Note-taking

I'll provide some tips on note-taking in general, and then introduce two different ways to approach note-taking.

Note-taking is not just recording what goes on in the class. If that's the only purpose it served, recording a lecture with a video camera would be much more effective, since it captures every image and word. Note-taking is not just collecting facts that might be on the test. In college, you'll find that grades will be more heavily based on papers and free response tests. Facts aren't enough.

Your notes must represent the main ideas that the teacher or author is trying to communicate. The thought processes behind the facts are what is most important, especially since the best way to memorize things is to understand the meaning behind them. You can test this; try memorizing my phone number: 112-3581. Now memorize the first seven digits of the Fibonacci sequence: 1 1 2 3 5 8 13. In note-taking the way you record the underlying meaning is to make the relationship between facts as clear as possible. Instead of writing that Shay's Rebellion happened in 1786 and the Philadelphia Convention happened in 1787, make it clear that Shay's Rebellion scared the states into agreeing to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Step 1

To better capture the relationship between facts, the first thing you must do is create a vocabulary of symbols and abbreviations. It doesn't matter what you come up with, as long as you're consistent. For example:

--> might mean "leads to"
<-- "because of"
* key point

Abbreviations depend on the subject you're taking notes on. In general though, the easiest way to abbrev. is to cut short long words, leave a space after the abbrev___ and fill in the abbreviation after the class is over. Anthr mthd is to ct vwls awy frm the mddle of the wrd. Reserve for emergencies only.

Step 2

The most important things to write down are the analyses and transitions, not the stories and examples. Stories are easier to remember than analyses, so if the teacher talks about the Battle of Bunker Hill as an example of a turning point in the Revolutionary War, you should write down the reasons why it was a turning point, not all the details about the battle itself. Simply looking at the teacher and imagining the battle as it is described is will better imprint it on your memory. The same goes for any example that appeals not to the analytical part of your brain but to the senses or emotions. One or two words to jog your memory later is all you need to write down.

Step 3

It's a good idea to review your notes and comment on them afterwards, because no matter how good your note-taking skills get, there is no substitute for regular review. Scientific studies of memory show that new knowledge enters the short term memory first, and only enters long-term memory when its reviewed regularly. The optimal time period between reviews starts out small but increases in large increments. After a lecture, review within 30 minutes. The second review session should ideally occur several days later, then several weeks, etc. Right after writing down notes, you should either rewrite the notes in a cleaner, more organized format, or at the very least, write down questions and key points in the margins of your paper in a different color pen. It may seem like a hassle to stay so consistent, but the stress it saves you by making cramming unnecessary is almost as valuable as the deeper understanding you'll gain from the material you absorb.

This article was written by Derek Huang

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