Note Taking

In preparation for writing a piece of work, your notes might come from a number of different sources: course materials, set texts, secondary reading, interviews, or tutorials and lectures. You might gather information from radio or television broadcasts, or from experiments and research projects. The notes could also include your own ideas, generated as part of the essay planning process. This essay will take you through the critical parts of note taking, so when it comes test time, you will be ready.

First off, there are a few necessary tools for your success in note taking. Preparation is a key in success in a wide range of things. With note taking there is a variety of things you can do to get prepared for a full load of notes. A good night’s sleep is helpful so that you can be alert and ready once you get to class. Secondly, having a notebook full of clean white paper and a pen will be helpful. Note taking requires practice, meaning the more you do it the better you will get. Some notes are better taken from your book, or from your instructor’s lecture. It just all depends where your teacher gets the questions for the test. Ultimately, when it comes down to it that’s all that matters is your score on exams.

If taking notes from your textbook, this is what I would recommend. Read just enough to keep an understanding of the material. Do not take notes, but rather focus on understanding the material. It is tempting to take notes as you are reading the first time, but this is not an efficient technique. You are likely to take down too much information and simply copy without understanding. Locate the main ideas, as well as important sub-points, set the book aside, and paraphrase this information. Putting the textbook information in your own words forces you to become actively involved with the material.

Next, taking notes from lecture. Depending on how the teacher teaches will vary. But many teachers enjoy exporting information through lectures. Prepare for the lecture so that you will be more likely to predict the organization of the lecture. Check the course outline to see if the lecturer has listed the topic or key ideas in the upcoming lecture. If so, convert this information into questions to be answered in the lecture. Complete outside reading or reference assignments and review the text assignment and any