Hi lovelies! Today I decided to make a small post on a few note taking tips I’ve used whilst in my final year of high school. It’s always useful to hear what other people have tried and what’s worked for them, so hopefully this will be of use you too.
Always add a title and dates to your notes - Knowing when you learnt a particular topic can be handy for when exams are coming up and you need to study or when you need to organise your notes. Dates can also give you an indication of when you should be revising the material to ensure your remember it. Have a look at this post, it outlines the curve of forgetting and can help you determine when you should start studying.
Read the textbook prior to your class - This helps give you an outline of the material so you can summarise and shorten your notes. You also have the opportunity to clarify anything you might not have understood from just reading.
Use the layout of the textbook or syllabus to organise your notes - I found copying the headings and subheadings really helped simplify my notes and helped to ensure I was learning each section. If this is not for you, use the titles given by your teachers as mentioned before!
Include different ways to show the information - Use mindmaps, bullet points, graphs, flow chats and symbols to help visualise the content. This also helps break up large blocks of text which can be boring to read.
Remember to (try to) write legibly - It sucks having to spend ages trying to figure out something you wrote so find a writing style that is comfortable for long periods of writing. Some tips on improving your handwriting can be found here. If you want to change your writing, check out this post for some examples!
Have a small colour coding system - An extensive colour coding system is tricky to use in fast-paced classes where the teacher is quick to move on. Using a mixture of black, blue and red pens can help differentiate parts of your notes without having to change your pen constantly. My colour coding system can be found here.
Make note of what your teacher is saying - They’re knowledgable in your subjects so be sure to pay attention to what is being said and not just what is on the board or powerpoint. You can use small post-it notes for this kind of thing!
Add your own personal touch - Draw doodles, acronyms, ribbons and abbreviations in your notes. You can check out this and this as inspiration. Also this masterpost has some links to help illustrate your notes.
Avoid distractions - Whilst in class it’s obviously best to be focused. Try sitting where you can see and hear well, put away your phone and only use your laptop if necessary. Chatting to friends can also make you miss important information so if you don’t help but talk, sit away from them.
Don’t be shy - If you don’t understand something, raise your hand and ask! You’ll be able to add to your notes and understand more deeply if you thoroughly know what you’re learning. If you struggle to speak up during class, ask your teacher after the lesson has finished or send them an email!
After class - Use a binder or folder to organise your notes in order after you’ve finished. Remember to review your notes after class, highlight them and add any extra information you have. Also compare your notes with friends or a study group!
I hope these few simple tips can help you out. If you have any questions or suggestions for future posts, feel free to send me a message. Thank you for reading. Love, Emma x
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