The Most Efficient Way To Take Notes On The Lecture

Why is it necessary to take notes?

Taking notes is the most common kind of writing. If the essay writing, the reports or the presentations have their own niche, the notes are worldwide because they are not necessarily chained to the school, university or work. People use it all over the world to remember something that they will need later. It is the fastest way to retain particular information. Even when the notes are like: “To call the mum” or “To pick up clothes from the dry-cleaning” it is more reliable to write it down than to take a mental note. People are prone to forget anything especially these days when the life runs at a frantic pace. However, there is some difference between the home notes and the academic ones.

The academic vs the home notes

The main difference between those kinds of notes is that the academic notations are written faster, so there is no time to think about it enough. Moreover, they are supposed to save the unfamiliar information that the brain will have to learn later when or the papers. It means that the notes made at the university or work have to keep far more word-by-word information for the less time. Meanwhile, they must be fastidious and understandable. Regarding the home notes, they can be written in a freestyle by one’s own words. As a rule, such kind of notes is shorter, easier, and far more familiar. 

How to prepare yourself for taking notes

First, you have to be prepared if you know that you will need to take notes. For that purpose, you can use either paper or computer. It is up to you to decide what kind of writing you will use. However, according to the Princeton’s researchers, taking notes on a laptop is almost twice as fast as on the paper. This study shows the average results because the actual speed will depend on your typing and writing skills. If you are good at writing papers and typing, you will have the speed advantage while taking notes on a computer.

Although, there is a link between the speed of taking notes and the memory. When you take notes too fast, you do not have time to analyze the incoming information. Thus, you will remember less on the exam unless you go over your notes after the lecture. This regularity has a place in such case because your brain stops to perceive the meaning of the words and focuses on the syntax. With the paper notes, you pay more attention to the words your teacher says. Furthermore, paper requires less self-control because you write automatically without thinking about the syntax.

How to take notes

There are three main methods with the writing tips.

1. The outline method. It is the easier method when you write down the bullets you hear at the lecture. Your note can look like the list.
          Main idea 1

1. Subtopic 1
• Example
• Example
2. Subtopic 2
• Example

          Main idea 2…

2. The Cornell method. In this case, you have to split your sheet into the three sections and type the notes in the particular zone.

1. Notes – record the lecture.
2. Clues – write the main ideas, related questions, diagrams, etc.
3. Summary – review the top ideas. This section you should fill when the lecture is over.

3. The mind-mapping method. Use different types of diagrams, graphs, and schemes to record the lecture material and keep the connection between the topics. This method fits more if you take notes with the pen and paper.

In conclusion, remember, that different classes require different methods. So practice each of them to understand which one is better for each type of lectures or use some affordable custom writing service.