notes with pen and paper.
4. Sit as far forward as possible in the classroom. Choose a place in the class where you won't be bothered by distraction. As a result, you will be able to pay more attention and take better notes. Find a place where you can see and hear the teacher well. You will also need to be able to see the sign clearly. Arrive a little earlier in the room so that you can choose a good seat.
   • If you find yourself distracted by noisy fellow students, air conditioning, or an unfortunate glare on the projector screen, find a different spot discreetly, without disrupting the class. Otherwise, just do your best this time and find a new place for the next time.
5. Make sure you have enough supplies for taking notes. If you are taking notes by hand, bring extra pens or pencils and paper. If you are taking notes on a laptop or other electronic device, make sure the machine is sufficiently charged and ready to use as soon as the class begins.
   • Some people prefer to use loose sheets of paper so that they can put them around on the table or floor while studying, while others find exercise books tidier.
6. Label your paper with the date and topic of the lecture. Make sure your notes are clearly marked for future reference. Write the class date and topic at the top of each page.
   • If you have multiple pages with notes, also indicate the page numbers. This helps organize your notes.
7. Consider how you want to organize the notes. The more orderly your notes are, the easier it will be to understand, revise, and study them. One option is to create a text outline, especially if the lesson is clearly structured and / or presented in a clear manner. With this format you use paragraph headings. Under each paragraph heading, write ideas as bulleted lists and additional ideas with indented bullets. This is much better than just writing everything down as a new point.
   • Be warned that teachers have not always organized their lesson into consecutive main points. Keep in mind that you may need to reorganize your notes after class.

Part 2 of 4: Optimize your notes

1. Remember to take notes, not transcribe the lesson. In order to make better notes, you need to be an "active listener." This means that you don't just write down what is being said. Instead, you need to immerse yourself in the material and identify the essential elements of what is being said.
   • For example, instead of writing down every detail of Roosevelt's foreign policy, write down the key points of his overall foreign policy, with examples to support you. In this way, you immediately start the process of learning and understanding (or, in other words, studying).
   • This need for active involvement is one reason why many experts advise against recording lessons.
   • If you do want to record lessons, or have a legitimate reason to do so, ask the teacher beforehand if it's okay to record them. A lesson is considered the intellectual property of the teacher. In addition, some institutions have specific policies regarding sound and / or video recordings.
2. Listen carefully to the lesson introduction. Don't waste your time getting into an annotation mode at the beginning of the class. Be ready from the very beginning.
   • Lessons often begin with an explicit preview of what will be discussed, or at least implicit "clues" as to what is to follow. Listen carefully to the lesson introduction for contextual cues that may be helpful in your study organization and in discerning what will be most important.
   • Don't pay attention to students arriving late or not ready to take notes.
3. Write down what is written on the board. Each teacher will make their own lecture on the basis of some sort of overview, even if it is followed implicitly and loosely. The information included on the class slides will give you a clear idea of ​​how to keep notes organized.
4. Learn to pick up the teacher's hints and clues. The teacher will use vocal inflections, hand gestures and other indications to emphasize the important parts of the lesson. Start by observing these patterns and gestures to discern what is essential information.
   • Recognize the most important ideas by distinguishing signal words and phrases that indicate that something important is about to follow. Your teacher will not launch a rocket when an important new idea or example is about to follow. But he / she will use signals to make this clear. Any good speaker will do this, and you can expect to receive such signals. Examples are:
     • There are three reasons why ...
     • First second Third...
     • The meaning of this is ...
     • The impact of this is ...
     • From this, we can deduce ...
   • Also learn to distinguish other clues. When the teacher mentions an important point, he / she may speak slower or louder, repeat a word or phrase, take a longer pause than usual between sentences (or maybe even take a drink of water); gesturing more demonstratively with his or her hands; stop walking around and / or look more closely at the audience, etc.
5. Make up your own shorthand method. Writing shorthand is a way of using abbreviations so that you don't have to write down every word. You may also be able to take notes faster, an essential skill when listening to a lesson in class or a lecture. But when taking notes, don't use the real shorthand, like a stenographer. This requires lengthy transcription. Instead, you develop your own collection of shortcuts, abbreviations, symbols, sketches, etc. Even if no one else understands what your shorthand means, you still know what you mean.
   • Use abbreviations and skip unimportant words for efficient note taking. Write down only the important words you need to get a sense of the point being covered. Skip words such as "the" and "a" that do not further contribute to the meaning of the lesson content. Make up abbreviations to write things down quickly, such as drawings, arrows for resizing or showing causal relationships, especially for terms that are used all the time (e.g. IR for international relations).
   • Write everything down in your own words, except formulas and specific definitions or facts that will likely be asked literally on the exam.
   • Underline, circle, place asterisks, highlight, or use some other method to highlight important examples, definitions, or other important learning material. Think of your own marking code to indicate each type.
   • Draw diagrams or pictures for the concepts you cannot quickly describe or understand immediately. For example, draw a pie chart for a rough representation of the relative strength of political parties in a given election, instead of writing out this data.
6. Write legibly. Make sure you spread letters and words sufficiently and make them legible. Few things are more frustrating than not being able to read your own handwriting, especially when you want to study for an exam.
7. Leave space to fill in later. Don't try to cram as much text onto a sheet as possible. Give yourself plenty of white space on your page. By writing more generously, there is enough room for later notes and revisions. This style also makes it easier to read and process the information while studying.
8. Watch the end of the lesson. It's tempting to snooze as soon as the hands of the clock near the end of class. Other students may start packing their things and whisper to their friends about what to eat for lunch. However, the conclusion of the lesson is just as important as the introduction, in terms of covering the big picture and the important themes and concepts.
   • If there is a summary at the end of the lesson, pay attention to it. You can use this to check the organization of your notes. If your notes turn out to be disorganized, write down the main points covered in the summary. It will aid in the later revision of your notes.
9. Ask questions. During class and at the end of each lesson, you should ask questions about points you don't understand. When other students ask questions, you can write them down along with the teacher's answers. This additional information may also answer questions you may have.
   • If you find the idea that you may be holding up class (and annoying students who already have a foot out of the door) annoying, ask questions after class. You will probably find other students doing the same and can listen in with their questions.
   • You can also bring some questions with you to your teacher's question hours.

