Good note-taking is often overlooked by students – we often blindly write down information without properly comprehending it. When we go back to review our notes, it seems like a wall of text impeding any attempt to understand the content. As such, studying became that much more tedious and painfully difficult. With effective note-taking, this burden can be alleviated; your efficiency will improve and it will become easier to retain information. As the school year returns, here are some strategies to upgrade your note-taking and study more efficiently.
#1: The Cornell Method
This note-taking system comprises of a bigger section for notes and then a smaller left or right hand column for key concepts and recall questions, with a row at the bottom for summary.
Recall questions simply mean questions that prompt the notes that you are writing. For example, if your notes state ‘acceleration is the change in velocity over the change in time’ then the recall question for this would be ‘what is acceleration?’. This smaller column also consists of key concepts and comments you want to add to your notes.
Personally, this is the method I opt for when note-taking – it’s very convenient to prompt yourself to actively listen and facilitates questions for review on the content afterwards.
Pros:
As mentioned, it facilitates review with the summary section and allows you to actively understand the content being given. It allows you to zoom out and understand the bigger picture and ideas of your content. When you need to review your notes before an exam, the recall questions serve as a test and aids with revision.
Cons:
It can be difficult to maintain the Cornell notes system; it requires you to push yourself during class and right after class. This initial effort can be difficult to maintain, where you can fall behind in writing questions and doing summaries. As a result, this can really deteriorate the benefits that it brings.
#2: Mapping Method
This method organizes your notes by visually showing how topics and subtopics ‘branch off’ one another and connect with each other.
Pros:
This method is extremely beneficial to visual learners; it allows you to bridge connections between concepts and encourages the use of other visual aids, such as highlighter, pictures, and diagrams.
Cons:
Personally, I find it to be a great review tool, as it can summarize and establish relationships with topics. However, I find it to be a little too flexible; there may be too little space for different branches of subtopics and some subtopics can become cluttered with too much information. I think it lacks the organization that I personally find helpful when taking notes.
#3: The Zettelkasten Method
While the other methods have been more focused on notes you take at the moment, this method is about acquiring information to create a growing arsenal of information.
“Zettel” or “brief note” refers to writing an idea onto one card and “kasten” or “box” refers to keeping that idea in a box. Essentially, when you come across ideas and information, take it down a card and label it. After, organize your notes by creating reference notes, separating into folders, and labeling. Then, connect the notes by creating tags or indicators that signify a connection. To grow your “kasten”, frequently revisit your notes to create more connections and add new ideas.
Pros:
This method ultimately expedites creativity and establishes connections between concepts. It encourages you to bridge ideas and organize your information into an enormous encyclopedia. In short, while it requires effort and regular maintenance; it provides considerable benefits for you.
Cons:
This method can be tedious and difficult to maintain. For it to be used to its full potential, it requires meticulous organization and frequent review of the topics and ideas. While it is especially fruitful in long-term documentation – it would not be suitable for topics you only plan on studying for a short time.
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