Note down things that the instructor says more than once. Reiterating points is a way of highlighting what the most important material is going to be. Anything that’s repeating is probably going to end up on a test or at least be important to understanding the class. Don’t write down things you already know—the more you have in your notes, the harder it will be to find the really important things when you’re studying. [2] X Expert Source David JiaAcademic Tutor Expert Interview. 7 January 2021. Be selective (don’t take down every single note): take down the main points of the lecture or discussion; write down examples or hypotheticals, especially in math and science classes. A piece of information usually has a main idea and supportive details, which can also be very important, but the main idea is definitely something worth noting. In paragraphs, the main idea is usually either the first or the last sentence. In good presentations, the bullet points on the slides are often main ideas.
Handwritten notes work best for classes that have to do with: numbers, equations, and formulas–calculus, chemistry, physics, economics, symbolic logic, also language classes because helps you memorize/remember more effectively. You can also record the lecture or discussion, if your instructor allows you to do so. This is great for allowing you to go back and listen to very specific parts of the lecture, although it can be harder to make information stick in your memory. Make sure you collect any lecture notes and power-point slides that your instructor makes available. These can be valuable notes for essays and exams.
An effective method is the Cornell method of note-taking. On the left-hand side of the paper mark a two- and one-half inch column (6. 35 cm). On the right side have a column six inches across (15. 24 cm). You’ll use the right-hand column to take notes during your class or lecture. After the lecture, you’ll summarize your notes, designate keywords, and create questions about the material in the left-hand column. A lot of people use the rough outline method. This basically means writing down the main points of the lecture or class (you can format them as a list of bullet points, for example). After class, write your summary of the notes in a different colored pen, or highlight it. Mind mapping is a more visual and creative form of taking notes. You draw your notes, rather than writing down sentences in a linear format. Write the main topic of the lecture or class in the center of a piece of paper. Each time the instructor makes a new point, write those around the central topic. Draw lines to connect different ideas. You can also draw images rather than writing words. Another method, known as Split Page Method, is more space-consuming than Cornell notes, but easier to study later. A page is divided into two columns: one for main and the other for secondary ideas.
Separate your notes by subject. You don’t want to mix up your physics notes with your algebra notes! On your computer, make sure that you have one folder for your notes from each different class. If you put them all together it’s going to be difficult to find them again. It’s usually easier to store any handwritten notes in a binder, because you can add and subtract pages as needed without having to tear them out.
These will also usually detail information about the types of essays and information you’re going to need to know which can be useful for what kinds of notes you take in class. Keep all the syllabi and hand-outs for each class in the same place as your notes so that they are easily accessible, especially when your instructor brings up information on them in class.
Make sure you keep these different notebooks and binders handy. It isn’t much use to you if you don’t keep putting class notes in the right place. The more specific you are, the better. This means that for one class you might create different folders for the different parts of the class. As an example: if you had a film class split into four parts, you might have a different notebook for each part of the class. As another example: you have different folders for each section of the class (for Latin class you have a different folder for each different part of speech [nouns, verbs, indirect clauses, etc. ]).
Have folders in those folders for particular information. For example: you have the main folder that’s for your Ancient Astronomy class, but inside you have specific folders for the different sections of the class, as well as for the two essays you have to write. As another example, you might have a folder for your research paper, a folder for your information about gender identity politics in your gender studies class.
Combine lecture and reading notes into coherent whole. Figure out main ideas and how they relate. For example: if your class is about Medieval women, the main ideas might be about formation of self, types of writings, notions of autonomy and gender, and so on. You might show how these ideas relate to one another. Make sure that you’ve covered the most important points, as well as the sub-points that support the main points.
Giving yourself some slack on organization will mean that you won’t maintain your organization and it will be more difficult come exam time or essay time.
Especially, make sure that you note down to-do items, decisions that are made, and anything that needs to be followed up on. Take notes on paper and copy them onto the computer later on, this will help you remember what was said. An effective method is the Cornell method of note-taking. On the left-hand side of the paper mark a two- and one-half inch column (6. 35 cm). On the right side have a column six inches across (15. 24 cm). You’ll use the right-hand column to take notes during your meeting. After the lecture, you’ll summarize your notes, designate keywords, and create questions about the material in the left-hand column.
Make sure you’ve noted down the date, the name of the organization, the purpose of the meeting, and the people attending (as well as any people who were absent who should have been there).
Put a different colored box around the summary so that it is easily readable. Summarize don’t transcribe. You do not need every single detail of what was said. For example: you only need to say that it was decided to order a new item of office equipment, rather than the long discussion about the best types of binding machine.
The most important things you need to make sure you have are: actions, decisions, and reference information. Highlight the most important information or leave a margin for keywords and most important ideas. Avoid trying to organize during the meeting. Doing that later will help you remember things and will make sure you don’t miss important material.
Or you can have all the same types of meetings together. For example: if you keep notes on your weekly meeting with your supervisor, you would keep those separate from the notes you keep on the weekly meeting with your entire group.
