written by Victoria Streeton
Example of digital notes by Heather Lee
Note-taking is essential in school, no matter what grade you’re in. However, the amount of notes you take does not determine the quality of them. You could listen to your teacher and understand everything they’re saying, and therefore not take any notes at all.
Most of us don’t have photographic memories—remembering everything someone said, especially new information from a teacher, is incredibly hard. You would be better off taking notes of the important points said in the lecture.
Here are some tips to help you on your educational journey!
1. Paraphrase. Paraphrasing makes you process the information, enough for you to simplify it into your own words (or not).
2. Short bullet points. Short and sweet bullet points help simplify studying.
3. Write in different color inks/use highlighters. Consider color coding your notes. Don’t stress out about color coding notes when you’re taking them, but you can do it when you have the time! Make definitions blue, key points yellow, or whichever colors best work for you. You can assign other colors to different sections of your notes, too.
4. Write subjects/subtopics in the margins of the page. I’ve had many instances where I’m doing an assignment after taking notes and I look back to refer to a certain topic through my notebook, and I can’t find my title for it. Writing titles in the margins helps isolate them from the rest of your writing, making it easier for you to find notes on different topics.
These are a few of my preferred tips and tricks for note-taking. I hope you try them out. Comment below: What are your preferred note-taking techniques?
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