"What are the methods that students use to develop good study habits?" "We all know that learning does not end after we graduate or secure a job; perhaps, we learn every day. As a teacher, we also study in every lesson that we teach because we cannot give what we do not have. As a teacher, how do you usually develop good study habits?" “How do you organize your notes to make them easily accessible for review?” “How do you identify areas for improvement in your note-taking and studying habits?” Do you sometimes struggle to determine what to write down during lectures? Have you ever found yourself wishing you could take better or more effective notes? Whether you are sitting in a lecture hall or watching a lecture online, note-taking in class can be intimidating, but with a few strategic practices, anyone can take clear, effective notes. This session will discuss the importance of note-taking, qualities of good notes, and tips for becoming a better notetaker. "Before anything else, let's practice or observe how you take notes. By watching this video, I want you to take some notes. Later, let us know what strategy or method you have used in note-taking." Why good notes matter In-class benefits Taking good notes in class is an important part of academic success in college. Actively taking notes during class can help you focus and better understand main concepts. In many classes, you may be asked to watch an instructional video before a class discussion. Good note-taking will improve your active listening, comprehension of material, and retention. Taking notes on both synchronous and asynchronous material will help you better remember what you hear and see. Post-class benefits After class, good notes are crucial for reviewing and studying class material so that you better understand it and can prepare appropriately for exams. Efficient and concise notes can save you time, energy, and confusion that often results from trying to make sense of disorganized, overwhelming, insufficient, or wordy notes. When watching a video, taking good notes can save you from the hassle of pausing, rewinding, and rewatching large chunks of a lecture. Good notes can provide a great resource for creating outlines and studying. The worst thing that you can do is to take notes that look like this. This is what I call a wall of words It would take a minute to read this entire paragraph and figure out what it was saying but if you had like 50 pages of notes you’ll be studying for hours so what I would do is take the main idea of this and then turn it into something visual. The image of a flow chart, a diagram or a mind map. I could look at a visual and within seconds gets the gist of what it’s about. Tip # 1 Make more visual notes, because not only does the brain remember images better than words, it also processes them faster. The next next tip is to understand that Tip # 2 Notes are meant to be an extension of your thinking, not a replacement. Here’s what I mean. Imagine that your brain is carrying a load, this is called cognitive load. So you’re sitting in class and the teacher is lecturing and feeding you info metaphorically adding weight to this load, your brain’s job is to process it: ask questions, make connections, piece the information together, properly think about it so when the load of information starts to become too much to handle then you jot some notes down right, you offload the excess information to keep track of it but you want to use your notes as an extension of your thinking. You want your cognitive load to be heavy enough to be challenging. If you’re at the gym and you’re lifting light weights, it’s not going to help your muscles grow. The only way you’re going to learn is by struggling with the info in your brain at a reasonable level and that struggle is what learning feels like but what many students do wrong is that they offload everything immediately to the notes. The info comes from the teacher to your brain and then directly to your notes. You don’t give any chance to process it, you don’t embrace that uncomfortable feeling of learning. Many students do this because they’re afraid of missing information, so they’ve got to write it all down. The info is basically bypassing the brain too quickly and you don’t learn anything. If you understand what’s being taught then you end up taking better notes. The next step is to not over rely on your notes as a study guide Tip # 3 Don’t rely on your notes as a study guide A lot of students will read their notes to review for an exam, they think that the more times they read it the more prepared they’ll be but that’s not how it works because rereading just gives you the illusion of learning, you feel like you’re absorbing the information you’re not actually retaining it. Think about your favorite movie, can you recall every scene in that movie in order straight from memory? It’s a lot harder than it seem right, even for your favorite movie. But if you had that movie playing right in front of you then it becomes a lot easier to recall the scenes because they’re all familiar to you and that’s what rereading your notes is like, it gives you the illusion of learning but when you close your notes and try to recall them like picture the movie playing out in your mind it’s not that easy but that’s what true learning feels like. The next tip is to constantly update your notes Tip # 4 constantly update your notes Especially if you’re using a