In continuation to yesterday's masterpost, The Basics of Note-taking, I've decided to write about how to efficiently revise your notes.
This is very applicable to anyone looking to use their notes as a studying tool for the coming school year. In this masterpost I will write about how to reteach yourself and check for understanding of your notes using these revising tips.
Much of the tips I will be talking about are taken from the Cornell Note system that I mentioned in yesterday's article. Apart from the two column formatting, there is also a given space specifically for summarizing the notes taken. I personally make sure I leave a little space for later when the time comes for me to study. Summarizing your notes is a great way to really figure out what you've written about because you are forced to truly comprehend the subject in order to condense into 2-3 sentences.
This is when you'll need to utilize your margin space TO THE MAX. Reread your notes and ask yourself if you really understand what you've written. If you don't then write a simple question next to the area you are confused about. I usually stem a little arrow into the margin area.
If you're unfamiliar with this acronym, it stands for Point of Confusion. This can be used in coordination with the previous bullet point about questioning what you've written. Look through your notes and identify your points of confusion. Where is it exactly in your notes that you get lost or need more clarification on? Once you've figured out your points of confusion, insert that question in the margin and later work your way through solving your P.O.C.
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Another way to check for comprehension is by blocking or sectioning off your notes. When doing this you end up asking yourself, what best matches with what? It's sort of like having four main titles and deciding what bullet points go under which title. You give yourself a better understanding by working through each piece of information and identifying it with any given name. This also helps for memorization purposes!
Many studyblrs will tell you that rewriting your notes is the best way to study and get that information drilled into your head. However, the reality is that not all of us have the time to rewrite EVERYTHING ever given to us. Thankfully there is a slight shortcut to this that has a very similar effect. Instead of rewriting your notes completely, look through your textbook, power point presentation, or whatever material you used to write the notes the first time around and pretend as if you are rewriting them. If you have certain pieces of information already written down, perfect! But if there's something that caught your attention this time that didn't before, go ahead and add it into the margin! Many times teachers will have you write notes before you begin learning about that chapter. You won't exactly know what's important at the beginning of each unit but by the end of it, you'll have a better idea of what to look for in your textbook and what to add into your notes.
That's it! Once again I'm aware this masterpost has been written numerous times by various studyblrs before which is exactly why I really tried to make sure I added information you probably haven't read/heard before. These are all tips I've learned and developed throughout the years. I sincerely hope this helped you!
If you have any requests please let me know and I will incorporate it into my BTS series schedule that you can view here.
I'm an open book! Message me or send in a question even if it's not related to the studyblr community!
p.s. I’m aware it’s 12:01 am when I’m posting this so sorry I didn’t post it sooner I was just really busy today! :(