Part 3 of 4: Review your notes

1. Review your notes as soon as possible. Do this within 24 hours of class. By then you have already forgotten 80% of the material covered in class. Build on what you've learned, instead of relearning the material.
2. Review your notes and don't just rewrite them. Consider your lesson notes your draft copy and the revision your edited version. Create a new version of your notes. This is especially helpful if your notes are sloppy, disorganized, or nearly illegible. You do not intend to copy your notes as you originally wrote them. Make this part an active process of the review.
   • Use the clues you picked up in class regarding structure and key concepts to reorganize what you have written down.
   • Fill in weak areas with material from the textbook.
3. Highlight important parts of the lesson. When your notes have been revised, you should also take the time to highlight or underline important parts of the lesson. Use different colored highlighters or pens to apply color codes. Marked notes will be valuable when you study for a test. These can quickly and efficiently remind you of important parts of each lesson.
4. Have notes of missed lessons. If you missed a class due to illness or some other reason, make sure you can copy a classmate's notes. Talk to the instructor so you understand the material.
   • Do not rely on a service where notes are offered for sale. Most schools and universities have a policy against the use of such endorsements. Remember that using purchased notes is not the same as “active learning” and thus does not aid in understanding and remembering the material.
   • If you have a physical or other disability that makes it difficult for you to take notes, discuss the options with your teacher and the student facilities of your institution. Several options will likely be available, including special lesson guides, note-taking help, permission to record lessons, or tutoring.

Part 4 of 4: Trying the Cornell method of taking notes

1. Divide your paper into three sections. The Cornell Method is a way of taking notes where you take notes first and then write down questions about those notes. Divide your paper into two sections by drawing a vertical line approximately 7 cm from the left margin. Continue this line to about 5 cm from the bottom of the paper. Then draw a horizontal line 5 cm from the bottom edge.
   • There are programs that can format your word processor worksheet in Cornell style.
2. Write down the main ideas of the lesson. In the largest box of your now divided page, make notes about the outline of the lesson. Leave plenty of room for later revisions.
   • Include examples, diagrams, charts, and other materials that the instructor discusses.
3. Ask yourself questions after the lecture. The left box of your page is used to write down your own questions based on the notes from the lesson. These questions can help clarify points, definitions, and so on. View your notes within one or two days. This will make it easier for you to remember the information.
   • You can formulate possible test questions from this material. What do you think the teacher is going to ask for an exam?
   • When you study your notes for a test, cover the right side of the page. See if you can answer the questions you wrote down on the left.
4. Summarize the notes in the bottom box of the page. Use the bottom part of your page for a summary of the notes in the largest box. This will help you remember the important points of this portion of the lesson.

Tips

• If you miss a lesson, make sure to include it in your notes so you won't forget it. This way, you make sure to copy a classmate's notes, instead of completely missing out on the study material.
• Ensure correct study posture. Listening carefully is a matter of a lot of attention. Listen with an open mind to what the teacher has to say, even if you don't agree.
• Collect your notes for each subject in one place, in a separate notebook or part of a notebook. Make sure your notes are organized chronologically and have a title. Consider a loose-leaf notebook instead of a notebook so you can rearrange notes in the most effective way when it comes time to review them for your tests.

Warnings

• Avoid engaging in things that could distract others from taking notes, such as doodling or spinning a pen. These activities break through eye contact and your concentration; they are also likely to annoy those around you. If you insist on doodle or tapping with your foot, sit around people doing the same, or find a more secluded spot.