Ten Note-Taking Tips For Students

Some students are stumped when it comes to scribbling down what matters most. Teachers can offer tips and advice to help students start to master note taking.

EducationWorld has crafted a list derived from the websites KidsHealth.org, GreatSchools.org, FacultyFocus.com, and LifeHack.org. 

Here are ten note-taking tips to share before your next lesson:

1.     Write Down Key Facts: Make sure to tell students to write down the most important points from class. It is also important to highlight (either verbally or visually) a crucial or important point during a lesson. These critical facts and points may be historical dates, definitions, examples, or math formulas. (From Kids Heath)

2.     Copy Notes at Home: Encourage students to copy their notes over at home before they complete their homework for the evening. Rewriting notes helps students attain better retention and understanding of content. If a student has messy handwriting, they will benefit from rewriting their notes for clarity.  (From Kids Heath)

3.     Listen for Word Clues: Signal to your students what is important to write down by providing a numbered list or using words such as "important," "critical," "pivotal," or phrases such "led to," or  "compared with. Each teacher will have his or her own habits when it comes to phrasing so it may take a couple of tries to perfect note taking in a particular class. (From Great Schools)

4.     Start Fresh With a New Page: For each day, tell students to start their notes on a new page in their notebooks. Students will be able to have a clear mind and not read their previous notes while attempting to listen and write down new notes for the day. It will also be easier for them to find specific notes when studying for a test or when they need a quick resource during an assignment. (From Great Schools)

5.     Summarize Notes in One Sentence: Before your next lecture, have students read and review their notes, and then write a one sentence lesson recap. Have students share their summary and discuss with the class. Have the class compare, revise, etc, so the student knows what to look for, and write down, in the next lesson. (From Faculty Focus)

6.     Review Classmate's Notes: At the end of the day, have students pair up and use their class notes to review the lesson. Have them identify how their classmate's notes were different from theirs, and write down what they have in their partner's notes for their future reference. This will help them see what they can contribute to their own note taking, and give them the opportunity to help their partner as well. (From Faculty Focus)

7.     Outline to Assign Importance: Teach your students about the benefits of using outline formatting in their notes. Outlining is a great way to capture hierarchical relationships and it's always been a great way help students stay organized. (From Life Hack)

8.     Mind Map to Understand Connections: Tell the class to write the lecture's main topic in the middle of a paper and then create branches of sub-topics and sub-points around the main bubble. This is another way to present the hierarchical relationships between topics. Make sure to convey that the facts and information are sub-topics and sub-points, so the students can create their mind map correctly. This will help students stay organized and be better prepared for studying for quizzes, tests, and other assignments. Students who need extra help often benefit from mind mapping and you can create your own graphic organizers to help student mind map efficiently. (From Life Hack)

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor