How to take notes
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Taking notes during a study session is a form of active study – it helps you to keep focused and also provides a record of what was said or you what you read. You are more likely to remember material you have thought about and made notes on than material you have read passively.
- Taking notes is a skill that you develop with practice.
- There is no right or wrong way of taking notes, try to find a method that suits you.
- There is no point in trying to write everything down – your notes should reflect the main themes.
- If you are given a handout before or during a face-to-face session, use this as the framework for taking notes.
- You should revisit your notes and summarise them.
Strategies for note taking
Listen to strategies for taking notes.
- Listen to the full audio or read the transcript.
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Many people find it effective to take notes in two stages. First you write down the main points, and then you summarise, condense and organise your notes so that they can be used when writing assignments or revising for exams.
You may like to
- write short sentences
- use bullet points
- make mind maps
- use tables, line diagrams or flowcharts
- use highlighting, annotating or underlining of significant words.
Revisiting your notes helps you learn the material and prepare for assignments. It helps you ‘pull together’ all the different ideas you have recorded, so you can make cross-links with earlier study.
Examples
The notes below were made by two students attending a tutorial about social inclusion and special needs. You can see their different ways of capturing the relevant information. Prior to the tutorial the students were told which chapters and study topics to read – preparation is worth doing as it helps you to concentrate on the key points during a tutorial.
Student one – hand-written linear notes from a lecture about social inclusion and special needs.
One student made the linear notes shown above. Here's a bigger version.
This student summarised the key points and organised the themes into clusters of ideas. The student also noted down useful references. However the notes are incomplete, and should be expanded when the student revisits them.
The references listed at the bottom of the notes are not given in full, which would make them difficult to follow up later. So it is a good idea to add the full details to your notes as soon as you can.
The references when written out in full should say:
Duffy, M. (2000) ‘beyond the call of duty’ Times Educational supplement, 15th September.
Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (2003) 21st century skills: realising our potential, London: HMSO
TeacherNet (2002) Qualifications for teaching assistants. http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/3086/
Student two - a more visual representation of the same tutorial.
Here's a bigger version of second students notes.
This student has used a flow chart to link the notes and make connections. It shows the same information, but the details are set out as a diagram.
Some people find it much easier to remember and understand information if it is mapped out in this way. Whichever method you adopt, you do still need to revisit your notes so they become well organised and coherent for you.
To be an effective and efficient student you should aim to make your notes accessible and organised, so that when you come to write essays or revise you have a good resource available.