How to Take Notes for Learning

Original Editor - Robin Tacchetti based on the course by Michael Rowe
Top Contributors - Robin Tacchetti, Jess Bell and Kim Jackson

Introduction

Effective note taking entails summarising important concepts as precisely as possible using your own words and connecting those concepts with the lectures. During the note-taking process, learners will interpret, filter and process information. This new information obtained will be stored with prior knowledge that can be retrieved at a later date when needed.

There is a two-fold value or function in taking notes:

1. Encoding:
   • the listener has to actively engage with the incoming information when taking notes
   • they then 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 that can be reused at a later date

In order to take good notes, preparation is key. Prior to note taking, the student should familiarise themselves with the topic and focus during the lecture. This will ensure an active listener rather than a passive participant.

Comprehension

Note taking is a technique that is particularly effective on learners' comprehension allowing them to understand what is being taught more easily. Specifically, increased comprehension occurs because of the following three reasons:

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

When the lecture is over and note taking is complete, students should review their notes and continue to attach additional notes. This process encompasses reviewing the new concepts while clarifying any unclear ideas and answering any questions still remaining. This process can be done with a partner in a collaborative nature. Working with a partner has many benefits for note taking. Partner learners will typically be more organised, more legible and have more information written down.

Types of Notes

There are many different kinds of notes. The five most common categories of notes include daily, temporary, literature, permanent and project.

1. Daily notes
   • notes for date order or what is occurring during the day
   • tasks for the day
   • reminders
   • random thoughts you might need at a later date
   • journal, diary or calendar
   • in learning environment: administrative tasks (timetable for the day, meetings with teachers)
2. Temporary notes
   • notes you take in the moment but will delete as soon as you have dealt with the information
   • sticky notes
   • phone number, email address
3. Literature notes
   • questions, comments, challenges you write to authors in the margins of books
   • annotation apps when reading the internet
   • thoughts posted on social media
   • engagement with creators
4. Permanent notes
   • final version of notes taken during class
   • will use at a later date
   • have a title describing contents
   • include relevant quotes from primary source
   • references included
5. Project notes
   • notes that are part of a project/assignment
   • archive once assignment is complete
   • includes a collection of notes include administration, meetings, to-do lists, rough notes, resources, etc.

Technology

Mobile devices have been incorporated into the learning environment and are now used for the purpose of note-taking. The use of smart phones, tablets, computers and especially iPads for note taking have been found to provide students with positive attitudes towards learning. In addition, learners report these mobile devices allow for additional online information to be on hand at a moments notice which helps improve their learning. There are many developed applications for mobile devices to assist students with note-taking including Obsidian, Notion and Logseq. Some students opt to take photos of writings on the classroom board. The speed and convenience of these technologies have inversely affected the amount of time students spend writing.

Technology vs. Writing

There have been many studies comparing the use of technology versus pen and paper for note taking. The end result is that there are still positives and negatives to both. Theories behind each technique is highlighted below:

Technology Notes:

• more organised
• more comprehensive
• some studies report poorer academic performance
• can be distracting resulting in decreased attention
• multitasking on device can impact learning
• more accurate capture of information
• search more quickly and accurately
• less cognitive processing

Paper and Pen Notes:

• studies report better academic performance with conceptual questions
• no difference on factual questions
• ability to make connections between different areas of notes
• ability to draw images
• less words captured
• better cognitive processing
• better recall of concepts for longer periods afterwards
• slower
• less information captured

** Overall research is showing that there is not a big difference between the two note-taking techniques, but what is important is the quality of the notes.

Sketch Note taking

One technological application that is popular with learners is sketch note taking which is also referred to as visual or graphic notes. This technique involves notes with illustrations or symbols as well as text. The combination of drawing with writing has been shown to increase memory and retention. The use of sketch notes helps create stories rather than just ideas.

Note Taking Techniques

Cornell Method

Of the more common methods of taking notes is the Cornell note system. This technique helps organise class notes into easily understandable summaries. It is practical because the main points, study cues, details and summary are all written down in one location. This method has a distinctive layout using a single sheet of paper separating divided into three columns. Each column is intended to serve a specific purpose. The three columns are categorised as cue, note-taking and summary area.

1. Cue column:
   • most important section
   • add a question for each note written that helps them organise or remember the information
   • use for review of notes
   • can use for study questions or vocabulary words
2. Note-taking area:
   • quick note taking
   • using during class
   • getting overall concept and important details
   • use of bullets, graphs, drawings or definitions
   • information regarding what is on the board or what professor says
3. Summary area:
   • summarises the details of the note-taking area column into a few sentences to attain the big picture
   • trying to to envelop what this particular page entails
   • key ideas that should be reflected upon

The Cornell Method is easy to review, summarised and organised. It allows the learner to extract key ideas and concepts.

The Cornell Method allows students to reflect on the information and test themselves throughout the lecture and post-lecture. This system allows the students to mini quiz themselves by placing a blank sheet of paper over the note-taking area whereby only exposing the cues. By reviewing the list of cues, the student can quiz themselves on the respective notes that accompany each specific cue. Instant feedback is provided with this reciting method and provides motivation to continue. Therefore, this method of note writing uses active reflection rather that passively re-reading the material.

Watch the video below by Cornell University for ideas on how students use the Cornell Method:

Other Techniques:

1. The Outline: The outline is for individuals who like simplicity. It comes naturally to most people and one of the easiest methods to use. This techniques uses headings and bullet points to organise topics. When learning topics with a lot of detail, the outline method is useful. The Outline method is organised, easy to turn into study questions and easy to see the relationships between topics and subtopics.

The learner begins by writing a heading on the main topic. Underneath each heading, subtopics and supporting facts are written as they are discussed. If the student is doing the outline note by hand, they need to leave space for sub-points. If the notes are taken on a computer, the student can easily rearrange them as they go. This method keeps the learner engaged and focused but can be overwhelming to review the notes at a later date. When reviewing these notes it might be helpful to look at each main point and summarise on your own without using your notes. You can use the notes to assess how much material you attained versus rereading them over and over.

2. The Mind Map; This is a good technique for specific subjects using abstract ideas and for visual leaners. When learning about relationships between topics, the mapping note taking is helpful. This is not good for complex or interlocking topics like history or chemistry. The mind map helps the learner see how certain topics relate or they go in-depth with a specific concept. To use the mind map, you begin with an idea in the center of the page. Then, you draw branches off of the main topic with headings for each. Underneath each subtopic write any important notes. Continue with this pattern.

3. Flow Notes: This is a great method for students trying to minimise their review time later and maximise active classroom learning. When using the flow notes, topics are written down, arrows, doodles, diagrams and graphs are connected to the various topics. While writing flow notes the goal is to actively learn. Flow notes can be hard to decipher at a later point in time.

4. Writing on slides: This method is very simple and effective. By using the outlined slides from your professor, the learner simply needs to write down notes that expand the outline on the slides. Slides are also helpful for recall as they help the learner remember what the professor said.

5. Bullet Journaling: This is a good technique for people who are visual leaners. The goal is to create and attractive and organised journal. This method has no rules as it uses different aspects of other note-taking styles. One page could be a flow note, another a mind map, another an illustration. The downside to bullet journaling is that it can be hard to take notes quickly.when trying to keep an aesthetically pleasing journal. Some students find that if they use on of the above note-taking methods in class, they then can come home and later organise the notes into a bullet journal.

Resources

• How To Focus When Learning
• Creating New Habits For Learning