How to Take Good Lecture Notes

Steps to Taking Effective Notes in School

One of the keys to performing well in high school and college is good note taking. Taking good notes can make studying easier, help kinesthetic learners better retain what they are hearing, help one stay focused during boring lectures, and can serve as great reference material for the future.

Two keys to good note taking are listening and organizing. By listening carefully to the teacher and the teacher's verbal, non-verbal and subtle clues you can be better prepared for tests. By organizing the notes in a way that is easier to review later, you will cut studying time and reduce all-nighters.

Steps to Effective Note Taking:

1. Open your mind. Begin thinking of note taking as a way to free up time in your future versus busy work or a necessary evil. By taking good notes that are easy to scan at a later date you will retain the information better and save LOTS of time when it's time to study. Also, study time will be much more effective.

2, Clearly identify the notes.Write the date, the class, and the lecture topic at the top of the page.

3. Avoid writing full sentences and paragraphs. Instead think outline format and bullet points. Do NOT try to write down what the teacher or professor is saying word for word. You will likely miss hearing key information and most importantly it is not necessary. With practice you will learn the amount of information you personally need to write in order for it to trigger your memory. Write what is needed but no more.

4. Create an outline. Taking notes using an outline format forces you to be analyzing what you are hearing as you are hearing it, thereby engaging your mind in a more significant way. By converting what you hear into an outline you are essentially developing a structure for the subject matter in your own words which will allow you to learn faster and better. And it makes reviewing notes before a test much easier and faster.