Note-Taking Techniques

Whatever note-taking format you choose, follow these important steps:

  1. Identify the main ideas. The first principle of effective note taking is to identify and write down the most important ideas around which the lecture is built. Although supporting details are important as well, focus your note taking on the main ideas. These ideas can be buried in details, statistics, examples, or problems, but you will need to identify and record them for further study. Some instructors announce the purpose of a lecture or offer an outline of main ideas, followed by details. Other instructors develop PowerPoint presentations. If your instructor makes such materials available on a Web site prior to class, you can print them out and take notes on the outline or next to the PowerPoint slides during the lecture. Some instructors change their tone of voice or repeat themselves for each key idea. Some ask questions or provide an opportunity for discussion. If an instructor says something more than once, chances are it is important. Ask yourself, “What does my instructor want me to know at the end of today’s class?”
  2. Don’t try to write down everything. Some first-year students try to do just that. They stop being thinkers and become just note-takers. As you take notes, leave spaces so that you can fill in additional details that you might have missed during class but remember or read about later. Take the time to review and complete your notes as soon as you can after class. Once you have decided on a format for taking notes, you might also want to develop your own system of abbreviations. For example, you might write “inst” instead of “institution” or “eval” instead of “evaluation.” Just make sure you will be able to understand your abbreviations when it’s time to review.
  3. Don’t be thrown by a disorganized lecturer. When a lecture is disorganized, it’s your job to try to organize the material presented into general and specific points. When information is missing, you will need to indicate in your notes where the gaps are. After the lecture, review the reading material, ask your classmates to fill in these gaps, or ask your instructor for help. Some instructors have regular office hours for student appointments, while others are willing to spend time after class answering students’ questions. However, it is amazing how few students use these opportunities for one-on-one instruction. The questions you ask might help your instructor realize which parts of the lecture need more attention or repetition.
  4. Keep your notes and supplementary materials for each course separate. Whether you use folders, binders, or some combination, label your materials with the course number and name. Before class, label and date the paper you will use to take notes; after class, organize your notes chronologically. In your folder or binder, create separate tabbed sections for homework, lab assignments, graded and returned tests, and other materials. If you take notes electronically, you should create separate files and folders for each class, with specific names and dates. You can create a folder for each course and add subfolders for notes, assignments, and projects within each folder.
  5. Download notes, outlines, diagrams, charts, and graphs from the CMS site and bring them to class. You might be able to save yourself a lot of time during class if you do not have to copy graphs and diagrams while the instructor is talking. Instead, you can focus on the ideas being presented while adding labels and notes to the printouts.
  6. If handouts are distributed in class, label them and place them near your notes. Buy a portable three-hole punch, and use it to add handouts to your binder or folder as you review your notes each day.

high-impact practice 2

Write and Reflect

What Note-Taking Method Works Best for You?

Over the next week, try a variety of note-taking methods, such as the Cornell format, the outline format, and a random format where you write down what you think is important in no particular order. Then compare your notes and decide which format you like best—which is easiest for you and which helps you the most when you study and prepare for tests. Write a short essay describing your experience using these methods.

Taking Notes in Nonlecture Courses Always be ready to change your note-taking methods based on the situation. Group discussion is a popular way to teach in college because it engages students in active participation. On your campus, you might also have courses with Supplemental Instruction (SI) opportunities, which allow students to discuss the information covered in class lectures and discussions outside of class.

How do you keep a record of what’s happening in such classes? Let’s assume that you are taking notes on a problem-solving group assignment. You would begin your notes by writing down the problem that the group is being asked to solve. As the group discussion continues, you would list the solutions that are offered. These would be your main ideas. The important details might include the pros and cons of each viewpoint or suggested solution. The important thing to remember when taking notes in nonlecture courses is that you need to record the information presented by your classmates as well as the information presented by your instructor, and you need to consider all reasonable ideas, even those that differ from your own.

When a course has separate lecture and discussion sessions, you will need to understand how the discussion sessions relate to and supplement the lectures. If the material covered in the discussion session differs from what was covered in the lecture, you might need to ask for help in organizing your notes. When similar topics are covered, you can combine your lecture and discussion notes so that you have full coverage of each topic.

How you organize the notes you take in a class discussion session depends on the purpose or form of the discussion. It usually makes sense to begin with a list of the issues or topics under discussion. Another approach is to list the questions raised for discussion. If the discussion explores reasons for and against a particular argument, divide your notes into columns or sections for each set of reasons. When different views are presented in discussion, record all the ideas. Your instructor might ask you to compare your own opinions to those of other students and explain why and how you formed those opinions.

Taking Notes in Science and Mathematics Courses Many mathematics and science courses build on one another from term to term and from year to year. When you take notes in these courses, you will likely need to go back to them in the future. For example, when taking organic chemistry, you might need to review the notes you took in earlier chemistry courses. This can be particularly important if some time has passed since you completed your last related course, such as after a summer or winter break.

Taking notes in math and science courses can be different from taking notes in other classes. The following tips can help:

Using Technology to Take Notes While some students use laptops, tablets, or other mobile devices for note taking, others prefer taking notes by hand so that they can easily circle important items or copy equations or diagrams while they are being presented. If you handwrite your notes, entering them on a computer after class for review purposes might be helpful, especially if you are a kinesthetic learner who prefers to learn through experience and practice. After class, you can also cut and paste diagrams and other visuals into your notes and print a copy, since a printout might be neater and easier to read than notes you wrote by hand.

Some students—especially aural learners, who prefer to hear information—find it is advantageous to record lectures. But if you record, don’t become passive; listen actively. Students with specific types of learning disabilities might be urged to record lectures or use the services of note-takers, who type on a laptop while the student views the notes on a separate screen.