Good note-taking is a critical skill that will improve your academic success and ready you for a successful experience in college and beyond. Classes at the high school level provide plenty of information, and a good note-taking process can help you with that information overload so you can be more organized, retain better and ultimately study more effectively. The following ideas are proven and combine traditional note taking methods and techniques with new digital applications, which combined will give you several options to have a productive note-taking process that matches your learning style.
1. Cornell Note-Taking Method
In the Cornell method, you cut your page into three sections: a small left column for cues and keywords, a larger right column for detailed notes, and a bottom area for summaries. While taking notes in class, you write your main notes in the right column, and a little later you insert keywords or questions in the left margin. The summary area at the bottom is to consolidate the most important points from everything you have learned. This method requires you to actively engage with the material as you write notes, and it makes reviewing what you have learned much more manageable, because with the cue column you test yourself. The Cornell method is especially ideal when taking notes for subjects that have substantial detail or making study guides for an exam.
2. Mind Mapping and Visual Note-Taking
Mind mapping produces visual models for information that allow you to see how things connect with regard to ideas and concepts. You begin with a central topic in the middle of the page, and from there, you create branches with subtopics and supporting details. This technique engages several levels of brain activity and is especially useful for memorizing anything from vocabulary words to complex sets of relationships between concepts. Mind maps are particularly useful for subjects such as history, literature, and science. Because you create a visual representation of the material, your ability to recall the information in a test situation is enhanced because your brain can reproduce the visual format of what you studied.
3. The Charting Method
The charting method organizes information into columns and rows. This is similar to creating a spreadsheet, where each column can represent a different category of information and each row can represent a different topic area. This method works really well when you need to compare facts, statistics, or different concepts across a number of dimensions. An example may include a history class studying several different civilizations and creating each column for each civilization and rows for government, economy, religion, achievements, and so on. Everything has been organized visually so that patterns and relationships between various pieces of information stand out. The charting method is typically very useful when you want to prepare for an exam. You can easily scan across the categories to review the various types of information.
4. The Outline Method
The outline system provides an organized hierarchical structure, with major topics, subtopics and supporting details arranged through indentation. You will write major topics on the left side of your page, and indent associated subtopics and supporting details further to the right. This system provides a natural way to decompose complex information into smaller, manageable segments, and clearly separates various levels of ideas within a topic. The structured format also allows you to easily skip sections that you are familiar with when you are reviewing the material and to focus your attention on the material that you need to process further. This method can also be enhanced further by differentiating levels of information with numbers, letters, arrows, bullet points, and colors.
5. Digital Note-Taking with Apps
New note-taking apps, like Microsoft OneNote, Notion, and Obsidian, provide options for note taking that greatly exceed pen and paper methods of taking notes. For example, Microsoft OneNote offers freeform note taking in that you can add text, images, and drawings anywhere in a digital notebook page. Notion uses a block-based approach to note taking in that you can customize sophisticated notes containing embedded video, relational databases, and even notes you can share and collaborate with others. Obsidian is a note-taking program that focuses primarily on creating relationships between related notes using backlinks to style your thinking patterns into what Obsidian calls your own "second brain" or "Zettelkasten" taking shape. Each of these note taking tools are superior to pen, paper and notebooks when the scale of information increases, the ease of searching through material increases, and an emphasis on accessing the notes from anywhere, such as the cloud, is prioritized.
6. The Flow Notes Method
Flow notes are based on depicting the essence of information as visuals rather than documenting word by word. This approach enables you to capture ideas as they are generated during a lecture, build connections between your new knowledge and your existing knowledge, and organize details through drawings or visuals. In this approach, you assign details and relationships spatially for recall with arrows and symbols to show relationships and order. Flow notes are effective for subjects that require creativity, or when you need to create the multiple relationships that exist between concepts.
7. The Boxing Method
The boxing technique groups ideas together with notes in box-like shapes making it easier to delineate the various ideas and supporting details. They can be wholly separated from each other or you can create boxes containing subtopics within larger boxes. The boxing technique was developed for digital note-taking but has been adapted for handwritten notes. The boxing method works especially well for classes working with graphics such as biology or anatomy as you can simply insert a diagram or image into your box. The visual separation of ideas will help you keep your notes more organized as well as looking nicer which may be enjoyable when studying the material.
8. Sketchnoting
Sketchnoting is a combination of different forms of typography, simple graphics and visual elements to enable different kinds of notes that are memorable and engaging. It takes plain elements like letters, different letter styles, bullet points, simple icons and frames, to re-arrange information visually. Sketchnoting incorporates many techniques, including mind mapping, rapid logging with symbols and abbreviations, and using visual metaphors to illustrate more abstract concepts. Sketchnoting ties to the right side of your brain, and both sides, with less cognitive load, can help to remember and find what is important through meaningful connections, which may not happen when you are simply writing using your left brain or when relying on text-based notes. Sketchnotes can work across many contexts and subjects - from lectures to meetings, or to journaling.
9. The Sentence Method
The sentence method consists of writing each thought, idea, or concept you have on its own line in complete sentence form. This relatively simple process was used here because the method requires no preparation and is effective when you do not have a sense of how the lecture will organize information or the information streams relatively quickly. What you can do with the sentence method is each time you have a new idea, you quickly write it down in complete sentence form, and then number each line so you can organize the topics later. While this has the potential to create very long notes for subjects you have more depth to them when you make your notes this way, you limit the chance you will not write down something you needed to during a fast delivery or a lecture without structure. After class, you can then take your notes generated through the sentence method and have a previous set of notes you can then make into the Cornell method or your view of the outline method that would allow you to retain information better.
10. Active Recall Note-Taking
Active recall note-taking is about retrieving knowledge from memory through self-testing instead of rereading what you have written. Though you can involve techniques like self-quizzing, paraphrasing information with your own words, and asking yourself questions about the material you are taking notes on, you can also incorporate spaced repetition while reviewing notes in a timeframe schedule. Another strategy is to use visuals like diagrams and charts to acquire a more thorough comprehension of the information. The main difference you want to make sure of is to engage with the information in an active way instead of passively reading and highlighting it. Notes taken this way will boost retention since it makes you reconstruct knowledge rather than just recognize it.
Choosing the Right Method for You
Usually, you will use a variety of techniques for note-making, and it will depend on the content, your learning style, and the context. A visual learner might want to represent their knowledge with mind mapping or sketchnoting. A different student that prefers order might elect to use the Cornell method or an outline. You should try different techniques for different topics - for instance, a chart for comparing science concepts, a Cornell method for history or use digital notes for a research project.
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