How to Take Notes for Learning

Introduction

Effective note taking encompasses summarising important concepts as precisely as possible using your own words and connecting those concepts with the lectures. In order to take good notes, preparation is key. The student needs to familiarise themselves with the topic and focus during the lecture. This will ensure an active listener rather than a passive participant.

There is a two-fold value in taking notes:

1. Encoding:
   • the listener has to actively engage with the incoming information when taking notes
   • then they need to make decisions about how to encode that material
2. Storing information:
   • note taking creates a record of information that be accessed at a later date
   • this stored information can be used for a multitude of assignments past the listening event

Comprehension

Note taking is a method that is particularly effective on comprehension. Taking notes during helps students understand what is being taught more easily. Specifically, note taking facilitates increased comprehension in the following manners:

1. the students focus their attention on the material that is lectured or read or listened
2. it prevents students from missing the specific points being taught during class
3. it helps with recall of information

Note taking is a technique that is highly effective on comprehension. Taking notes during lesson helps students reach aim of the course more comfortably and makes them to understand what is taught easily (Kiewra, 1991). The students who take notes are advantageous in terms of getting the most important points of the course and recalling content of the course (Kiewra and Fletcher, 1984). Note taking has many advantages the foremost of which is relieving students of reading the whole book. It improves students’ comprehension skills since it attracts students’ attention to the material that is read or listened. It prevents students from missing the things taught during the lessons. Additionally, it helps students recall the important information they learnt and makes them independent (Bahrami and Nosratzadeh, 2017; Saravani, 2019; Umaadevi and Rekha, 2019). Kiewra (1991) claimed that note taking is important as it increases students’ attention during lesson and enables coding the things taught during lesson into long-term memory. It was concluded in a study conducted by Faber et al. (2000) that note takin

While taking notes, learners interpret, filter and process the information at hand, make connections between new information and their prior knowledge and produce a format that enables them to retrieve information later. The seminal work by Di Vesta and Gray [14] showed that note taking served primarily two functions: encoding and storage. In the act of note taking, students encoded information by actively transcribing, selecting and summarizing relevant information. The second function was the organising and storing of information for later retrieval. Subsequent studies [15] showed that students’ proficient self-produced note taking practices led to efficient studying, improved retention and learning outcomes.

sketch notetaking

One relatively new note taking method is sketch noting (also called visual note taking or graphic notes). As its name implies, sketch noting is taking notes enhanced with illustrations, symbols, and structures (or more simply put, sketches, doodles, and simple drawings), as well as text (Bell, 2015; Neill, n.d.; Sketchnoting, 2019). Besides being fun (as many of us are doodlers at heart), research has shown that drawing, compared to writing alone, has been found to be an efficacious strategy for boosting later retention and memory performance (Wammes, Meade, & Fernandes, 2016). In addition, the use of images in note taking should be a very appealing idea to the image-based Generation Z students of today (Elmore & McPeak, 2017). When done well, by students or teacher, sketch notes do not just capture ideas, they tell a story. And oh, how our brains love stories (Heick, 2015)! An example sketch note about the benefits of sketch noting, created by Heather Willems of Two Lines Studios (https://www.twolinestudios.com), is provided in Figure 1

In addition to methods of note taking, there is some controversy in the literature regarding the best way for student to take notes—using a pen and paper versus using a device (that is, laptop, tablet, and cell phone). Research by Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) determined that “the pen is mightier than the keyboard,” as the participants in the longhand note taking group outperformed the laptop note taking group on conceptual questions. Though no difference in performance was found between the two note taking groups on factual questions. However, recent research by Morehead, Dunlosky, and Rawson (2019), who replicated and extended the Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) study using the same note taking methods and study materials, was not able to reproduce the original findings.3 At this point, it appears that taking notes by hand or with a laptop does not seem to matter much. However, based on the Morehead et al. (2019) study, what seems to matter is the quality of the notes. When there was high overlap between the notes and the test questions, performance was higher. This suggests that it is important for students to be able to capture in their notes ideas from the class that are later going to be asked on the test (Kuepper-Tetzel, 2019). Though this finding may have you saying, “no kidding,” it also needs to spur us on to help our students both identify and capture the important ideas, the ones they will see later on the exam.In addition to methods of note taking, there is some controversy in the literature regarding the best way for student to take notes—using a pen and paper versus using a device (that is, laptop, tablet, and cell phone). Research by Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) determined that “the pen is mightier than the keyboard,” as the participants in the longhand note taking group outperformed the laptop note taking group on conceptual questions. Though no difference in performance was found between the two note taking groups on factual questions. However, recent research by Morehead, Dunlosky, and Rawson (2019), who replicated and extended the Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) study using the same note taking methods and study materials, was not able to reproduce the original findings.3 At this point, it appears that taking notes by hand or with a laptop does not seem to matter much. However, based on the Morehead et al. (2019) study, what seems to matter is the quality of the notes. When there was high overlap between the notes and the test questions, performance was higher. This suggests that it is important for students to be able to capture in their notes ideas from the class that are later going to be asked on the test (Kuepper-Tetzel, 2019). Though this finding may have you saying, “no kidding,” it also needs to spur us on to help our students both identify and capture the important ideas, the ones they will see later on the exam.

