Matt has degrees in Journalism and Business and has taught a variety of courses at high schools and universities around the world.
Before widespread use of the Internet as a research tool, a student's note-taking ability in class was seen as both a valuable academic skill and a necessity for preparation. It can be difficult to encourage your students to take notes, especially if many students believe they can simply ''look it up later.'' The following note-taking strategies have been designed to counter this attitude and instill the idea that taking notes is worthwhile.
To start with, here are a couple of tips to get your students moving in the right direction:
Now we will discuss three note-taking strategies:
The first mistake many students make when taking notes is taking too many. When students try to write everything down, they often give up because it's nearly impossible to keep up.
Try the following techniques to ensure that your students' notes are both relevant and reviewable.
When students are alone with a book or researching on the Internet, it can be difficult to stay focused. Asking your students to prewrite questions as a way of priming their notes can narrow this focus. Tell students to write the following questions on the top of their notepaper.
Students should constantly refer to these questions as they read. They can also draw a rectangular box underneath the questions where they can write new vocabulary words to look up later.
You can encourage students to use colors beyond these to highlight other areas they feel are important.
Note-taking is an important skill, therefore students should keep the above techniques in mind when they take notes. Keeping notes organized and color coding are just two ways students can make their note-taking not only worthwhile, but also an invaluable resource for reviewing class content.
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