How to take notes?

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Marks256

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I do pretty good in school. My only real handicap, is that i don't know how to take good notes. I usually don't write enough. I do know that they key to good notes, is to sum up the facts, in your own words. How do you know what facts to write about? I am good at the summing up part, but i just don't know what data to use?

This is a good question for college students, because i know you people take notes almost every day. So, any "ideas"?
 
The problem isn't that you are writing too little, it's probably that you aren't summing up everything that you need to.

The stuff that you need to write down, is the stuff that you dont' understand at the time and the stuff you know you are going to forget when you walk out of the class. You don't really need to write down the stuff that you already know and are are not going to forget.
 
So, you are saying that i should write down the things that don't really make sense to me? Well, i guess i have nothing to loose. Then i should REALLY pay attention to the lecture, and then write down the confusing stuff? Hmm, sounds like it might work. I will give it a shot, tomorrow. Any more advice?
 

If the notes are about some procedural process like math, write EVERYTHING down unless you have learned about it extensively already and it is fresh in your mind. If you know everything in the process except one step or small detail that could prevent you from using that process.

Personally, I write most everything down except for the things that are blatantly obvious...but I'm not the best note taker in the world. I just know how I'm supposed to do it. Not how to actually pull it off.
 
No, i know how to take math notes. For some reason math, and the notes come nice an easy for me. This is for "AM HISTORY 10". I am fairly good a memorizing stuff, but i would like to get in the habit of taking notes. I am hopping that i can get better before college. I need Speed AND efficiency
 
History, the three main things are names, places, and dates. With these you can go back to your textbook later and find out the details if you need to.
 
Oh...history. Hehe the last time I took something like that was in High school...and I didn't take notes. I read the book. With that, I found I could BS my way through papers and stuff and still get A+.
 
dknyugen,

I was recently telling some of my students that I enjoyed learning history when I was in school, and that it was not the hard subject they thought.
One of them brought be back when, noting my advancing years, he said, "Yeah, but back then there wasn't as much history to remember!"
 


BUUUUURRRRNNNNN!

But yeah, it's really not that hard. All you really have to do is what historians do- have a few vague facts, and bend as you see fit to argue whatever perspective you randomly picked for your paper.
 
One of my lecturers always used to give out copies of the notes, and then work through them with you. If you had to take your own notes you spent all your attention writing the notes, and ended up with no idea what he had been saying!.
 
how to take notes in an efficient way... good question.

My idea is to invent a sort of "short-hand-script" which allows you to write all the necessary information in a very short time.
 
Last edited:
Nigel Goodwin said:
One of my lecturers always used to give out copies of the notes, and then work through them with you. If you had to take your own notes you spent all your attention writing the notes, and ended up with no idea what he had been saying!.
Click to expand...

Some of my lecturers do that but it doesn't seem to help for some reason. It's almost like when you pre write notes for someone else, it ends up more like a textbook. And if it is done kind of "spur of the moment" then it actually follows the learning train of thought.
 
I have electronic "smartboards" in my rooms that will capture the teacher's writing, save it to a file, and from there they can either make it avail throu email or via their webpage. Colleges can reap some cash rewards from this technology by charging students a higher technology fee to cover the hardware/software as welas for the convenience of not having to take as many notes in class. It's the wave of future classroom technology. Even sending notes to student's tablet PCs is a possibility. They'd have it instantly in class. Then there's cyber school where they all just stay home, eat a bowl of cereal while monitoring GeoScience 200 on-line!!
 
My problem is the opposite at my faculty
We have to write everything as the professor says cause the questions will be from what we write.
that's not good mentally and depends apparently on saving in mind capabilities.
Seems strange , really!
 
Well that sucks. I've never had to write anything down as the prof is saying it. He says it while he is writing it (or something related) on the board and we write that down.
 
@4electros: The same here - We're not even allowed to write something different ( not even a different arrangement ) in comparison to what the teacher writes. That's why I learn my own things at home and try to get out of school as fast as possible.
 
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