Taking Perfect Notes
As the year comes to a close, it is important to learn how to write good notes. If you think about it, it can be pretty easy. Below is a list of how to prepare for each class, which will result in perfect notes.
Preparing:
- Gather your note-taking materials. It may sound pretty basic, but it’s important to have all of your note-taking materials organized and ready to go before the start of any class, meeting or lecture. This includes a pencil and paper or a computer (more info about using computers later).
- Come prepared. Before you come to a class, lecture, or meeting, make sure to review your notes from the last time round. This will bring you fully up to speed and ready to pick up where you left off. Also remember to have completed the reading assigned for homework.
- Take notes by hand. Although taking notes on your laptop is convenient, a study conducted at Princeton University has shown that note takers actually retain information better when they take notes by hand.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. When you come across something you don’t understand, don’t just jot it down and tell yourself that you’ll worry about it later — ask the teacher/lecturer for clarification. Think about it — if you find something confusing now, you’ll find it twice as confusing during your note-review later.
In Class:
- Focus on key words and concepts. The most important change you can make to improve your note-taking skills is to focus solely on taking down key words and concepts.
- Use shorthand. The average student writes 1/3 word per second, while the average speaker speaks at a rate of 2/3 words per second. Therefore, developing your own system of shorthand writing can help you to write more efficiently and avoid falling behind.
- Make your notes visually appealing. You will be reluctant to go back and study your notes if they are messy, disorganized and difficult to read, so it’s important that they look nice! Here are some tips on how to create more visually appealing notes:
- Always start on a fresh page. You’ll find your notes much easier to read if you start on a fresh, blank page for each new class or topic. Put the date in the top right-hand corner and only write on one side of each page, especially if you’re writing with very inky pens.
- Make sure your writing is legible. Taking notes will be a complete waste of time if you can’t read them afterwards! No matter how fast you write, make sure you’re writing is small, neat and legible, and avoid using cursive handwriting if possible.
- Use wide margins. Line each page with a pen and ruler, giving yourself a wide margin on the left-hand side. This will prevent the page from becoming too overcrowded and will leave you space to write in any additional information once you review your notes.
- Use symbols and diagrams. Things like arrows, dots and boxes, diagrams, charts, and other visual aids are often great ways to associate and remember key concepts, especially if you’re a visual learner.
- Color-code your notes. Many people find that adding a splash of color to their notes helps to make the information more readable and easier to retain.
Studying:
- Review your notes later in the day. Reviewing your notes after class, or later the same day will help you to retain the information much more effectively. You don’t need to study them intensely — just spend 15 to 20 minutes going back over them each night.
- Fill in any blanks. Use your review time to fill in any additional information that you remember from the class or lecture.
- Write a summary. Another effective tool for committing your notes to memory is to summarize the information contained in your notes at the bottom of the page.
https://studysoup.com/blog/easy-college-solutions/take-perfect-notes-math-class/
So far, the top 6 most viewed materials that were uploaded this week are:
The most popular material from last week is: Study Guide – J 201
We are making a big push to add more content across the Journalism, Geology, and OTHER departments. Please refer anyone in the following list of classes to apply to the elite notetaker program.
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