HINTS ON
GOOD
NOTE TAKING
1. It is important to take notes because people tend to forget almost half of what they read within one hour. If you take notes, then new information can be reviewed and remembered, not forgotten.
2. Don’t write down everything that you read or hear. Only concentrate on getting down the main points. Use your own words, but be careful not to change the meaning.
3. Notes should consist of key words, or very short sentences. Complete sentences are a waste of time. The average speaker says approximately 125-140 words per minute, and the average note taker writes about 25 words per minute. You can go back to your notes later and add further information, if necessary. (for example, instead of writing “Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States,” write “Abe Linc.=Pres. #16”).
4. Don’t take notes just to be taking notes. They should mean something to you when you look over them later.
5. Have a system of punctuation and abbreviations that makes sense to you. They are shortcuts so you don’t have to write everything out longhand. Leave out unnecessary words like, “a, an, the,” etc. Abbreviate only if you will be able to understand your own symbols when you go back to study your notes. For example:
Abbreviation
/ What it Means / Abbreviation / What it Means~ / Approximately / x / Times
w/, w/o, w/in / With, without, within / Cont’d / Continued
+, & / And / Lg. / Large
Less than, fewer / Sm. / Small
Greater than, more / * / Important
= / Equal to, is, same as / Esp. / Especially
b/c / Because / b4 / Before
i.e. / That is / vs. / Versus, as opposed to
e.g., ex. / For example / etc. / Etcetera
?, Q. / Question / ______-- / ______-tion, ______-ment
ea. / Each / # / Number
Lb. / Pound / Pt. / Point
ß / Comes from / / / Per
à / Resulting in, leads to / Approp. / Appropriate
6. Have extra paper and more than one pen or pencil handy. If your lead breaks or you run out of ink, then you will have a backup you can use.
7. If you have a choice, sit toward the front of the class so you can see, hear better, and be less distracted.
8. Number and date each page of your notes. That way if you are missing any notes, you will know what day you are missing and it will be easier to get them from a teacher or classmate. It is also helpful to put the title of the lecture somewhere near the top of the page.
9. Complete all readings and homework assignments before the teacher gives the lecture. That way, you will already have somewhat of an idea what the teacher is talking about as you listen.
10. Don’t worry about missing a point. If the speaker goes too fast, leave space on the page and try to pick up the material you miss at a later time, either through reading, questioning, or common sense.
11. Skip lines—leaving a space between definitions or explanations helps keep things neat and clearly shows where one idea ends and another begins.
12. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. You can go back and correct it after the lecture is over.
13. Do not doodle or play with your pen. These activities break eye contact and concentration.
14. Don’t keep notes on oddly shaped pieces of paper. Keep notes in order and in one place.
15. Only use one side of the paper for notes. This will allow you to highlight important information without the marker bleeding through, or it will allow you to add supporting details to your notes later on.
16. Use loose-leaf paper (not spiral notebooks because you can’t insert additional pages in them, nor can you spread them out in front of yourself to review). Keep separate loose-leaf binders for each class.
17. Shortly after taking your notes, go back and review them often. Short, fast, daily reviews help you remember much more than cramming before a test. This is an important step because we tend to quickly forget that which we don’t keep fresh in our mind. The most helpful way to review is to recite your notes out loud in your own words (research shows that students who recite out loud remember material much better than those who just reread the same material to themselves). If you don’t know the right answer, study your notes and then recite out loud again.
18. If there is something that doesn’t make sense, mark it and then ask the teacher the next day in class to explain in more detail.
19. Also be sure to review your notes periodically. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory.
20. Use symbols to draw attention to important words or information, such as: print, underline, CAPITAL LETTERS, circle, *, !, ?, etc.
21. Watch for signal words and key phrases. These are clues that tell you to pay special attention to certain ideas. When the teacher says, “This is important, Therefore, In conclusion, As a result, In summary, For example,” be sure to write down what she says exactly.
22. Sometimes your notes contain information that cannot be found anywhere else. Writing down what the teacher says may be your only chance to learn it and review it.
23. Write down everything the teacher repeats or writes on the chalkboard. This tells you that she thinks it is important enough to write down. Also copy all lists, examples, diagrams, charts, graphs, etc.
24. Consider typing your notes on a computer. When it comes time to study for tests, the Search function can help you locate material quickly.
25. Listening and note taking are SKILLS. The more you practice these techniques, the more skilled you will become. Really try to use and improve these skills. Soon you will be able to take notes for even the fastest-talking teacher!