We’ve become accustomed to searching for information on demand to find what we need when we need it. The consequence is that we don’t often commit information to memory because we know it will be there tomorrow if we wish to search for it again. Thus, there is an importance of taking notes. “Note-taking facilitates both recall of factual material and the synthesis and application of new knowledge, particularly when notes are reviewed prior to exams.”1

The metacognitive process discussed in section 5.1 applies equally to the process of active note-taking, particularly in the context of taking notes in a lecture.

Assess the Task

Prior to attending class, consider the following factors: the lecture’s topic, the pace at which the instructor typically speaks, the level of detail you’ll need for later assignments or exams, and whether visual aids, demonstrations, or discussions will be part of the session.

Evaluate Strengths and Weaknesses

Similarly to active reading, when you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses before taking notes in lecture, it allows you to anticipate challenges—such as technical vocabulary, complex diagrams, or rapid delivery—so you can adapt strategies in advance, like preparing abbreviations, leaving space for additional details, or requesting supplementary materials.

Identifying your strengths will help you to identify foundational information you already know, and consider a notetaking style that is most effective for you.

Plan the Approach

Planning the approach means deciding ahead of time how you will listen, process, and record information so your notes serve as a useful learning tool later. This planning begins before class by reviewing the day’s topic, reading any assigned materials, and identifying key themes or questions you expect to hear. It also includes choosing the note-taking format that best fits the lecture’s structure.

It is also important to plan how you will stay engaged throughout the lecture. Where do you need to sit to remain focused and avoid distractions? Will you handwrite notes or type? What questions do you have about the material that you want to ensure you ask?

Think about what kinds of verbal and nonverbal cues you will need to pay attention to. Verbal cues might include an instructor saying, “This is important,” or “this will be covered on the exam,” giving multiple examples, repeating information or spending a lot of time with one idea. An instructor exaggerating their facial expressions or body movements is a nonverbal cue to indicate important information. Cues are often unique to individual instructors, so it’s important to pay attention and notice patterns in body language and speech.

Plan to be intentional about what you write down.  Do not try to write everything down; instead, try to distinguish between the most important topics and ideas and write those down. This is a skill that students can improve upon.

Plan to leave space to add information to your notes. You can use this space during or after lectures to elaborate on ideas. You may choose to include information from your text, outside research, conversations with classmates, tutors, or instructors. Creating space to allow you to add information outside of class is an excellent way to review lecture notes and help retain information.

Apply Strategies

Classroom lectures can move quickly and be hard to follow, especially if students are asking questions or the instructor moves off topic.  Developing reading and notetaking skills that allow you to discern key information takes practice and patience, but there are some general guidelines to help you get started.

In previous units, we covered ways that students can actively engage in the learning process in order to get the most out of their education. There are ways to actively listen as well, in order to get the most out of lectures and, more importantly, take all of the notes that might be required. The video in the next exercise covers several active listening strategies, along with why we sometimes have difficulty listening. Perhaps the most useful learning tools of all are notes taken from both lectures and course materials. By annotating for key information, then condensing it, students create personalized summaries helpful for studying.

Reflect

After the lecture, reflect on and evaluate your experience by reviewing your notes to see if they make sense, identifying unclear areas, and comparing them with classmates’ notes or posted materials to fill in missing information. Actively reviewing your notes on an ongoing basis and not just before an exam is key to long-term retention.

Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, studied the rate of forgetting and formulated his “forgetting curve” theory. The “forgetting curve” shows that after one month, only 20 percent of information is retained after initial memorization. Without review, 47 percent of learned information is lost after only 20 minutes. After one day, 62 percent of learned information is lost without review.

Video: 5 Ways to Listen Better, Julian Treasure at TED Global 2011

Notetaking Structures

Outline Method

The most commonly used structure for taking notes in class is the outline method. Students use an outline to show the relationship between ideas in the lecture. Outlines can help students separate main ideas from supporting details and show how one topic connects to another.  Outlines are a great tool when learning about topics that have many supporting details and need to be neatly organized.

Cornell System

The Cornell System is a note-taking method created in the 1950s by Walter Pauk at Cornell University. This system is helpful for both in-class and textbook notetaking. The method requires you to divide your paper into three sections: Notes, Cue, and Summary.

The Notes column is for you to use to record notes during lectures. The Cue column is where you can create study questions, identify main ideas or include diagrams. This section should be completed after class and it is a great tool for quizzing yourself.  The notes you took should answer the questions you create. Finally, the Summary column is just that, a place to outline the main ideas and answer the question, “Why is this important?”.

After the lecture, consolidate notes as soon as possible and identify the main ideas by underlining or highlighting them. Test yourself by looking only at the questions on the left. If you can provide most of the information on the notes side without looking at it, you’re in good shape. If you cannot, keep studying until you improve your retention. Review periodically as needed to keep the information fresh in your mind.

Students use the bottom area for summarizing information. Practice summarizing information — it’s a great study skill. It allows you to determine how information fits together. It should be written in your own words. Don’t use the chapter summary in the textbook to write your summary, but check the chapter summary after you write yours for accuracy.

Mind Maps

Visual learners may want to experiment with mind maps (also called clustering). Invented by Tony Buzan, an English author and educational consultant, in the 1960s, mind maps are another way of organizing information during lectures. Start with the main idea in the center of the paper; landscape orientation is recommended in order to have enough room. Using branches, like a tree, identify supporting ideas that supplement the main idea. These branches help to identify relationships between topics and understand the hierarchy of ideas. Write down everything you can as the lecture is happening. Reorganization and editing can be done later.

Preview and Review

Keep in mind that students who know what their instructor is going to lecture on before the lecture are at an advantage. Why? Because the more they understand what the instructor will be talking about, the easier it is to take notes. Take a look at the syllabus before the lecture. It won’t take much time, but it can make a world of difference. You will also be more prepared and be able to see important connections if you read your assigned reading before the lecture.

For maximum efficiency and retention of memory, it’s best to review within 20 minutes of when the lecture ends. For this reason, we do not advise students to take back-to-back classes without 30 minutes in between. It is important to have adequate review time and to give your brain a break. Reviewing shortly after the lecture will allow you to best highlight or underline main points as well as fill in any missing portions of your notes. Students who take lecture notes on a Monday and then review them for the first time a week later often have challenges recalling information that help make the notes coherent.

You may consider discussing your notes in a study group with your classmates, which can give you a different perspective on main points and deepen your understanding of the material. You may also want to make flashcards for yourself with vocabulary terms, formulas, important dates, people, places, etc. Online flashcards are another option. Students can make them for free using Quizlet and test themselves online or on their phone.

Citations

1. Dillon, Dave. Blueprint for Success in College and Career. OER Commons. https://press.rebus.community/blueprint2/. CC BY 4.0
2. Richard T. Vacca and Jo Anne L. Vacca, Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning across the Curriculum, 6th ed. (Menlo Park, CA: Longman, 1999).
3. Joe Cuseo, Viki Fecas and Aaron Thompson, Thriving in College AND Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development, (Dubuque, IA: Kendal Hunt Publishing, 2010), 115.
4. W. Kintsch, “Text Comprehension, Memory, and Learning,” American Psychologist 49 no. 4 (1994): 294-303, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.4.294.
5. Lucy Cui, “MythBusters: Highlighting Helps Me Study,” Psychology in Action, accessed April 27, 2018, https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2018/1/8/mythbusters-highlighting-helps-me-study.