How do I start taking notes?

In a recent blog post we addressed why students aren’t taking notes, and why they should be.

This blog post is for those students who haven’t developed their note taking skills, and would like to give note taking a crack!

If you haven’t been taking notes and have realised you need to be, can we firstly say well done. That self-reflection is the first step to success. We hope these tips help you with your goal, and we encourage you to keep at it if you are finding it challenging at first.

Now here are seven tips for students who are wondering how to get started with note taking, and our suggestions for common problems students might encounter.

Seven simple steps to start taking notes

1. Decide whether you will handwrite or type your notes (either is fine). You might decide to do it differently for different subjects; just aim to keep it consistent for each subject.
2. Bring a notebook or have a document open and ready at the start of each class. This positions you to be looking for opportunities to take down notes. It also avoids the situation of realising part way into the class that you should be taking notes, and then scrambling for a book or document.
3. Title and date the page for easy reference later on.
4. Keep the layout simple. Use section headings and dot points.
5. Focus on recording as much information as possible. Summarisation can happen later.
6. Remember that note taking doesn’t finish in the classroom. If you miss something, or don’t understand it, that’s okay — you can fill it in later. Just leave a blank space and move on to the next point.
7. Put aside regular time in your week to go back over your notes and fill in any of those blanks spaces.

Common note taking challenges & solutions

What if I can’t listen and take notes at the same time?

Firstly, remember that note taking is a skill that takes practice. If you are having trouble keeping up it may be worth persevering for a while, taking down what notes you can get, and filling in the gaps later. Over time you will hopefully find that your skills improve and you leave fewer gaps.

However, some students may find it challenging to process new information, which means that the costs of note taking in real-time can outweigh the benefits. If you believe this is thcase for you, you can get creative about when and how you take notes.

For instance, if your teacher provides class resources ahead of time, you can pre-read them and get down the most important points before the class. Alternatively, you can put aside some time at the end of each school day to create notes while the class is fresh in your memory. Whenever you decide to do it, they most important thing is that you are still creating some notes, even if that isn’t happening during class time.

What if I am being given information too quickly to record it? How do I decide what is important?

This is more commonly a problem encountered by university students than by school students. However, whatever stage of study you are at, the same principle applies: find ways to familiarise yourself a little in advance on what the class will be on so you aren’t encountering a rush of information for the very first time.

If your teacher or lecturer can give you a list of ‘learning outcomes’ for the class or the week, this can tell you what you are supposed to come away understanding. Jot them down at the top of your page, or use them to structure your notes with subheadings. Then, during class time, focus on getting down the information which will help you meet the learning outcomes.

It can also be helpful to skim over any materials provided in advance to get a sense of the key topics and concepts, and start sifting through what is most important before your class.

What if my teacher isn’t giving me opportunities to take my own notes in class?

If most of your class time is based on activities or discussion, it can sometimes be hard to see when it is possible to take notes. You may want to have a conversation with your teacher about your desire to start doing this (don’t feel embarrassed — it’s a good thing to want to do!). You should also feel free to jot down anything that comes up during class discussions — it doesn’t have to be designated ‘note taking time’ for you to take some notes.

As a last resort, you can try out some of the tips above for taking notes outside of class time.

The focus of this blog has been note taking in class. This is a necessary first step in note taking, but it is not the final word, as all of the students we work with know.

If you would like us to assist your student with any of the skills around note taking, including more advanced skills such as honing their notes and creating study materials, you can get in touch with us here.