How To Take Great Notes

Classroom learning comes from a combination of textbook information and outside information from the teacher. It is necessary to take notes in class because not all of the information you will learn will come from textbooks. I have had students who tell me "I have a really good memory. I don't have to take notes." Incidentally, these students are not "A" students. Most of them aren't even "B" students. Very few people have total recall. Studies show 95% of what is heard is forgotten if not written down immediately. To get the most out of your time in class you must take good notes. The key to taking good notes is to pay close attention to what the teacher is saying. Taking notes in class will make even the most boring class more interesting because it would cause you to focus on the lesson.

To begin, I suggest using loose leaf paper for class notes and organize them in your loose leaf binder for use when studying for tests. You do not need a separate binder for each class. Divide one binder by class to organize your notes. At the top of each note sheet, write down the day's topic, the name of the course and the date. Be brief in your note taking. Except for formulas and quotes, write your notes in your own words, not the teacher's. Remember, your goal is to understand what he is saying, not to try to record exactly everything he says. You have to learn to write down things the teacher thinks is important.

At the bottom of each page, write a summary of the notes on the page. This helps you digest what you've learned, and will improve your memory of the notes in the long term, for tests down the road.