Technology is now having a huge impact on teaching and learning, yet many courses are still run in a traditional way. Taking good notes and learning how to use them is therefore an essential skill for an excellent academic or academic performance. Consequently, this also helps to make their way in the increasingly competitive job market. In fact, according to some research, students who take notes and study them carefully get higher grades on tests. However, learning to study notes requires good organization and preparation, only in this way will learning be efficient and useful.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Prepare to Take Notes in Lesson
Step 1. Develop an organizational system
Well-ordered notes are one of the main tools for studying for a test. Instead, littered, lost, incomplete, and out of order notes cause stress. They take away precious time, time that could be devoted to studying, not rummaging through notebooks. Here are some ways to organize your notes and avoid these inconveniences:
- Use color-coordinated folders and notebooks for each subject. For example, buy green notebooks and folders for science, blue for history, red for literature, and so on. On the first page, write the title of the day's lesson and the date, then start taking notes. When joining a class, write the new notes on another page, always indicating the title and date. If you miss a class, leave several blank pages in your notebook, then ask a friend or teacher if they can give you that day's notes. Write them on these blank pages.
- Another way to organize your notes? Buy a binder with three rings, a stack of perforated sheets, material dividers and folders with pockets suitable for the three-ring binders, in which you will keep the handouts and papers that you are given in class. For the first material, insert a good amount of perforated sheets, a folder with a pocket and finally a divider. Repeat for the next subject. If you have several subjects and one binder is not enough, use more. Keep in the same binder the materials of the courses that you attend on the same day or that are in some way related.
- If the teacher allows you to use the laptop to take notes, create a folder for each subject. For each lesson, you have 2 possibilities. First of all, you can open a new document and save it indicating the date and an abbreviated title of the lesson (this will help you when studying, because you will be able to quickly see the order of the lessons by date). Secondly, you can create a single document, which you will update regularly with the title and date of each lesson. Leave some space between lessons. Also, type in bold or enlarge the title and date font, so that you have a clear visual separation.
Step 2. Read in advance the chapters that will be discussed in class
Reading before class prepares neural networks - it's a bit like warming up for a grueling workout. It will help you better understand the teacher's reasoning, absorb concepts faster, elaborate the additional arguments presented, recognize the particularly significant points more readily (for example, during a lesson on amphibians, the teacher dedicates 10 minutes to the presentation of the dendrobatidae, while he says nothing about the fire salamander). As you read, write down the parts you find confusing. Look for terms you don't know or are explained in depth in class. Formulate questions to ask in class if they are not clarified in the course of the explanation.
- Sometimes the professors publish the contents of the lessons on the internet, also indicating articles, books and useful resources. If this information is not included in the syllable of the course, ask the teacher how to access these materials.
- If the teacher uses electronic tools in class but does not publish them online, ask him if it is possible to do so.
Step 3. Review previous notes
Before going to class, review past class notes to refresh your memory on the latest topics. Write down any questions you have and ask them in class. Reviewing the previous lessons will also help you to better follow the thread, especially if the lessons are cumulative or concatenated in a logical order. It will also allow you to listen more actively, which is particularly useful for memorization and review purposes.
- Doing it before each lesson will have an effect that will benefit you more and more over time. All the study you will do later will therefore be more immediate, less difficult.
- In addition, this method has an added benefit: you are ready for surprise tests, often unavoidable and feared by everyone, especially at school.
Method 2 of 4: Using the 4 R's Method: Review, Reduction, Repetition and Reflection
Step 1. Review your notes strategically
Reading and rereading notes in a short amount of time (often the day before a test) is a popular method, but research has shown that it is a very ineffective study tactic. After all, the mind is not a VCR. However, if done correctly, reading the various notes more than once is still quite useful. There are 2 methods to derive a real benefit from reviewing notes: allocate time appropriately between the different study sessions and mix the topics to be learned.
- Spread the time between study sessions. For example, read the notes within 24 hours of taking them. By doing this, you will store approximately 50% of the concepts. If you wait for more than a day, however, you will only assimilate 20% of the contents. Then, wait another week or 15 days before rereading these notes and so on.
- Waiting to re-read seems counterproductive (after all, don't you run the risk of forgetting many details this way?), But cognitive psychologists have made a very interesting discovery. The more one is on the verge of forgetting the concepts, the more the information will become fixed in the long-term memory through a process of re-exposing and recalling memories.
- Also, read the notes aloud. This makes a generally passive process active and creates auditory links in memory paths.
- Mix up the study topics. Imagine you have established that you will study 2 hours a day. Instead of dedicating an entire study session to memorizing lecture notes, spend half an hour studying one subject, half an hour studying another, and then repeat. Combining themes in this way (interleaving) requires a certain reloading of information, which forces the brain to notice similarities and differences. As a result, much more information is processed, which leads to more accurate understanding and long-term storage.
