In the previous tip I I tried to persuade you as to Why you should take lecture notes.

“OK, but How?”

Glad you asked. Here are ten tips to help you get those fingers smoking.

1. Name and organize your files and folders

There’s no point in taking notes if you can’t find them weeks or months later just before exam time. So have a separate folder for each subject, and maybe a separate folder for each module within that subject folder.

I name my files like this: Date-Title-Initials. So for example, I’d name the file containing this tip: 140901-HowNoteTaking-DPM. That helps me keep my notes in chronological order, but the summary title also helps me to see what’s in the file without having to open it. I like to put my initials on files so that if I’m working on a shared project I can distinguish my files from others.

2. Date and title the lecture at the top of the page.

This is helpful for when you print out your notes. If your Word processing software will let you include the file name and date in the header or footer, then this too will help you keep track of printed lectures.

3. Number the pages

If you ever print off your notes, your binder fails, and your papers start billowing all over campus, you’ll wish you had done this.

4. Set your Word processor to auto-save

We’ve all done it – once. We’ve been working on a document for over an hour when Word freezes, or we forget to save, or our thumb hits delete. Noooooooooooo! So set your word-processing software  to save every 3-5 minutes to make sure that the most you can lose is a few minutes work.

5. Summarize as you go

I know yesterday I encouraged you to take extensive notes, but that doesn’t mean you need to write out every word. That’s impossible. Err on the side of too much initially, but try to develop the ability of summarizing the lesson as you go. That’s actually a much better way to start learning the material than to try and type out everything word for word.

6. Outline the lecture

Most teachers today realize the importance of structure and will either be following one on Powerpoint or via a handout. If not, you need to work hard at making your own outline of the lecture. Again many Word processors like Word will let you take notes in Outline format and some options like Workflowy are specialized tools for outlining. Most outlines go like this:

I. MAIN POINT

A. Sub point

1. Sub-sub-point

2. Sub-sub point

B. Sub point

II. MAIN POINT

You can see that it’s not just different numbers but different indents and emphasis that are used as well (I also use a consistent color highlighting scheme for each level of indent). Leave a space between lines to make reading easier on your eyes.

Develop your own preferences but whatever you decide, keep that uniform for all lectures and you’ll train your brain to think like this and develop strong pegs to hang all the information on in small, accessible, and memorable packets. Far better than a big glob of undifferentiated information that your hands cannot get round or hold.

7. Note quotation sources and further reading

Sometimes teachers will quote someone else at length. Instead of trying to write down the whole quote and burn your fingers in the process, take a note of the book, author, and page number for future reference. If you can summarize the quote, all the better. Also note any direction for further reading. Perhaps you could ask the teacher to provide the quotes in a Word document for you to paste into your notes.

8. Highlight any gaps or confusion

Sometimes you will not be able to keep up with a teacher or you will not understand something she said. Take down what you can and put a note in the margin either to follow up with the teacher afterwards or compare notes with a fellow-student.

9. Review the lecture

I’m going to talk about study techniques in a later tip, but suffice to say that at the earliest opportunity after the lecture, while it’s still fresh in your mind, you should read through your notes to fill in anything you didn’t get down in class. If there are parts of the lecture without any outline or structure, work hard to outline it as much as you can. That’s going to be invaluable at exam time.

10. File the lecture

As I explained before, Dropbox ensures you won’t lose all your data if your computer crashes. But I also like to print out the lecture as well and put it in a ring-binder. That’s probably the oldie in me, but I do like to see some physical visible results for my labors!

Here’s an article on the Best Apps for Note-taking.

Other Resources

New Student Tip #1: Dropbox

New Student Tip #2: Wunderlist

New Student Tip #3: Evernote

New Student Tip #4: Diigo

New Student Tip #5: Lastpass

New Student Tip #6: Calendar

New Student Tip #7: Feedly

New Student Tip #8: Covenant Eyes

New Student Tip #9: The Why of Note-taking

Thriving at College by Alex Chediak (for students)

Preparing Your Teens For College by Alex Chediak (for parents of students)

Top 10 Books for Students

Note-taking begins with a big question: ”Why?”

Why take notes in lectures?

It may seem an easy question with an obvious answer but once you ask it, you’ll realize that there are a few possible answers and that your answer will determine how you take notes. Lets ask three students why they take notes:

Student 1: Because the teacher is teaching it.

Some vainly try to write down everything a teacher says. While erring on writing too much is better than writing too little, try to acquire the valuable skill of knowing what to write down and what to simply listen to. That will give you time to think about what’s being taught rather than just being a typist. It will also save you from RSI.

Student 2: To pass an exam

If exam success is why you are taking notes, then you’ll only want to take notes on lectures and parts of lectures that are examinable. You will try to find out from the syllabus or the teacher what will be in the exam and then take notes only when exam content is being taught. At other times you will probably switch off.

Student 3: To expand my knowledge

If this is your motive then you will take far more notes than student #2 but less than student #1. You realize that you are paying for an education, not just exam results, and therefore you will gather as much valuable information as you can in as efficient a way as possible. This student also recognizes that taking notes rather than just reading handouts and course books is one of the best ways to cement knowledge in the memory.

Obviously I hope you will be student #3, but let me add a few more motives to make this choice than just getting value for money or preparing for your career.

Motive 1: Respect for the teacher

It is unquestionably one of the most demoralizing aspects of teaching for a lecturer to pour 10-20 hours into preparing a lecture only to see a couple of students writing or typing while the rest either slouch in their chairs or text and chat online. He or she may not be the best teacher in the world but they are usually trying their very best and it’s basic human decency to show you value them and their work by actually typing at least some of what they say.

Motive 2: Acknowledge your inexperience 

Most teachers don’t teach just to bore you or to occupy their time. They actually believe what they are teaching is important and useful, even vital. It may not seem relevant or helpful to you, but then teachers have been around quite a bit longer than most students and have learned through experience what’s going to help you down the road. I’ve lost count of the number of tiimes I’ve been emailed by students a few years later to ask for help with something that they did not pay attention to when in class.

Motive 3: Learn how to teach

So, the content is not exactly scintillating, but what about the teacher’s teaching style? Is it something you can learn from – to copy or avoid? No matter what career we choose, we will all eventually teach someone something; most likely in a group setting too. Learn from the teacher’s good example and also his or her mistakes.

Motive 4: Strengthen self-discipline

Although teachers are increasingly banning laptops or wireless internet service from their classes, the temptation to check the Internet is still there for most students, even if only on their cell phones. But this is where good and bad habits are learned. If you get into the bad habit of continually checking social media or doing email when someone else is talking, you’ll carry that into other relationships too, and into your later career, which will damage your relationships and eventually your career prospects. Lectures, especially boring ones, are good training grounds for developing valuable listening skills especially for the innumerable boring meetings you’ll have to attend throughout your life.

That’s the Why? Next the How?

Other Resources

New Student Tip #1: Dropbox

New Student Tip #2: Wunderlist

New Student Tip #3: Evernote

New Student Tip #4: Diigo

New Student Tip #5: Lastpass

New Student Tip #6: Calendar

New Student Tip #7: Feedly

New Student Tip #8: Covenant Eyes

Thriving at College by Alex Chediak (for students).

Preparing Your Teens For College by Alex Chediak (for parents of students)

Top 10 Books for Students