In addition to quality, quantity of notes has also been shown to make a difference. Nye, Crooks, Powley, and Tripp (1984) reported that there was a high correlation between the quantity of notes taken and examination performance. The more notes students took, the more information the students retained. As the authors of the study pointed out, their results appear to conflict with the advice often given to students that they should be very selective and concise in their note taking. In the case of note taking, more appears to be better than less.

Once the in-class note taking is over, there is still more to do. Students should work with and add to their notes. Clarifying unclear concepts, tying new concepts and ideas to previous ones, and getting questions answered are some key “to do” post-note taking activities. There is some interesting research that provides insights into how to best carry out some of these postnote taking activities. A study by Luo, Kiewra, and Samuelson (2016) found that if students collaborate with a partner to revise their notes, they recorded more original notes than those who revised their notes alone. In addition, some students may rewrite their notes for better organization and legibility. However, Luo et al. (2016) found that students who revised their notes recorded more additional notes and achieved somewhat higher scores on relationship items than students who just recopied their notes.

Let me end this section with one BIG caution for students about using their notes to prepare for exams (instructors please pass this on to your students): Do not rely too heavily on just rereading and highlighting your notes. Some of the most commonly used, yet least productive learning strategies are rereading the material (including notes), underlining and highlighting, massed practice (that is, cramming), and blocked practice (studying one topic at a time) (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014). These activities generate a feeling of familiarity, but familiarity does not equal mastery; students must be fully engaged in building course content in their OWN brain to achieve mastery! If rereading, underlining, and highlight are not effective, what is? Practicing doing the actual work that you will be doing during the exam (that is, solving problems and answering questions without the help of your notes or other resources) under the same conditions that you will experience when taking the exam (quiet, no distractions, time constraints). For best practices on how to help students better prepare for exams, you will want to read “Applying the Science of Learning to Classroom Teaching: The Critical Importance of Aligning Learning with Testing” by Schell and Porter (2018).

• Be present during lecture – both physically and mentally! Practice mindfulness6, which is not the same thing as having your mind full. [I show Figure 2 in class!] Lecture is the prime time for your brain to begin encoding the material we are learning – don't waste it; rather, make the most of it!”

I then tell the students a true story about what I often see when I do peer observations for other teachers, especially in large classes, but even in smaller ones. I see students doing lots of other things besides paying attention to what is going on in class. They are shopping online, looking at Instagram or Twitter posts on their cellphone, checking their calendars, studying for an exam in another course, just sitting there staring into space, to name just a few of the things that I have witnessed. Of course, it is true that some students are using their devices for looking at the PowerPoint slides and course outlines, but there are many activities going on that are not course-related, as well. The point is prime encoding time is being wasted! So I encourage them to…

• 2. “Take full advantage of this prime encoding time by making notes!”

My dear friend and colleague, Dr. Philip Buriak,7 first brought the important distinction between just “taking notes” and “making notes” to my attention. He would say that “taking notes” is basically writing down what the instructor says, as fast as you can without really listening or allowing the words you are writing to pass through your brain; whereas “making notes” is actively listening to the instructor, making meaning of what is being said, connecting it to what you already know, and writing the meaning and connections down in your own words. If you just “take notes,” it is possible to write things down without really understanding them; in the end, you have lots of words on the page, but not much learning in your brain. Overall, making notes leads to deeper understanding of the material, more engagement during class, and better retention.

