A reference note is an abbreviated version of the learning material presented in a book or by a teacher during a lecture. The ability to take notes is an important skill in the life of every pupil and student, whether participating in meetings, brainstorming sessions, or annotating while reading. Notes are an effective way to learn, save and develop ideas, concepts. Proper note taking is the key to successful learning. So, are you ready to start learning even better?
The most common mistakes students make when taking notes
Before moving on to methods, it is necessary to discuss serious mistakes that students make while taking basic notes in physics, mathematics or other subjects.
Students try to write down everything the teacher says without actually listening to him. 75% of lectures must be listened to and only 25% must be recorded. Students should listen to the teacher, constantly analyze new material. Notes are the best way to consolidate new information. In addition, it is during the lecture that students can ask the teacher questions about the material that they do not fully understand.
When writing notes, keep them short and clear. Each sentence should contain no more than 1-5 words. This encourages students to write down only relevant information.
Listen carefully
During taking notes, students do not delve into the topic given by the teacher. Without understanding the basic ideas of any subject, it is difficult to absorb new material and its concepts, so it is important to listen carefully to the information.
Ask questions
Students do not ask questions to the teacher. Usually, if one student has a question, it's likely that another is asking the same question. The activity of the students shows the teacher that they are interested in learning. Students do not have to wait until the end of the lecture to ask questions. Often, for this reason, they skip the rest of the information, because they did not understand the previous one.
Cornell method
Cornell's method has been and remains today one of the most popular in the preparation of the basic notes among students. You just need to divide your notes into 3 sections.
The right column contains general information. Here you need to write down the key points that the teacher mentioned during the class. It is necessary to try to “summarize” the information as much as possible, making clear and concise records. The left area serves as an addition to general information；here are the main theses, answers to questions that the listener asked himself during the lecture. This section can be supplemented both during the lesson and after it. The last section of the basic abstract in physics or anyanother subject － final － is a summary. Designed to display the main idea formulated by the listener on their own.
This reduces the need to write down every word the teacher says during a lecture. The listener himself should try to summarize the key points in this section for greater reflection and deepening into the abstract material.
Split Page Method
Similar to the Cornell method. The idea is that you need to split the page vertically into two parts. In one of the parts, the main ideas will be recorded, in the second, secondary ones.
When students take notes, they often write everything down, which is a big mistake.
Reference notes are notes that allow you not only to study the material in depth, but also quickly repeat the main principles of the topic outlined in the book or listened to during the lecture. Of course, the method may require some effort at first, but in the long run it will help speed up the learning process.
Visual materials
This master note-taking technique is based on the use of visual aids to improve the brain's processing of information. This is due to the use of images, graphs, charts, etc. This method of note-taking is most relevant for students whoit is necessary to draw up a basic abstract in mathematics, physics or other subjects related to the exact sciences. The thing is that in addition to mechanical and auditory memory, our brain has an extremely strong visual memory. This is where bright colors, patterns and blocks come to the rescue.
By the way, the method of visual materials can be applied to compiling notes on history. Instead of writing long paragraphs of information, use colors and other visual elements. For example, letters of different sizes. Our brains work sequentially with information. So, Mind Maps, or, translated from English, “mind maps”, are becoming one of the most common and effective methods of taking notes. The most powerful aspect of mind-mapping is that it allows you to visually link ideas together through circles and lines. This makes it easier to form connections between ideas - this method is most effective for taking notes on history during a lecture.
Usually, when using this technique, it's best to start with a general theme in the center. For example, if the topic is food, write it in the center and circle it. When the teacher starts talking about sweets, vegetables, carbohydrates, or any other item, draw lines from the center of the circle to these subtopics. If another topic comes from one topic, just draw a line from one circle to another. In the area below the subtopic, you can write down the main points and ideas. This method is good in maintaining supportnotes on the Russian language, foreign languages or literature, because it allows you to consistently link information.
Symbols and abbreviations
No matter what method of note-taking you use, there will be times when you have to write down huge amounts of information, which can cause embarrassment and subsequent fatigue. Therefore, it is important at the beginning of the lecture to develop your own character language that will allow you to write down key words with a minimum of effort. The most important thing is to translate your notes at the very beginning or immediately after the lesson, otherwise you risk forgetting the language you developed yourself.
Highlight key points
It is wise to emphasize the most important learning concepts of the lesson as they will stand out and the memorization process will be better and faster. In addition, the notes will look less monotonous, and, for example, before starting a class, you can skim through the main points and refresh the main ideas in your head.
Remember that note taking is a real art that every student who wants to successfully organize the learning process should learn. Good luck!
