Note-Taking [Strategies]
Tyler Laughlin
What You Will Learn in This Section
This section is geared towards helping students understand the importance of effective note-taking and how different methods can be tailored to specific course formats or learning styles. To this purpose, this resource covers an array of note-taking methods, from the structured Cornell Notes to the more fluid Flow Charts, providing detailed examples and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Additionally, this section includes strategies for taking notes while reading and for using notes effectively after class. Finally, this section provides case studies for students to practice matching specific strategies to different class environments, whether they are math-heavy, discussion-based, or lecture-driven. By the end of this section, students will be familiar with a variety of note-taking approaches to support their success across different subjects and classroom environments.
Introduction and Definition
Note-taking is one of the first and most important skills to develop for effective college-level studying. It is a process that happens in many different modalities and is a useful skill for any class you take. At its core, note-taking is taking information from often a verbal source and turning it into a written artifact.
Importance
Note-taking is an important skill to develop because most studying you do will be based on the information you record. Putting information in your own words is also crucial for note-taking. Information written in your own words is usually easier for you to understand and can significantly impact your retention ability. Other important reasons for having good note-taking skills include:
- Creating a written record
- You are unlikely to be able to remember everything that is said in class.
- Human beings forget things quickly, particularly when there is no recording of information.
- Choosing an effective method
- Not all classes present material in the same way.
- Knowing which styles to choose that match the format of the class will aid in better note-taking (styles discussed later).
- Reference for future courses
- As you progress through your college career, many higher-level courses expect you to know foundational knowledge.
- Notes you take in core and baseline classes can help with gaps in foundational knowledge or things you may have forgotten.
- Encouragement of critical thinking
- Good notes should make you think about the information you recorded.
- Think about the depth of knowledge you need for success in the course, based on the notes you took.
Examples
All students and all classes are different. Therefore, all styles of note-taking will also be different. This means there is not one, single correct way to take notes. However, there are some methods more commonly used. Some of the most common methods of note-taking include:
- Cornell Notes
- Outlining
- Instructor-Provided Materials
- Flow Charts
- T-Notes
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