- As soon as you start thinking that you really know about concepts, you have to change and work on something else for a while - this is an integral part of the technique's modus operandi. Then, put the blue history book aside and get the green science book.
Step 2. Shrink your clipboard
On the same day you take notes, or shortly thereafter, summarize them. Identify the points, concepts, dates, names and key examples given in class, and then summarize them in your own words. Writing in your own words forces you to squeeze your brains out. The more flexible the brain becomes, the more it will strengthen (the adage that goes "If you don't use your head, you risk losing it!" Is really true). Finally, write down the questions related to the topics, so that you can clarify the doubts.
- Another idea is to build a concept map, which is a diagram that stimulates critical thinking by visually demonstrating the relationships between concepts. This helps you organize and evaluate both the main ideas and the supporting details presented in the clipboard. The more connections you make between notions, the more likely you will be to remember materials and grasp the big picture. This is a particularly useful skill for writing essays, term papers and taking final exams.
- Note: According to recent research, students using laptops tend to type more information spoken verbatim by the teacher (because typing on the keyboard is faster than typing by hand). Instead, students who take notes manually understand and store more concepts, because this process involves active listening and careful selection of what to write.
- Nonetheless, many students still try to handwrite everything the professor says. To better assimilate information and study your notes more effectively, create a ladder. It will probably help you manage your copious notes better. It will also help you to funnel information into memory paths faster, in order to fix it in the mind through a process of repeated exposure.
Step 3. Repeat the clipboard information
Review the topics, summarize them, put them on a concept map or a lineup for a few minutes. Then, repeat them aloud and in your own words. Do this 2-3 times, then repeat at regular intervals, based on the guidelines of the time distribution discussed in the anterior section.
- Repeating aloud is one of the most active study and learning methods out there. It helps you identify memory and comprehension difficulties, process key ideas and concepts, test your general understanding, and make connections between issues.
- You can also make cards to use when you repeat. Buy a pack of 8x12cm or 10x15cm white tiles and write down your keywords (never complete sentences), an idea, a date, a diagram, a formula or a main name. Start repeating this information aloud. If you created them in the order of the lineup, mix them up before repeating. This boils down to the idea that mixing information forces the brain to work harder, so it will store data better.
Step 4. Think over your notes
Reflection is a process of meditation or deep reasoning on the contents of the notes. Since you are more likely to remember customizable concepts, reflecting on what you have learned and the connections this has to your experiences can be particularly helpful. Here are some examples of questions you can ask yourself to improve the reflective process. To make the most of this tactic, record responses in one way or another, be it through classic writing, a lineup, diagram, audio recording, or other means.
- Why are these facts important?
- How can they be applied?
- What else do I need to know for all the pieces to fit together?
- What experiences I have lived relate to this information?
- How does this relate to what I already know or think about the world?
Method 3 of 4: Self-Examine Your Knowledge While You Study
Step 1. Turn your notes into flashcards
According to some research, students who use flashcards to prepare for tests get significantly higher grades than those who don't. It is therefore an economic means of making a high profit. You will need to buy 8x12cm or 10x15cm white tiles and a pencil, pen or marker whose mark will not be seen on the other side of the paper after writing. Start by writing a short question on the front of the card and the answer on the back. Select the first tile, read the question and answer. Turn it over to see if the answer is correct.
- Group all the tiles into a deck, do not separate them into small groups. This way, you mix concepts and repeat them on a regular basis, which improves memory and information storage.
- After repeating the flashcards several times at regular intervals, put aside the ones you always gave correct answers and focus on the ones that have bothered you.
Step 2. Create concept tiles from your clipboard
These cards are different from flashcards because their focus is not on individual facts, but on the link between facts and ideas or concepts. They are especially useful when preparing to write essays or take final exams. Just like you did with flashcards, buy 8x12cm or 10x15cm white tiles and a pen, pencil or marker whose mark is not seen on the other side after writing. On the front, write a key idea, term, name, event, or process from your notes. On the back, write a short definition of the term and list 3-5 concepts related to it. Use the concept tiles to test yourself on each word written on the front of the cards.
- Concepts related to words could include examples, reasons why you believe these terms are important, related issues, subcategories, and so on.
- For both flashcards and concept cards, buy special boxes or cases to store them. The cases, in particular, have a variety of colors, which can be combined with those chosen for the folders and notebooks of the subjects (if you have decided to organize the notes chromatically).
- You can also bring 1 or 2 decks of cards with you and use them in your spare time, for example in the doctor's waiting room, on the bus or between lessons.
