11.3 General Tips on Notetaking

General Tips on Notetaking

Regardless of what notetaking method you choose, there are some notetaking habits you should get into for all circumstances and all courses:

Be prepared — Make sure you have the tools you need to do the job.

Choose a tool that works for you, and be prepared to try new things like adding sticky notes, colours, etc.

Label, number, and date all notes at the top of each page. This will help you keep organized.

Don’t try to capture everything that is said. Listen for the big ideas and write them down. Make sure you can recognize the professor’s emphasis cues and write down all ideas and keywords the professor emphasizes.

Don’t just copy the bullet points from a PowerPoint, make sure you know what they mean and how they apply to the topic.

Leave space between ideas — This allows you to add additional notes later.

Use signals and abbreviations and mark up or “annotate” your assignments with questions or details the professor mentions in class or in the instructions posted online.

Review your notes as soon after class as possible, the same day is best. This is the secret to making your notes work! Review the notes to call out the key ideas and organize facts. Fill in any gaps in your notes and clean up or redraw hastily drawn diagrams.

Write a summary of the main ideas of the class in your own words.  Hand-writing your summary may help you remember better than typing it out.  This process is a great aid to recall.