technique like mind mapping. The notes that you’re taking in class are version number 1 – that is your initial understanding of the information. It’s pretty new still but as you keep learning and ask more questions you begin again to clarify things. You might find that you misunderstood some concepts and you got to go back you and you got to cross things out and edit your notes that then becomes version number 2 and the more you learn you start to notice more patterns and how ideas relate to each other then you can start grouping information and condense your notes that might be version number 3 and you got to go through however many versions you need until you have a concise and condensed understanding of the concepts. The next tip is to understand the difference between linear and non-linear note-taking and when to use each. Tip # 5 Linear VS Non-Linear Linear note-taking is when you’re writing information in a sequential or structured order this is typically how textbooks are written. In Chapter ! then heading 1, then subheading 1 and heading 2 then subheading 2 like it looks very chronological. On the other hand, Non-linear note-taking is more free form and lousy ideas to all connect to each other. It makes it very easy to visualize how all the concepts are connected through diagrams, mind maps or flowcharts or any other visual representation. And yes, there are some subject like math, chemistry or physics where you’ve got to make sure that you get the right steps in order but most other learning especially conceptual learning is complex and all the ideas are interconnected. And speaking of Math, the next tip is specifically for note taking in math. Tip # 6 The best way to learn math is without all the numbers You want a conceptual understanding first so ignore the numbers and learn the math in words first so that you know when and why you’re using certain equations. I’d say that the wrong way to learn math is by memorizing all the equations and then on the exam you’re just trying to recognize patterns like you’re trying to fit variables into equations until you get somewhat of an answer that looks familiar and then you just go with that one and that’s what we call the plug and chug method, which is not that great because you’re just to rope memorize the procedures in the steps to solve the problems without a conceptual understanding of how to solve the problems. So, again the tip here when taking notes for math is to start off by using words in your notes. The next tip is to write questions and writing questions has a few benefits Tip # 7 Write Questions Learning Objectives 1. it gives you an objective to work towards. Like, as you’re reviewing or reading through your material, you’re actively looking for answers to these questions Think like an exam writer 2. It forces you to think like an exam writer, how would they ask this information on the test, what variables can you remove or change around to make the question even more difficult A review Tool 3. Gives you a great practice or review tool when you’re studying for the exam, you can run through your list of questions and actively recall the answers to quiz yourself. Writing questions is the basis of many different notetaking techniques like Cornell notes or the QEC Method Determining what’s important enough to write down You may be asking yourself how you can identify the main points of a lecture. Here are some tips for recognizing the most important points in a lecture: Introductory remarks often include summaries of overviews of main points. Listen for signal words/phrases like, “There are four main…” or “To sum up…” or “A major reason why…” Repeated words or concepts are often important. Non-verbal cues like pointing, gestures, or a vocal emphasis on certain words, etc. can indicate important points. Final remarks often provide a summary of the important points of the lecture. Consider watching online lectures in real time. Watching the lecture for the first time without pausing or rewinding can help force you to focus on what’s important enough to write down. 1. Cornell Notes: This style includes sections for the date, essential question, topic, notes, questions, and a summary. 1. Record: During the lecture, use the note-taking column to record the lecture using telegraphic sentences. 2. Questions: As soon after class as possible, formulate questions based on the notes in the right-hand column. Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage for exam-studying later. 3. Recite: Cover the note-taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue-words. 4. Reflect: Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example: “What’s the significance of these facts? What principle are they based on? How can I apply them? How do they fit in with what I already know? What’s beyond them? 5. Review: Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam. 2. Outline: An outline organizes the lecture by main points, allowing room for examples and details. 3. Flowchart/concept map: A visual representation of notes is good for content that has an order or steps involved. 4. Charting Method: A way to organize notes from lectures with a substantial amount of facts through dividing key topics into columns and recording facts underneath. 5. Sentence Method: One of the simplest forms of note taking, helpful for disseminating which information from a lecture is important by quickly covering details and information.
