Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

Whether you want to do well in school or excel at your professional job, effective note-taking is a valuable skill for storing, memorizing, memorizing and recalling information. If you follow these simple steps and tips below, you will not only learn how to take notes but also take notes more effectively, which will help you apply your knowledge and keep documents.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Prepare

1. 

   Gather items to take notes. This may sound obvious, but it's really important to keep your notes and get ready before class, meeting, or presentations.
   • If you're going to take notes on pen and paper, you'll need an A4-sized notebook with lots of blank pages and two pens for each color of ink. If you are using a laptop, make sure to fully charge the battery or sit near a place where it can be plugged in.
   • If you wear glasses, don't forget to bring them so you can see them when the teacher / teacher writes important information on the board. You should also remember to bring a microfiber towel to clean the glasses when needed. In addition, you should aim to sit in your room so that you can see and hear the speaker clearly.

2. 

   
   
   Prepare. Before going to class, lecture, or meeting, you need to review your previous notes. This will help you keep up and be ready to absorb new information from where you last stopped.
   • If you are advised to read the material in advance to prepare for the class, be sure to complete the task. This will help you understand any topic, concept, or idea the teacher / teacher will teach in class. It's a good idea to create an outline for the chapter, section, or lesson you will learn in advance. You should write your outline on one side to take notes on the other side.
   • Remember the proverb "Failure to prepare means preparing for failure".

3. 

   
   
   Listen actively. When taking notes, many people make the mistake of mechanically rewriting every sentence without really understanding their meaning.
   • This is a mistake. If you do not try to understand the lesson in class, you will lose valuable opportunities to learn the lesson.
   • Therefore, you should try to understand the information when listening to the lecture for the first time, as this will reduce the amount of work you have to do in the future and you will be less confused when you review the lecture.

4. 

   
   
   Take notes with pen and paper. While notebooks are convenient when taking notes, a study at Princeton University shows that handwriters are actually better at storing information.
   • It is thought that this is because computer users tend to copy every word they hear, without actually processing the information.
   • On the other hand, handwriting is not fast enough to transcribe word-for-word, so note-takers are forced to pay more attention to the content in order to select the most important and relevant information.
   • As such, you should try to write by hand whenever possible.

5. 

   Don't be afraid to ask questions. When you encounter something you don't understand, don't just write it down and tell yourself that it will be later - ask your teacher / instructor for an explanation.
   • Think of it this way - if you don't understand something now, it will be twice as difficult to understand it in the future.
   • Don't be afraid to ask your teacher / instructor to repeat it - especially if you feel what they say is important.
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Part 2 of 3: Take notes as efficiently as you can

1. 

   Focus and key words and concepts. Change most important One thing you can do to improve your note-taking skills is to focus only on key words and concepts.
   • Identify the most relevant information. Rewrite the most important words or phrases that are most relevant to the topic being studied - factors such as dates, names, principles, definitions - only the most important details are chosen. Get rid of all the buffering words and extras - you can read the textbook if you want to review those.
   • Think about your information want save. Why did you choose to take this class? Why do you join this seminar? Why does your boss send you to that conference? Maybe your first instinct is to rewrite what you see or hear verbatim, but remember that you're taking notes to learn something - not writing a narrative.
   • Priority is given to all "new" information. Don't waste time writing what you already know - it's just useless and a waste of time for you. Focus on recording anything that you have never seen before - this gives you the most valuable information.

2. 

   Use the "question, answer, and evidence" method. This is an effective note-taking method, as it forces you to focus on the content as you write and allows you to put your own words into words. This method of interpretation has been shown to help students understand and retain lesson content much more effectively.
   • Instead of jotting down the information, listen carefully to what the speaker is saying and try to understand the content. Once you have done this, present your notes as a series of questions from the unit, and then fill in your own answers.
   • For example, if the question is "The main theme of the play Romeo and Juliet What is Shakespeare? ", the answer could be" Out of the box a tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet talk about the consequences of cultivating hatred ".
   • Under that answer, you can provide further support for your conclusions by giving specific examples in the document. This tactic allows you to record all relevant information in a concise and easy-to-read display.

3. 

   Use shorthand. The average student can write 1/3 words per second, while the average person speaks 2/3 words per second. Consequently, building your own shorthand system can help you write faster and avoid falling behind.
   • Try to abbreviate words like "no" instead of "no", "ng" for the word "people", "ntn" for the phrase "how". Put a plus sign instead of "and". You can also write long phrases that are repeated over and over throughout the class or lecture - for example, instead of writing "people's sovereignty" up to 25 times in history class, just write "CQND".
   • Of course, then you have to read your abbreviations - if you are afraid of trouble, you can write down the keywords to decode the acronyms. You can also re-write for full after school.
   • If your teacher or presenter speaks too quickly for your notes even with stenograms, you might consider bringing your recording device with you in the next class - so you'll be able to listen again and fill in gaps in your notebook.

4. 

   Present the notes so appealing. You will be afraid to review and study your notes if it is too doodle, cluttered and difficult to read, so it is important that the presentation is easy to see! Here are a few tips for creating more engaging note-taking sections:
   • Always start with a new page. You will find that your notes are much easier to read if you turn to a new page to take notes for each class or topic. Write the date in the upper-right corner and write on only one side of paper, especially if you are using a dark ink pen.
   • Make sure your handwriting is easy to read. It's useless to take notes if you can't read them later! No matter how fast you write, you need to make sure your handwriting is compact and clear, avoiding the scribble style.
   • Wide alignment. Use a ruler and pen to draw a vertical line on the left side of the page. The wide margins help keep the page from cramping and with room for additional information when reviewing your notes.
   • Use icons and diagrams. Symbols such as arrows, boxes and dots, diagrams, charts and other visual means are often great ways to associate and memorize important concepts, especially if you are a learner. visually.