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Cornell method

The Cornell Note system utilizes a unique layout in that it takes a single sheet of paper and separates it into three distinct sections.4 The sections are labeled the “cue column,” “the note-taking area,” and the “summary area.”4 In the updated edition of the Cornell Notes, Owens describes the measurements of each section as such: “To do this, draw a horizontal line two inches from the bottom of the page. Next, up at the top of the page, draw a vertical line two-and-one-half inches from the left side and extend it down to the line for the summary area. This is the cue column, a simple but powerful area upon which much of the success of the Cornell System rests.”4 This layout is shown in Figure 1 and can even be found as a premade setting in new tablets, such as the Remarkable 2.5

his method is more involved than simply taking notes. It is a system designed to master knowledge acquisition. The three sections each serve their own unique purpose. The note-taking area is reserved for note writing in the form of quick bullet points, graphs, drawings, and definitions.4 This section is reserved for what the professor says and what is put on the board, with a goal of capturing the gist of what is said along with the important details.4 The cue section is arguably the most important section of the entire system. In this section, the note writer adds a question for each note written in the note-taking area that will help them remember or organize the material.4 This concept is akin to Jeopardy, where contestants answer a question with a statement, except in this instance the note writer answers a statement by developing a question. In the final section, the summary section, the note writer encapsulates the details from the notes section into a few sentences that paint the big picture.4 The object of this section is to answer the question, “What is this page all about?”4 When the note writer finishes writing or reviewing the notes section from a lecture, the summary section helps to provide an aerial view of what this set of notes is all about. While taking facts and digesting them into knowledge can be challenging, this is a vital step in the Cornell Note system and should not be skipped.

This system is designed to allow students to reflect on the material and quiz themselves on the material both throughout the lecture and while reviewing the notes post-lecture.4 The Cornell Method provides a functional mini quiz that can be taken by placing blank sheet of paper over the note-taking area, exposing only the cues. The note writer then goes down the list of cues and quizzes themselves on the respective notes that accompany each cue. This reciting method provides instant feedback and motivation to continue. This activity allows the note writer to actively reflect on the information instead of passively reading it. The summary serves as a reflection of the key ideas for each page of the Cornell Notes.

Technology

Today, students can take notes through some programs installed in computers or mobile phones instead of through notebook and pencil. Even students who take a photo of the writings on the board (in other words take notes) are frequently seen (Özçakmak and Sarigöz, 2019). This proves that note taking keep up with changing technology and it still keeps its popularity. Technological advancements have provided students some conveniences and have lessened amount of time they spent for writing. Students who get accustomed to typing through keyboard rather than using pencil and notebook are able to write the same words in a shorter time and to focus on their courses in remaining tim.

With the development of mobile technology and students’ self-directed study use of smart phones and tablet computers, several medical schools have incorporated mobile devices into their learning environment [1, 2]. Tablet computers, especially iPads, have been piloted and these devices have been reported to invigorate students’ information seeking, time-management and note taking [2,3,4,5]. Students have had mostly positive attitudes towards mobile learning [6]. They have benefited from using mobile devices as an online information resource [7, 8], valued having digital course materials always at hand and expressed that information technology in classes improved their learning [9]. Applications for mobile devices have been developed to assist students and clinicians in clinical decision making and have provided students with timely feedback in the workplace [10,11,12].

The art of note taking is crucial in academic studies but research on how students take notes with the digital technology is scarce [13

ecent studies have found that 72% (Patterson & Patterson, 2017) to 79% (Carter et al., 2017) of students report using laptops in the classroom. Although some studies have described the benefits of incorporating this technology in the classroom (e.g., Bui et al., 2013; Gulek & Demirtas, 2005), such as taking more organized and comprehensive notes, other work has highlighted the negative impact that laptop use has on academic performance (e.g., Fried, 2007; Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014; Patterson & Patterson, 2017). For example, Patterson and Patterson (2017) examined laptop use at a private liberal arts college in which teachers required laptops for class, allowed laptops in class, or prohibited laptops in class. Computer use in the classroom was associated with poor academic performance, such as lower course grades and a lower grade point average (GPA). Similarly, Fried (2007) found that laptop use is distracting resulting in reduced attention during class and an increase in confusion re

comparison of paper vs mobile

Mueller and Oppenheimer [18] compared longhand and laptop strategy and reported that the use of laptops led to the verbatim repetition of teachers’ speech instead of active information processing. Laptop writing advanced linearly, whereas handwriting enabled the student to make connections between sections of notes and draw. Further studies [19] claimed that the students who took notes using paper and pen performed better than those who took notes digitally. In addition, they reported that when the students were online, multitasking had a detrimental impact on learning.

ook notes by hand were determined to have recorded fewer words but also take notes that contained less verbatim overlap. Similarly, the researchers found that note quantity was directly related to one’s score, while verbatim overlap between one’s notes and the video was inversely related to performance. In Experiment 2, when participants were asked not to take verbatim notes on the computer in an intervention condition, their scores did not significantly differ from those of individuals who took notes on a computer without the verbal i