This document provides tips for improving note-taking skills. It discusses preparing for class with the proper materials, focusing during lectures, developing a personalized note-taking method such as outlining, mapping or charting, paying attention to important content, and reviewing notes after class. Effective note-taking requires finding an organized system that works for each individual student.

1. Improve Your
Note-Taking
Skills
Lunch and Learn
Student Success

2. 1.Go to Class Prepared
•Use a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or
bound book.
•Bring highlighters to class.
•Read assigned material and previous class
notes before class.

3. 2. Improve your listening skills
•Start by entering the classroom with a positive
attitude.
•Make a conscious effort to pay attention.
Concentrate on concentrating.
•Adapt to whatever direction a lecture takes.

4. 3. Develop a note taking method
that works for you
•Fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes to increase your note
taking speed and comprehension later.
•Start each new lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The
sequence of material is important.
•Write on one side of the paper only.
•Leave blank spaces.
•Make your notes as brief as possible.
•Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever
possible.
•Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don't understand.

5. 4. Pay close attention to content
•Knowing what and how much to write down is sometimes difficult.
Rely on some of the following tips for what to include in your notes.
•Details, facts, or explanations that expand or explain the main
points that are mentioned. Don't forget examples.
•Definitions, word for word.
•Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed.
•Material written on the chalkboard or on a transparency, including
drawings or charts.
•Information that is repeated or spelled out. (University of Texas at
Austin)

6. 5. Review and edit your notes
•Academic skills centers and other authorities on effective study skills consider
reviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of note taking and
essential to increasing learning capacity.
•Review your notes within 24 hours.
•Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don't make sense.
•Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class
and what you filled in later.
•Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column.
•Note anything you don't understand by underlining or highlighting to remind
you to ask the instructor.
•Compare your notes with the textbook reading and fill in important details in
the blank spaces you left.
•Consider rewriting or typing up your notes.

7. Each student should develop his or her
own method of taking notes…

8. The Outlining Method
• Dash or indented outlining is usually best.
• The information which is most general
begins at the left with each more specific
group of facts indented with spaces to the
right.
• The relationships between the different parts
is carried out through indenting.

9. The Outlining Method cont.
Method:
• Listen and write in points in an organized pattern
based on space indention.
• Place major points farthest to the left.
• Indent each more specific point to the right.
• Levels of importance will be indicated by distance
away from the major point.
• Indention can be as simple as or as complex as
labeling the indentations with Roman numerals or
decimals.
• Markings are not necessary as space relationships will
indicate the major/minor points.

10. The Outlining Method cont.
Example:
 Extrasensory perception
-Definition: means of perceiving without use of sense
organs.
-Three kinds:
-telepathy: sending messages
-clairvoyance: forecasting the future
-psycho kinesis: perceiving events
external to situation
-Current status:
-no current research to support or
refute
-few psychologists say it is possible
-door open to future

11. The Outlining Method cont.
Advantages:
 Well-organized system if done right.
 Outlining records content as well as relationships.
 Reduces editing.
 Easy to review by turning main points into questions.
Disadvantages:
 Requires more thought in class for accurate
organization.
 This system may not show relationships by sequence
when needed.
 This system cannot be used if the lecture is too fast.

12. The Outlining Method cont.
When to Use:
 The outline format can be used if the lecture is
presented in outline organization.

13. The Mapping Method
•Mapping is a method that uses comprehension/
concentration skills.
•Relates each fact or idea to every other fact or idea.
•Mapping is a graphic representation of the content
of a lecture.
•Mapping is a method that maximizes active
participation, affords immediate knowledge as to its
understanding, and emphasizes critical thinking.

14. The Mapping Method cont.
Example:

15. The Mapping Method cont.
Advantages:
 This format helps you to visually track your lecture
regardless of conditions.
 It is also easy to edit your notes by adding
numbers, marks, and color coding.
 Review will call for you to restructure thought
processes which will force you to check understanding.
 Review by covering lines for memory drill and
relationships.
 Main points can be written on flash or note cards and
pieced together into a table or larger structure at a later
date.
Disadvantages:
 You may not see changes in content from major points
to facts.

16. The Mapping Method cont.
When to Use:
 Use when the lecture content is heavy and well-
organized.
 May also be used effectively when you have a guest
lecturer and have no idea how the lecture is going
to be presented.

17. The Charting Method
Method:
-Determine the categories to be covered in the lecture. Set up your
paper in advance by columns headed by these categories.
-As you listen to the lecture, record information (words, phrases,
main ideas, etc.) into the appropriate category.
Example:

18. The Charting Method cont.
Advantages:
 Helps you track conversation and dialogues where you
would normally be confused and lose out on relevant
content.
 Reduces amount of writing necessary.
 Provides easy review mechanism for both memorization of
facts and study of comparisons and relationships.
Disadvantages:
 Few disadvantages except learning how to use the system
and locating the appropriate categories.
 You must be able to understand what's happening in the
lecture.

19. The Charting Method cont.
When to Use:
 If the lecture format is distinct (such as
chronological), you may set up your paper by
drawing columns and labeling appropriate
headings in a table.
 Test will focus on both facts and relationships.
 Content is heavy and presented fast.
 You want to reduce the amount of time you spend
editing and reviewing at test time.
 You want to get an overview of the whole course on
one big paper sequence.

20. The Sentence Method
Method:
•Write every new thought, fact or topic on a separate line,
numbering as you progress.
Example:
•A revolution is any occurrence that affects other aspects
of life, such as economic life, social life, and so forth.
Therefore revolutions cause change. (See page 29 to 30 in
your text about this.)
•Sample Notes:
Revolution - occurrence that affects other aspects of life:
e.g., econ., social., etc. C.f. text, pp. 29-30

21. The Sentence Method cont.
Advantages:
 Slightly more organized than the paragraph.
 Gets more or all of the information.
Disadvantages:
 Can't determine major/minor points from the
numbered sequence.
 Difficult to edit without having to rewrite by
clustering points which are related.
 Difficult to review unless editing cleans up
relationship.

22. The Sentence Method cont.
When to Use:
 Use when the lecture is somewhat
organized, but heavy with content which
comes fast.
 You can see the different points, but you
don't know how they fit together.
 The instructor tends to present in point
fashion, but not in grouping such as "three
related points."