Note Taking: Part I
Introduction
Have you ever heard children retell the day’s events? They often include every little detail in their story. You may want to say, “Hold up, just the facts — only the facts!” This could be your mantra for taking good notes. Focus on the facts!
Start by organizing your notes, recording your name, the date, and the topic of study. As you take notes, skip a line between entries and leave the margins of your paper clear so you can add additional ideas later. Summarizing is essential: paraphrase the key words or concepts with words you already know to develop a framework that will help when you’re reviewing your notes. You’ll never be able to copy everything the teacher says, but there are some simple tricks you can use. For one, use abbreviations. In government class, for example, you may want to reduce the word “government” to “Govt” or even use a special symbol. Of course, make sure to use abbreviations that will make sense to you later. When you do return to your notes, pull out unfamiliar words and keywords from the text by circling them. Some students find color coding, charting, drawing, or sketching as a means to assist their recording. Finally, consider that the simple act of writing things down will cement the ideas in your brain and help you retain the information for tests and exams.
Watch
- https://bit.ly/3diZ4jX Links to an external site. – Thomas Frank “How to Take Notes in Class: The 5 Best Methods – College Info Geek (YT 6:39)
Visit
- https://bit.ly/3fDLtoN Links to an external site. – College Info Geek, Thomas Frank “How to Take Faster Handwritten Notes Using Shorthand Techniques”
Key Ideas
- Don’t write down every word; summarize using the keywords/concepts.
- The physical act of writing something down on paper increases your retention.
- As you practice writing in your own words, you lower the chance plagiarizing.
Apply
- Use these basic ideas of effective note taking in your classes and then reread your notes before your tests and exams. Theorists believe the number of times you re-engage your notes will proportionately increase your grades.
- In your cooperative learning cell, you will receive a children’s picture book. Your group will read the story together and chart your notes from the story’s plot using the strategies of good note taking and share out.