How To : Take Good Notes in Class

March 30th, 2010

How To : Take Good Notes in Class

general info

DIFFICULTY:

Crazy Hard

TIME:

During class

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Pen or pencil
Notebook or loose-leaf paper in a binder
Your ears, eyes, and brain!

Average:

Your rating: None

By Lauren M.
One of the most useful skills you need for high school and college is knowing how to take good notes. Good notes not only help you understand the material in class, but also help you to understand later when you are doing homework and studying.

Be prepared for class.

Remember to bring your writing utensil and paper and any textbooks or other materials required for the class.

Pay attention.

This includes creating an atmosphere for yourself that helps you to learn best. For example, sit in the front row if you can’t see well or if you are likely to talk to your neighbor. Turn off your cell phone or leave it in your locker to remove that temptation. Try to resist doodling or drifting off.

Ask questions.

Forcing yourself to ask questions not only clarifies any confusion you have about what your teacher is saying, but also deepens your understanding of what you are learning. Plus, it’s better to think of the questions in class than when you are trying to do your homework. If you don’t want to ask during class, put a star or other mark next to where you have a question in your notes so you remember to ask after class.

You don’t have to write down everything the teacher says word for word.

This takes way too much time and you’ll probably end up missing something, possibly important, that your teacher says. Teachers very often don’t want you to be able to quote them word for word, anyways. This is especially true for definitions. Write things down in a way that makes sense to you because you’re the one who will have to go back and use your notes. This is also a good way to double check your understanding; if you are having trouble writing something down in a different way, it might mean you don’t understand it completely.

Look through your notes after class.

Check to make sure everything still makes sense when you get home. A lot of times students think they understand something in class, or write something down that makes sense at the time, but then later can’t remember what it meant. If something is confusing, make a note and go back and ask the next day. You can also go through and highlight the important parts if you want.

Review your notes often.

They say practice makes perfect, and this is true for studying, too. Studying and looking through your notes for short periods of time every day is WAY better than cramming for hours before your test. And this way you find out if you have any questions along the way instead of having a bunch of questions the night before a test.