Step 3. Create practice self-exams based on your notes
Self-examinations are one of the most effective study strategies you can employ, and should be done regularly. They force the brain to retrieve information and strengthen the neural pathways needed to store it in memory. From your notes, create questions based on the materials in each lesson. You should develop multiple choice questions, true or false, with short answers, with spaces to fill in and tracks for writing essays. Set the complete test aside for a few days, then resume it and repeat the process periodically to prepare for each exam.
- After the first test of a certain subject, it is often, but not always, possible to get an accurate idea of the format that the teacher prefers and uses. If the test was multiple choice, for example, consider creating such questions based on course notes.
- When formulating practice questions for the exam, try to anticipate and process questions that might be asked during the actual test. Look for cause and effect relationships in your notes, examples, hypotheses, definitions, dates, lists and diagrams.
- After the first exam, consider the questions you haven't been able to answer. Review your notes and see if these concepts were in them. Maybe they were in the book, or maybe you wrote them, but you didn't think they were as important as the professor evidently did. Use this analysis to not only improve practice tests accordingly, but also to make more focused notes and study more effectively in general.
Method 4 of 4: Other Methods for Studying the Notes Actively
Step 1. Work with a study partner
Teaching someone concepts forces you to rephrase and process information more thoroughly to express it in your own words. This helps you to fix them better in your memory, and the study will be more effective. Then, pick a lesson and quickly go over your notes. Introduce them to your partner and get them to ask you questions to elaborate on the points made in your presentation. During the semester or term, implement this method in turn for each lesson.
- This approach has an additional benefit: you are more likely to identify the parts that you did not initially consider particularly important to the study. However, you later recognized their relevance because your partner introduced them. It also helps you fill in gaps in your notes as your friend illustrates things you missed.
- You may also want to take the time to create practice tests for each other to take. You can do it together or individually.
Step 2. Join a study group
It is another opportunity not only to make a commitment to study the notes, but also to fill in the gaps within them, see the content of the course from other perspectives and gain information on the approach to the study of others. Once you have formed a study group, a leader should be appointed to keep everyone on track and send reminders by email. Decide when you will meet, for how long and how often. During your meetings, review your notes and other materials together so that you can share information and resolve any confusing issues. You could also take turns submitting materials and creating test questions for exams.
- Some schools and universities offer tools on the web to encourage learning; for example, they allow students to join a study group on a certain subject. If this is not possible, talk to the teacher about how to facilitate the formation of a group. If you know other people in class, invite them to join you.
- A study group should have 3-4 permanent members. If too many people participate, there is a risk of confusion and very little will end.
- The group should meet once a week. This ensures that you don't put too much meat on the fire at every encounter.
Step 3. Study the notes through an elaborative query
It is a technique that encourages learning and memorization through the question "Why?" while reading the notes. It is also a more effective study method than those students have used religiously for decades, such as mnemonics and underlining, according to research. When reviewing your notes, stop at regular intervals, ask yourself the reason for a concept and respond. The questions can be general or specific.
- Generali: "Why does this make sense?", "Why is this unexpected considering what I already know about the subject?".
- Specifics: "Why does information stay in short-term memory for only 18 seconds without repetition or review?", "Why studying all the topics on an exam in one day often leads to lower grades?".
- The technique is particularly effective because it forces you to retrieve previous knowledge, think critically about information, make connections between concepts, and respond in your own words. In practice, these processes help you connect information in the brain as if it were hollow.
Advice
- In short, interact with the notes in multiple possible ways. Each interaction encourages memory, so the more you stimulate it, the stronger it will become.
- A variant of this method? Study in different places. The brain picks up signals from its surroundings and then forms associations with the study material. By changing the place where you learn, you create more signals or contextual links with the content. This results in a strengthening of the memory.
- Make sure you have the right mindset when studying your notes. If you are distracted by pressing worries and find your mind wandering regularly, this may not be the best time to study. In fact, it could be a waste of time.
- Don't wait until the last minute to study your notes. Overloading yourself before a test means relying only on short-term memory, which has a very limited capacity. You may be able to answer a good number of questions correctly on the day of the test (according to research, you are generally more likely to remember what you have studied at the beginning and at the end), but you will not remember the information in the long term or for the final exam.
- Make sure you are well rested and have eaten healthy. If the body is not fully fit, you cannot expect the mind to be. This is one of the reasons why studying all day before a test is often quite ineffective: you don't sleep enough to guarantee the performance you would have if you slept for the usual 8 hours.
- Take notes even when the teacher shows videos or invites guests to class, because the information illustrated or presented often ends up appearing in exams.
- If you enjoy drawing, create illustrations with preset colors to help you learn the key points. For example, if you are studying the human body, you can draw all the parts that include the central nervous system with red, the skeleton with blue, muscles with green, and so on.
- Finally, learn from your mistakes. When reviewing tests and exams, try to understand where your performance has been poor. Review your notes to understand what you missed or did not consider as important as other information you have studied. This will give you ideas on what to focus on for a future test.