5. 

   Color coding of sections. Many people find that using color in notes can make information easier to read and remember.
   • This is because color stimulates the creative regions in the brain, making note-taking information more interesting and thus easier to keep. Color coding helps you associate color with memory, allowing you to remember the contents of those notes without trying too hard.
   • Try using different ink colors to write different sections - for example, you could write questions in red, define in blue ink and conclude in green ink.
   • You can also use a highlighter to highlight keywords, dates, and definitions. Don't overdo it, though - you shouldn't confuse the coloring of your notes with actual study.

6. 

   Take notes from textbooks. After class, you may want to add additional information from the textbook. Taking notes from a textbook is another skill you need to master.
   • Document preview: Before jumping into reading lessons, you should preview the document for a summary of the content. Read all the introduction and conclusion, the main and sub headings, the first and last lines of each paragraph. You should also glance at any charts, illustrations or diagrams.
   • Read the content positively: Now go back to the beginning and read from beginning to end. When you finish reading a passage, you need to go back and highlight important words, events, concepts, or quotes. Find visual cues right in textbooks - but signs like bold or italic letters and colors and bullet points are often used to emphasize important points.
   • Note: When you have finished reading the entire text, go back and take notes from the information you highlighted. Try not to copy all the sentences in the book - this is a waste of time - and put it in your own words whenever possible.
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Part 3 of 3: Reviewing notes

1. 

   Review your notes later. Reviewing your notes after school or at certain times of the day will help you remember information much more effectively. You don't have to study too much - it is enough to spend 15-20 minutes every night.
   • Fill in all blanks. Take advantage of the lesson review time to fill in additional information you remember in class or lecture.
   • Write a summary. Another powerful tool for keeping your notes embedded in your memory is to summarize the information in your notebook at the bottom of the page.

2. 

   Self check. You can test your comprehension by covering up the notes and trying to paraphrase yourself - say it out loud or do it in your mind.
   • See how many important details you can remember, then read your notes again to add information you might have forgotten.
   • Lecture to friends. Explaining or rephrase lessons to friends is a great way to check that you fully understand the topic, and whether your notes are complete.

3. 

   Memorize all the notes. You will really see the benefits of effective note-taking when it's time to take the test and you have to memorize all the lessons. If you spend 20-30 minutes persistently reviewing every night, this will be much easier. Here are some popular memorization techniques you can try:
   • Method of learning line after line: If you have to memorize a passage, a good method is to read the first line several times, then try to repeat it out loud without looking at the page. Read the second line several times, then repeat out the first and second lines aloud without looking. Continue doing this until you are able to repeat the entire paragraph.
   • Method of learning by story: This method turns information you need to learn into a simple story that's easy to remember. For example, if you want to remember the first 3 elements of group 1 in the periodic table (hydrogen, helium, and lithium), you can use the following story "(H) uy and (H) send home (Li) ) e ". Your story doesn't have to be plausible - the more funny it is, the better.
   • Memory tool: Using mnemonic tools is a great way to remember a list of words in a certain order. To create a mnemonic tool, you just need to take the first letter of each word and create a sentence where each word begins with a letter in it. For example, to remember an EGBDF musical score, you could use the reminder phrase "The Little Sister of the Little Girl".
   • For more detailed instructions on memorization methods, see this article.
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Advice

• When taking notes, underline important words that may appear in the test.
• Although a calculator can help with taking notes, you should try to write by hand. Studies have shown that handwritten notes help you remember more effectively (not to mention it improves writing speed).
• If you read a book during text time, make sure you bring a pack of sticky notes, as you may not be allowed to take notes on the book.
• Use a separate notebook or page for each subject, and remember to label it.
• Be sure to bring plenty of pencils and / or pens with you in case the pencil breaks or gets dull, or the ballpoint pen gets clogged or dries up.
• Take 2-3 pages a day or as you need - attach those pages to your main notebook.
• If there are open tests, use your notes wisely. Try not to use them if not absolutely necessary.
• If a teacher or speaker repeats something twice, it is probably an important and remarkable detail.
• Hear exactly what the teacher says and use a colored highlighter to make your notes clearer.
• Highlight your notes with numbers or bullet points. Write titles for your notes so you know where they are and keep them organized for easy review when reviewing for the upcoming test.
• After rereading your notes, look up questions online or have someone at home write down questions on that topic. If you are unable to answer the questions with your notes, you may have to try better next time you write.
• Remember that taking notes is to make the textbook easier to remember, so you don't have to read the entire textbook. Don't rewrite everything verbatim, or you won't learn anything.

Warning

• Don't let yourself be distracted by others except the speaker.
• Write on a separate piece of paper or bring sticky notes for extra notes, and number them on both sheets to see which part corresponds (optional).
• Ask the teacher / professor before you use the recording device.

What you need

• At least two pencils or pens
• Eraser (if your pencil does not have an eraser attached)
• Eyeglasses or other supportive
• Plenty of paper
• Highlighter pen (at least 2 colors) or color ink pen
• At least one stack of multicolored sticky notes
• File covers to organize your notes (for tidy)