This will save you the time of trying to organize and locate your notes when studying for an exam. For example, you might have a different notebook and folder for each class or a large notebook with a different tab for each class. Stay organized: Keep your notes and handouts separate for each class.The following are a few recommendations to try out: To be effective, all of these methods require you to listen actively and to think merely jotting down words the instructor is saying will be of little use to you. No specific type is good for all students and all situations, so we recommend that you develop your own style, but you should also be ready to modify it to fit the needs of a specific class or instructor. Each can be used in a notebook, index cards, or in a digital form on your laptop. There are various forms of taking notes, and which one you choose depends on both your personal style and the instructor’s approach to the material. The important thing is to find a note-taking strategy that works for you. In fact, research indicates that there’s a 34 percent chance that students will remember key information if it’s present in their notes but only a 5 percent chance if it’s not. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to write brief summaries or make visual guides and diagrams in your notes. Gives you a sense of what the instructor thinks is important.Įffective note-taking helps students retain what they learned in class so that they can use the material to study and build their knowledge and tackle more complex concepts later on.Helps you remember the material better when you write key ideas down.Allows you to test your understanding of the material.Do you take good notes? After learning to listen, note taking is the most important skill to ensure your success in a class.Įffective note taking is important because it:

Your notes are your road maps for these thoughts.

In college, your instructors expect you to make connections between class lectures and reading assignments they expect you to create an opinion about the material presented they expect you to make connections between the material and life beyond college. But if you take a close look, many who are claiming to take notes on their laptops are actually surfing the Web, and paper notebooks are filled with doodles interrupted by a couple of random words with an asterisk next to them reminding you that “This is important!” In college, these approaches will not work. Determine what to do with your notes after the course is complete.Įverybody takes notes, or at least everybody claims to.Use teacher handouts to complement your notes.Organize your notes into effective study guides.Apply strategies to make note-taking more effective.Use the four primary methods of note taking: lists, outlines, concept maps, and the Cornell method.By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Place to write notes