Note Taking
No matter what the course, taking effective notes is as important as regular attendance and doing homework. Taking good notes will help you stay engaged, discover important questions and will ultimately help you succeed on tests. How you take notes may change from subject to subject, but having a standard system that you can adapt is key. Below are some tips to note taking:
- Written or electronic – Play around and find out what works best for you. Does physically writing in a notebook work best for you. Or does organizing them on your tablet, laptop, or phone work best for you?
- Format your notes
- Start a new page for each day or topic in the class.
- Leave space so you can add later if your teacher circles back to an idea.
- Be an active listener – Don’t just hear the words, analyze what is being said and try to understand it.
- Recognize important information
- Listen for verbal clues such as: louder or slower speech, repeated information, phrases like “the main point”, “this will be on the test”.
- Write down anything that’s written on the board.
- Use keywords – Many students will develop a shorthand to take notes quickly and efficiently. What is important is to know your shorthand. Have a key somewhere to help you identify the keywords that you put down.