Chapter 5: Academic Strategies

43 Strategies for Effective Note Taking

Note-taking is not just about writing down everything that you hear or read. There are a number of common note-taking strategies that all post-secondary students should become familiar with in order to master the main goal of note-taking, which is to succinctly and efficiently summarize core concepts in an organized manner.

Digital vs. Hand Written Notes

As you begin your classes in post-secondary, you’ll have the freedom to decide whether to create digital notes on a device or hand-write them on paper. Both options come with their advantages and disadvantages, so it’s up to you to figure out which method is right for you!

Digital Notes

You may choose to digitize your notes on a laptop or tablet using programs like Google Drive or Microsoft OneNote.

Pros Cons
  • Easier to edit
  • Easier to search for specific words/phrases
  • Harder to lose
  • Most can type faster than they can hand write, making it easier to collect more information more quickly
  • Neater and more legible
  • Typing is more passive than hand writing; you won’t retain as much information
  • Your device may be distracting during class or reading

Videos: Digital Note Taking

If you prefer to create digital notes, watch the videos on how to effectively do so using Microsoft OneNote and Google Drive.

DIGITAL NOTETAKING Pt. 2 | OneNote [8:13]

How I take Digital Notes Using Google Docs, Google Slides, and GoodNotes | Laptop & iPad Notes [5:48]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0HNbJSdt3eU

Hand Written Notes

The alternative to creating digital notes is hand-writing them using pens, pencils, highlighters, and, of course, paper.

Pros Cons
  • Most of us write slower than we type, so we must be more selective about what we’re writing in our notes; you’re more likely to comprehend, process, and retain more information by writing things down
  • With the absence of distracting technology, hand writing increases your ability to focus on the class or reading
  • They can be sloppy, making it hard to read them later
  • It is easier to lose track of physical pages or notebooks
  • It’s more difficult to quickly locate keywords or phrases

Video: How I Take Notes – Tips For Neat and Efficient Note Taking

Watch the video ” How I take notes – Tips for neat and efficient note taking” [7:17] from studytee on taking hand written notes.

Your decision to type or hand-write your notes will ultimately depend on your needs, strengths, and learning style. It may be useful to test out both methods and see which one you are more comfortable with! Or, you may decide to use both methods in different classes or contexts. After some trial and error, you’ll find a note-taking system that caters to your individual learning practices and goals.

Creating Organized Notes

One of the keys to creating effective notes is keeping them neat and organized. Without proper organization, the notes you take for your different courses quickly become scattered and lost.

There are many tips to keep in mind when you begin organizing your notes.

  1. Create virtual or physical binders/folders for each course
  2. Date and note the course code on all new notes
  3. Title each note with the title of the lecture/lab/reading
  4. Number your pages Use main ideas as titles and under each main idea, create secondary ideas
  5. Use indents and spacing to identify new sections and subsections bold/underline/highlight important words
  6. Use colours or other identifying information to group notes for the same subject matter together

Proper Summarizing

As already mentioned, the main purpose of note-taking is to turn your lecture/reading material into succinct yet meaningful concept summaries. This involves learning how to extract core ideas and translating them into your own words. There are many tips to keep in mind as you begin summarizing.

  1. When possible, use symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms in your notes
  2. Decode presented information into your own words and phrases rather than typing/writing out exactly what is written/spoken
  3. Use bullet points to get your ideas across; don’t worry about perfect grammar and proper sentences. The point of notes is for you to understand the idea, not for it to be a flawless piece of writing
  4. Include little annotation notes which serve as tips to help you understand or practice a concept
  5. Some instructors may provide copies of the notes/slides ahead of time with all or some of the important information listed. You can follow along, highlighting or underlining important points and adding additional information as needed.
  6. It’s impossible to write/type every single word your instructor says or every sentence in a reading. Focus on repeated terms, phrases, and definitions. When lecturing/presenting, your instructor will emphasize what information is most important to process. Remember – quality information over quantity!

Activity: How to Take Great Notes

Practice these note-taking strategies by watching the video “How to Take Great Notes” [5:08] on how to take notes and treating it like a lecture! Choose whether to hand-write or type out your notes. Give your note a proper title and take succinct and organized notes of the video as you watch and listen to it.

Take a look at these example notes of the video’s first few minutes. Notice how the document is labelled and how the notes are structured.

  • How do your notes compare?
  • What strategies could use improvement?

 

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