Reasons for taking notes.

A. Note taking forces you to listen carefully and test your understanding of the material.

B. When you are studying, notes provide a gauge to what is important in the text.

C. Personal notes are usually easier to remember than the textbook.

D. Writing down of important points helps you to remember. The note taking process is like creating muscle memory, a bread crumb trail to follow.

CLUES to what is important to take down.  Some common clues are:

A. Material written on the blackboard.

B. Repetition of key factors

C. Emphasis

• Emphasis can be judged by tone of voice and gesture.
• Emphasis can be judged by the amount of time teacher spends on points and the number of examples he or she uses.

D. Word signals (e.g. “There are two points of view on . . . ” “The third reason is . . . ” ” In conclusion . . . “)

E. Summaries given at the end of class.

F. Reviews given at the beginning of class.

DEVELOP your own method of taking notes, but most students find the following suggestions helpful:

A. Make your notes brief.

• Never use a sentence where you can use a phrase.  Never use a phrase where you can use a word.
• Use abbreviations and symbols, but be consistent.

B. Put most notes in your own words.  However, the following should be noted exactly:

• Formulas
• Definitions
• Specific facts, dates, events

C. Use outline form and/or a numbering system. Indention helps you distinguish major from minor points.

D. If you miss a statement, write key words, skip a few spaces, and get the information later.

E. Don’t try to use every space on the page.  Leave room for coordinating your notes with the text after the lecture.   (You may want to list key terms in the margin or make a summary of the contents of the page.)

F. Date your notes.  Perhaps number the pages.

Free note taking template. Download here.