careernav.

You may have read our previous two blogs – The Lowdown on Homework and Tips for Taking a test or Exam. In this third blog we will cover some tips for you on how to take notes correctly.

Learn how to take notes properly and it can help you in all areas of your schooling, from high school all the way through to higher education and courses you may do for your career.

Below are some tips for you on how to take notes.

1. Organisation is the key – Buy yourself an exercise book or have a folder divided into your subject categories. This way all your notes are in one place and easy to find. The more you write notes the more you will remember. Think of all the time saved when you go to review your notes at exam time or when you have a test.
2. Only use key facts – For those classes where your teacher or lecturer writes notes, then you are lucky. Copy them. If not then go with the most important points of information from each class. Ensure you have those important dates, formulas, and facts from each class written down.
3. Understand what you have written – Some of you will want to copy the work you have done each day into your book, just make sure you can read it! Write as neatly as possible so you know what has been written, just in case you don’t look at these notes for a week or two.
4. Easy does it – There is no need to write absolutely everything your teacher says. For one, you won’t be able to! Listen first then write the important information as you hear it.
5. Ask for help – Never be afraid to ask for help if you do not understand something in class. Sometimes your teacher can go a little fast, and chances are that you are not the only one struggling to understand the information. If you are not comfortable asking in class then wait until the class has finished or speak to your teacher after the class has finished. You can even organise to speak with your teacher over your lunch break. Many teachers are more than happy to help out as long as they can see you are willing to do the work.
6. Study with friends – If you find it hard to go over your notes on your own, why not team up with a friend who has the same classes as you and compare the notes you both have. You may be surprised to notice that both your notes are very different from each other. You may even pick up extra information that you missed out on.
7. Find fun ways to take notes – With so many ways to take notes, why not find a way that is fun! If you have to read a book for English, why not use sticky notes on all the pages that have relevant information you need to remember. On the sticky notes you have a small amount of information to jog your memory. The real information may be highlighted in bright yellow in the book itself.

Finding a way that suits you on how to take notes is best. We can all give advice on ‘how to’, but in the end these are your notes and we are all so different that our style of note taking will be different for everyone. The truth is, the more you take notes the more you learn and the more you will develop your own strategies for note taking.

What do you do to take notes? We would love to hear any ideas you have. Why not post a reply below.

Good luck.