Can’t. Remember. Anything. You went to the lectures, did well on the tests, and completed the assignments, but now that you actually need the knowledge, you can’t recall anything! At this point, you may be wondering if attending lectures is a waste of time. If so, we’ll show you how to take notes using tried-and-true note-taking techniques and how to examine your notes to really learn.
The question “Why bother doing all that reading if I’ll just forget all I’ve read” may even cross your mind. Your choice of note-taking techniques might hold the key to the solution.
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How To Take Notes: Overview Methods
Taking notes is a tried-and-true method of observing and deciphering data that you want to comprehend and retain. In fact, taking notes by itself is insufficient for understanding and memory, but savvy students are proactive in structuring their notes for efficient review and to improve memorization.
3 of the most effective note-taking techniques for adult students are listed below:
Outline – This traditional hierarchical structure aids in classifying material into major themes and supporting details.
Mind Map – The words and short phrases used in this method are arranged in circles on branches that branch out from the core idea, similar to an outline but more visual.
Cornell Method – This method is a split-page format that asks you to connect concepts to questions.
3 Popular Note-Taking Methods
1. Outline Method
This is a classic hierarchical arrangement that groups key ideas with more specific information indented beneath them. If your speaker uses a list structure, such as “Here are six…” or “The first of these is…”, take this as a cue to start sketching your notes using a straightforward bullet list style. You can organize parts using major subjects.
Benefits – You may organize your notes neatly by using the outline technique. Each concept is supported by a number of points that elaborate on the central theme.
While Read and Write learners can leave spaces or extra lines beneath each important topic to add more later, kinesthetic learners can quickly turn outline notes into flashcards.
Note: If the speaker jumps about or speaks too quickly, it may be difficult to properly maintain this approach because you won’t have enough time to gather your thoughts.
2. Mind Mapping Method
This note-taking technique is helpful for taking notes from books or for lectures that you have read ahead of time. It is intended for artists and visual learners. The page’s center is occupied by a circle containing the main topic. A number of sub-centers are possible, each of which could have a crucial tangent to the primary notion.
How it works – Then, the major and sub-main concepts should each radiate outward in circles, with smaller offshoots for supplementary ideas and specific details or facts. You can be as thorough as you like or need to be.
Benefits – Visualizing information and having details easily skimmed and read at a look are two of this note-taking system’s main advantages. That works especially well for mind maps with a single primary idea and a small number of supporting ideas and important details. Understanding linkages between concepts, facts, information, or data quickly is another benefit.
Use cases – Mind mapping is appropriate for lectures, meetings, or presentations that are well-structured and ordered but contain a lot of information. It is also well-liked for generating concepts or planning quick-reviewable techniques.
3. Cornell Note Taking Method
One of the most widely used formats for taking systematic notes and organizing such notes for later examination is the Cornell note-taking method. Both paper and computer screens can be used with this column-based approach.
The Cornell note-taking technique makes use of two effective reading comprehension techniques. Your page is divided into three parts. Most of the page is divided into two columns. The one on the left is smaller than the one on the right. Leave a section for a summary at the bottom.
You write down any relevant questions or key concepts in the left column adjacent to the notes in the right column while you take notes in the right column. Then, you quickly summarise what you’ve learned in your own words.
The Five R’s theory can help you write the proper information down while keeping it concise, orderly, and tidy. Record, Reduce, Recite, Reflect, and Review is these.
Make any necessary notes. Put that data in the right column after reducing it to a phrase of two to three words. You will hide your notes and concentrate just on the right column as you recite and recollect information. Spend some time considering the information you retained. To make future reviews easier, be sure to write precisely.
Two research-based reading comprehension strategies that are taught in the primary grades and are beneficial for lifetime learning are questioning and summarising.
Fold the note page to conceal the notes column for active recall, then use the questions to test yourself. For all types of learners, the Cornell technique of taking notes offers some advantages.
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