How to Take Good Notes
Tags
Skills
How to Take Good Notes
If your student needs general note taking pointers but not necessarily a pre-existing structured method
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Objective: Students will learn how to listen for and get down the most important information when taking notes. -
Teacher Takeaways: Students often adopt their own note taking systems based on what is efficient and comfortable for them. However, teaching general key pointers (next slide) is important so students know what to listen for and how to effectively write it down.
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Considerations: If a student's current note taking approach is not working effectively, they might benefit from learning a pre-existing structured note taking system.
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Write down the lesson objective. The teacher will often start with a one sentence summary that tells you the purpose of the lesson.
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Listen for key phrases that cue important information: "It's important to note"; "As I mentioned before"; "Don't forget to"; "The best way to"; "The most important..."
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If the teacher gives concrete examples, write them down. When you are studying later, it will help you remember, understand and visualize.
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Write down only the words and phrases that are most essential to the meaning. Take out the small words: the, a, this is, etc.
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Create a personal system for abbreviations and symbols, such arrows for increasing or decreasing.
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Silently repeat "must know" phrases until you get them written down.
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If you missed something important leave space in your notes so you remember to ask a friend or teacher later. Then make sure you keep listening to what the teacher is currently saying so you don't miss anything else.
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Summarize as you go. Get down the main ideas and key details. Do not try to write down everything you hear.