Note-making is one of the most important qualities or skills that a student must develop in their school and college years. It is important to take effective notes, which can help a student revise the key concepts, especially during examinations. Note-making can be a real game-changer, especially when it comes to performing better in academics. Students who score better marks in the examinations are the ones that know how to take notes efficiently. Here are some of the tips that the students can adopt to take well-organized and systematic notes.
Make Hybrid Notes
Key concepts that are difficult to remember can be handwritten by the students. They can make use of flow charts or diagrams to enhance note-making and make grasping easier. Flow charts are easier to revise especially when students are under stress during examinations. Students must also use handouts provided by the E-Learning apps and if possible, take a print-out of them. E-learning apps usually offer better notes, in a clear and concise manner. Students therefore should use both handwritten and online notes for better retention.
Make Notes during Online Classes
In online teaching, teachers provide insight into some important topics. Students should make sure to write that down briefly so that they can later recall the topics or concepts. It also helps in actively learning the concepts, and is better than just listening and not writing down the topics under study for future reference. Students, however should make sure that they listen more than they write. Too much focus on writing can make them miss the important details. They should also make sure to not write down each and everything, as later it becomes difficult to understand the difference between an important and not so important topic.
Use only Notes for Revision
Notes should be made in a concise manner and students should only prefer their notes for multiple revisions. Only when needed they should refer to other sources or books. This is the reason note-making should be done effectively in the first place. If changes are to be made, students can easily add such corrections in their notes.
Multiple Revisions
With each revision, students should make shorter and shorter notes, so that during the exam, only the most important topics are left to revise. Unnecessary and unimportant topics should be completely left out. Multiple revisions, therefore, make one understand the topics in a precise manner.
Do not Copy
While taking notes it is important to write down in your own words, rather than copying the book or study source as it is. It will make the task of note-making futile and the student is likely to not recollect anything after some time.
Handwriting
Handwriting plays a very important role in taking down notes. Notes should be well written in eligible handwriting so that they can be easily understood later when revising. Organized notes written in beautiful handwriting can be easily recalled with less strain on one’s memory.
Prefer Blank Sheets
Blank A-4 sized sheets are said to be better for effective note-making as they can easily be modified and new points are easier to add, than is possible in the lined sheets. Lined sheets however should be used by students who have to take care of writing in straight lines for the purpose of examinations. Blank sheets, in some cases, can make one’s writing ineligible and make organization difficult. For diagrams however, blank sheets are a better option.
Use Highlighters
Highlighters are a great tool to underline the premise of a particular topic. They save time and energy and can also make plain notes look more colorful. Using different colored highlighters makes learning pleasurable and enjoyable. Students should be careful and make sure that they do not highlight the entire text, but only the important topics.
Use Sticky Notes
If a certain topic is left out, students can write about that topic on a sticky note, later and paste it under that particular topic. This makes the notes look well-organized and structured. Sticky notes make the notes look neat.
Note-making gets better with practice. When starting out it appears a non-appealing and boring task. With practice however it gets better. Note-making surely improves one’s performance in the academics and helps one score better in the examinations. Students should make sure to take the right approach and one day they are likely to master the art of note-making.