Another school year is underway, and it brings with it new courses, new ideas, new academic adventures, and new challenges. One of those challenges for many people is notetaking. Notetaking is a vital ability for students and anyone else engaged in learning or research, and it takes many different forms.
Different students and scholars will benefit from different methods, and you have to find what works for you. Here are some tips and strategies to try that may advance your notetaking ability and, through it, your absorption of the material and ability to review it later.
Try the Cornell Method
Some of my students use this method, and it seems to work well for them. In this system, you divide your page into three sections: a column for “Cues” on the left, a column for “Notes” on the right, and a small section for a “Summary” at the bottom of the page. In the righthand column, you write facts about the subject (what the teacher writes on the board, key things the teacher says, or key ideas from a reading). Later, you come back and write questions in the left-hand “Cue” column, opposite the facts, in order to help organize and retain the notes. Some students use the “Cue” and “Notes” columns at the same time—the system is flexible.At the bottom, you write a summary of the information on that page. Ideally, you should write the summary a bit later than when you took the notes, which forces you to recall the information and synthesize it, solidifying your memory and understanding. You can learn more from Cornell University itself here.
Write by Hand—or at Least Don’t Type Too Many Words
A 2014 study found that students who took notes by hand, rather than on a laptop, understood the material better. However, the results of the study have been contested since subsequent studies have not produced the same results. Still, even repeat studies found that students taking notes on a laptop were more likely to write more words, perhaps even try to put down the lecture verbatim.The danger with such an approach is that you can become so focused on writing every word that you forget to actually pay attention. With your fingers flying automatically, your mind tunes out, and information might not sink in. You may not be able to pick out the big ideas and overall arc of the lesson. By contrast, when you take notes by hand (or at least limit your word count on the computer), you are forced to digest, synthesize, and summarize the ideas as you put them down in your own simplified words.
Not to be neglected, either, is the risk of distraction when taking notes on a laptop. Multiple studies have shown that multitasking on your device while trying to take notes will reduce your test scores.
Don’t Be a Stenographer
This point dovetails with the previous one: most people won’t benefit from trying to write down everything a teacher says. In the first place, it’s nearly impossible to keep up that way. In the second, you struggle to focus on what the instructor is saying if you’re always trying to copy down what was just said a few seconds ago, so you will probably absorb less information. In the third place, you don’t engage with the material as deeply if you aren’t distilling it and putting it into your own words.In a YouTube video from his series on how to do well in college, philosophy professor Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan warns against writing verbatim or even pulling random phrases from the lecture. Rather, he says, you must think through the meaning of what is being said, the content itself, and then write it in summary form using your own words. He also recommends adding more detail to your notes within 24 hours of first taking them, in order to flesh out the ideas and understandings you didn’t have time for in class and to create a more detailed record to review later.
Use Shorthand
Shorthand is the use of symbols or abbreviations to allow you to write more quickly and to simplify your notes. Of course, different people can develop different symbols and systems for shorthand. Just be sure you can decipher your own notes later on. The University of Portsmouth’s website offers principles for writing in shorthand: use the first few letters of a word rather than the whole word; use initials for phrases; and remove most of the vowels from words.
The page linked above also provides a long list of common symbols used in shorthand notetaking, such as “=” for “is” or “results in,” “*” for “special/important,” and “&” for “and.” The temptation here, of course, will be to try to become a stenographer again. Resist it.
Employ Index Cards
Many people are familiar with making flashcards to help study and review material. But you can also write your notes on flashcards (index cards) right from the outset, which streamlines your study process. This works well for some of my students, especially in a class like history with many names and concepts to keep track of.Just write the concept, name, or event on one side of the card and the details about it on the other. By the end of class, you have a dozen or so flashcards already made, and you can begin actively studying by quizzing yourself with these cards. Read the concept or name, try to recall the details about it, then flip the card over to check your knowledge.
Index cards are also great for tracking sources for an essay or other research project. You can list the topic at the top of the card, the number of the source in the corner (corresponding to a numbered source list), a summary or quote in the middle of the card, and the page number from which it came at the bottom. Gavilan College has a helpful handout on the topic.
Sketch Your Notes
Some people benefit from heavily decorating their notes—with arrows, illustrations, containers, color, charts, cartoons, special fonts, and so on. If you’re a visual learner, this may be the way for you. The images and the process of making them will help you flag and store material in your mind, and it will help you find it in your notebook for review later. Clearly state the topic of the lesson at the top of the page, so it stands out from the whirlwind of other things on the sheet.Write in Your Book
I can’t imagine taking or teaching a class without extensive annotations in the course texts. For me, it’s essential to have a pencil or pen in hand when I read in order to underline and star key passages, summarize ideas, ask questions, and even start to plan out essays or lectures in the book’s margin.In another YouTube video from his series, Jeffrey Kaplan describes his method for retaining everything he reads using annotations: summarize the first paragraph in the margin in one sentence, and then do the same for the second paragraph. In the third paragraph, write a sentence summarizing all the paragraphs you’ve read so far. Then write a second sentence summarizing only the third paragraph. Repeat this pattern for the whole reading—you will be constantly distilling and digesting the content of the reading. While it is slower than just “passing your eyes” over the reading, this method will enable you to understand and remember the material, and Mr. Kaplan demonstrates that you actually end up saving time with this method (check out his excellent video for the full explanation).
Kaplan’s approach centers around the principle that you can’t summarize without thinking through the ideas, and thinking through the ideas greatly enhances comprehension and retention. Plus, the marginal summaries make it easy to review the material later.
