Notes: Why They Are Important & How to Effectively Take Them

One of the most useful skills to learn in high school is how to take effective notes.  You take notes every day in high school, but are they really effective?  Do your notes help you prepare for tests?  We often find that the better students' note-taking skills are, the better they do in school.

Sometimes students wonder why this is such an important skill to learn.  Here are just a few of the reasons you might consider fine-tuning your notes:

• When you read back your notes, it can trigger memories of the lecture or readings for that day, which ultimately helps you remember what you learned.
• What you write in your notes can serve as clues of what information the teacher thinks is important...or what's going to be on the test!
• Taking notes helps students concentrate and stay focused in class.
• Your notes can be a great resource for preparing for tests.
• Oftentimes, your notes will contain information that cannot be found elsewhere (like a textbook, for example).  In other words, notes give you great information that you wouldn't necessarily get just from reading your textbook.

Have I convinced you yet that taking notes is important?  If you're looking to improve your note-taking skills, here are some things that you can try and keep in mind:

1. Come to class prepared.  How can you expect to take notes if you don't have anything to write on or with?  Bring several sheets of loose leaf paper and your favorite writing instrument to each class.  Students often find that binders are helpful (instead of notebooks) because they get to rearrange their notes, flip through them easily, and see several pages at once.  It also is recommended to bring some highlighters to class as well.  If a teacher says something like, "The really important point here is..." or "This might be on the test..." you can highlight that key phrase or word to indicate that it's something you'll want to look back at when reviewing your notes.
2. Start a new page for every new class.  This just keeps you organized so that you know what order you learned material.  Make sure to put the date at the top of each page as well!
3. Write down big ideas...not every small detail.  People talk much faster than you can write, so you'll want to make sure you're not getting caught up in the little details.  Just write down the main concepts or special tidbits of information that you'll want to remember.  Oftentimes, students try to write down everything the teacher says, even if they already know some of the information.  Save yourself the extra time writing (and the eventual hand cramp) and only write down the information that is new to you.
4. Use abbreviations.  Writing the same words over and over again can take time, so find some abbreviations and shorthand that can save you time.  Some popular examples include "govt" for government, "info" for information, and "w/" for with.
5. Don't feel like you need to stick to just one page.  When people try to limit their space or only have one piece of paper to work with, they wind up abbreviating too much or omitting a lot of information to stick to just one page.  This can actually lead to you missing the important information, simply because you feel you don't have enough room on your page.  Don't be afraid to use multiple sheets of paper during one class period!
6. Use diagrams and pictures.  If you are a more visual learner, there's no shame in drawing pictures and diagrams in your notes to help you organize the information and see it in a more visual way.  Also, if a teacher draws a diagram or visual on the board, you'll probably want to copy it down in your notes as well.
7. Write down corresponding page numbers.  During a lecture or a lesson, teachers will sometimes tell you what page in your textbook they're talking about.  Make sure to jot it down in your notes.  That way, when you're reviewing for the test, you'll be able to reference the text if you need clarification or more context for your notes.
8. Review notes for accuracy.  Studies have shown that if you do not review your notes within 24 hours of writing them down, you forget a majority of what you learned in class.  It's so important to take even just 5 or 10 minutes to review your notes that day.

If you're interested in learning more about different kinds of note-taking systems, their advantages, and their disadvantages, click here for some great information!