Thirteen Hints forTaking Effective Classroom Notes

1. Keep a written record. Studies have shown that within two weeks you probably forget 80 percent or

more of what you have heard.

2. Sit where you will be seen. Sit where the teacher can always see you and where you can see the

blackboard easily and clearly.

3. Do some advance reading. By doing some advance reading, you will be able to listen and take notes

more easily and with greater understanding.

4. Record notes systematically.

o Use full size 8 ½ by 11-inch paper. Use ballpoint pen instead of a pencil.

o Keep all notes from each course in a separate section of a notebook.

o Date each day’s notes.

o Take notes on one side of the paper only and leave space at the top of the page and the left hand

margin. Write legibly.

o To save time, abbreviate terms you use repeatedly.

o Note prominently exams or quizzes as well as assignments that the teacher gives.

5. Use an outline for notes. Start main points at the margin. Indent secondary ideas and supporting details.

6. Be alert for signals. Write down whatever the teacher puts on the board. Always write down

definitions and enumerations (1.,2.,3., etc). If your instructor says “This is an important reason…” or

“The chief cause was…,” etc., write it down. If your teacher repeats a point, you can usually assume it

is important. A teacher’s voice may slow down, become louder, or otherwise signal that you are expected

to write down exactly what is being said, word for word.

7. Write down examples. Examples will help you understand complex and abstract points.

8. Write down details that connect or explain. Write down the supporting details that connect or explain

the lecture’s main points, not just the main points alone. As time passes, you may forget the specifics that

serve as connecting bridges between key ideas.

9. Leave some blank space. Leave blank spaces for items or ideas you miss so you can fill them in later.

10. Ask questions. Don’t hesitate to ask the instructor questions if certain points are confusing to you.

11. Take notes during discussions. Many valuable ideas may come up during informal discussions, ideas

your instructor may not present formally later on. If your instructor puts notes on the board during a

class discussion, it’s a good sign that the material is important.

12. Take notes right up to the end of class. Because of time spent on want to cover into the last minutes of

class.

13. Review your notes soon. While the material is still clear in your mind, make your notes as clear as

possible. A day later may be too late because forgetting sets in almost at once.

How to Effective Class Notes

1) Active Listening. “Passive listening is what you do when you watch a sitcom or have a casual

conversation. In contrast, active listening is when you listen carefully to make sure you understand

and learn the information that is being conveyed. Here are some things you should do to listen

actively.

Listen for the main point and major subpoints. Don’t just write everything down. Listen

carefully and make sure you understand what the purpose of this lectures is. As you take

down notes, keep the main point in mind and make sure you understand how these notes are

related.

Listen for an organizational structure. Unless the teacher is a terrible lecturer, his or her

notes are probably organized into some kind of outline. Listen carefully to figure out how the

ideas are organized and they will make more sense. Of course, if your professor provides an

outline by writing on the board or using PowerPoint notes, use this as your outline.

Pay attention to organizational cues. Listen carefully for words and phrases that reflect the

organizational structure of the lecture. Pay close attention to the introduction, as it will

always probably indicate how you should organize your notes. If the lecture begins with,

“Today I’m going to talk about three ethnic conflicts in the Middle East,” then you have a

good idea of what’s going to follow. Listen for “signpost” words to indicate a transition for

one point to the next, such as “next” and “finally” and numerical signposts like “first” or

“third”.

Listen with your eyes. Speakers communicate information through nonverbal

communication. Watch the professor, and be aware of how he or she uses hand gestures, eye

contact, and other body language to convey points.

Remove distractions. Don’t tempt yourself! Put away the campus newspaper, your Sudoku

puzzle, your cellphone, and anything else that might be more interesting than the lecturer.

Practice. Learning to concentrate and listen actively is an endurance skill. Make yourself do

it, and it will get easier over time.

(see back for more….)

2) Proper techniques for writing and lecture notes. Learning to write down all the important

information in an organized way is a challenge as well.

Write down the date and the topic of the lecture. This will help trigger your memory when

you are studying.

Learn to write quickly. Or type quickly, if you’re using a laptop. Use lots of abbreviations.

Don’t worry about getting down every word, especially words like “a” and “the”. Don’t worry

about writing neatly. As long as you can understand your notes, it’s neat enough.

Write down definitions. If your instructor defines a term, make sure you write it down and

understand what it means.

Don’t copy outline or PowerPoint notes word for word. Here’s a common problem: a teacher

puts a PowerPoint slide up, and students are so busy writing down every word on the slide that

they stop listening to the lecture. This causes them to miss information that was discussed in the

lecture but not written on the slide, and it also makes active listening impossible. Instead, use the

notes to help you follow along.

If your instructor indicates that something is important, mark it. This is a strong clue that

something may be on the test.

If your instructor is going too fast or is unclear, say something. Even the best lecturers get a

little garbled sometimes. There’s nothing rude about asking your teacher to clarify a point.

Err on the side of writing down too much. Excess notes are probably not going to hurt you on

the exam. Not writing down enough will.

3) Reviewing your notes. This is very important, but sometimes students don’t do this nearly enough.

Review your notes to make sure you understand all the information and to keep it fresh in your head.

After the class period is over, rewrite or type your notes as soon as you can. This can help

quite a bit with retaining the information.

Read over your notes before each class period. This doesn’t take very long and help you

contextualize the new information.

As you look over your notes, mark anything that doesn’t make sense to you. Stop by the

instructor’s office hour and ask for clarification, or ask a fellow student to help you out.

Make friends with a studious fellow student. Find someone who goes to class all the time and

who takes good notes, and sit down together once in awhile to compare notes with each other.

Get help if necessary. If you’re having problems, show your professor your notes and ask for

some guidance. Stop by your campus study skill center and have someone review your notes

with you.