Importance of Note Taking Skills and Different Methods

This essay discusses the importance of note taking skills and the different methods to effectively take notes. It highlights the benefits of note taking in academics and professional career. The essay also explores the stages involved in note taking and provides insights into various note taking methods such as Cornell method, visual mapping method, shorthand, and sentence method.

Assessment 1 -
Individual essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Importance of taking notes and significance of stages involved.................................................3
Different methods to take notes..................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Note taking skills refers to a practice in which important information is written down in a
proper format and a systematic way. Notes can written down while attending a class, lecture after
the lecture is completed or while reading (Artz and et. al., 2020). Notes taking is an important
skill as it helps to concentrate while reading or listening, it engages mind, organizes the
information as well as creates a record to study later. The following essay focuses on importance
of noted taking for a student. Various methods of notes taking are described along with it
different stages of notes taking have also been discussed in this essay.
MAIN BODY
Importance of taking notes and significance of stages involved
Notes taking is an important skill which needs to be worked upon every individual. It not
only helps in academics but also in professional career when one is attending meetings or
conferences. Note taking has a number of advantages due to which it becomes essential to
develop this skill. While studying after classes notes provide one with necessary evidence which
must be required in order to develop certain arguments regarding the information which is
received while lectures. It also helps one to understand about relevant and important topics
which are required to be focused upon. Writing process is improved and made more effective
with the help of notes making (Chen, 2020).
An active as well as critical approach can be developed which will further help in
refining the argument of lecture before revising. After classes it helps to effectively revise and
recall everything that have been discussed. It is often seen that a number of important examples
are mentioned by professors by lecturers during the lecture which are not present in study
material. A student making notes can effectively jot down the example and take it in use later to
understand the topic.
There are a number of other benefits that can be gained with the help of taking notes as it
increases concentration of an individual. While taking notes the one can also improve their
retention as well as cognitive skills (Chen, Teo and Zhou, 2017). It is necessary that one is
concentrating while in class. Also once taking notes an individual can easily retain the
information in a better way. Similarly there are a number of different information which are

mentioned during a lecture which gives a clarity about the topic and noting down all these
information can be helpful while revising the topic (Dierickx, 2020).
There are three stages in notes taking which include before, during and after class. All
these stages have different importance in notes taking. It becomes essential to effectively focus
on all these stages. Before the lecture notes taking include various steps such as going to class
early, choosing a good seat, pre reading the chapters on which discussions will be made. Using
this time to review notes from previous class will also help student to refresh their memory and
prepare their brain to take in new information.
Taking notes during class will help in organising the information in a proper manner so
that it can be used later (Freitag, 2020). This will also help in jotting down essential examples
and asking questions as well as participate in discussion. This is an essential time in notes
making as it will set base for future on the basis of which preparation for any test of exam will be
done.
The last stage is after the lecture. It is necessary to review the notes taken after class. This
will help in organising the notes, filling in the missing information and so on. It will also help to
identify doubts which can be later cleared in coming classes. This will also provide with some
ideas on which the notes maker should focus on from next time while taking reports. In this way
every step in notes taking signifies its importance.
Different methods to take notes
There are a number of different methods of notes taking. Cornell note taking method is a
method which uses a two column format. This method is highly focusing on reviewing and
organising note throughout rather than just recording the notes of lecture. This method of notes
taking comes with a number of advantages as it helps in keeping record of notes properly
organised (Siegel, 2020). It also helps in creating study sheets which are very efficient and can
be used later. However, this method of notes taking can be tiring as it requires that student is
closely following lecture and also they need to review notes from time to time which is not
always possible.

Another method for notes taking is visual mapping method which helps in presenting
information in form of graphs. It is beneficial for students whop are visually oriented as they can
easily organise information and it is also helping students to concentrate as well as make
connections between topics. On the other hand, this method is time taking and every information
cannot be necessarily arranged in graphical format (Siegel and et. al., 2020). It is also necessary
to organise this note after classes. However, using this process can save a lot of time while class
and a certain sequence could be effectively maintained.

Shorthand is a system of notes making which allows students to choose one of their own
system which can be used by students to develop notes. It allows them to use different symbols,
words and abbreviations according to their own understanding. It is beneficial for a student as
they can easily cope-up with fast moving lectures with the help of this method (George, 2017).
Also shorthand notes may differ for different people as they may use various abbreviations as per
their understanding. There is no fixed or standard set of abbreviations for this kind of notes
making. However, sometimes students find it difficult to understand their own writing or
symbols after the class.

Sentence method is also one of the method of notes-taking in which every new topic or
thought is noted down in form of a separate sentence. It is beneficial as the method helps to save
one from writing paragraphs and maximum information can be gained with the help of a
sentence itself. It contains huge information and also allows ideas to fit together (Harrison and et.
al., 2020). The drawback of using this method often includes various points which are often
missed during lectures. It is also seen that these note cannot be edited or reviewed later on if any
changes is required in notes due to which the major motive of notes making cannot be fulfilled.

CONCLUSION
Importance of notes taking skills is clearly justifies with the help of above essay. Every
individual is required to develop such skills so that they can gain benefits from this skills in the
coming future. Individuals are required to focus on lectures and make use of all three stages in
notes making (Hall, 2017). With proper knowledge and skills of different types of notes making
method an individual can use it to bring them benefits. It depends upon each individual which
method they are using as per their need and comfort.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Artz, B. ans et. al., 2020. Taking notes in the digital age: Evidence from classroom random
control trials. The Journal of Economic Education. 51(2). pp.103-115.
Chen, S., 2020. The process of note-taking in consecutive interpreting: A digital pen recording
approach. Interpreting.22(1). pp.117-139.
Freitag, M.A., 2020. Note-Taking Practices of Students in College Mathematics. International
Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. 6(1). pp.65-89.
Siegel, J., 2020. Effects of notetaking instruction on intermediate and advanced L2 English
learners: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes,
p.100868.
Siegel, J. and et. al., 2020. Measuring the importance of information in student notes: An initial
venture. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. 43. p.100811.
Harrison, J.R. And et. al., 2020. Comparison of accommodations and interventions for youth
with ADHD: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of School Psychology. 80. pp.15-36.
George, M., 2017. Shortbread and Sticky Notes: Taking a Personal Approach to Student
Experience at University of Worcester Library Services.
Dierickx, V., 2020. Notes Taking Sides: Social and Aesthetic Meanings of Music in the Novel.
Chen, P.H., Teo, T. and Zhou, M., 2017. Effects of guided notes on enhancing college students’
lecture note-taking quality and learning performance. Current Psychology, 36(4),
pp.719-732.
Hall, J.A., 2017. Taking megalomanias seriously: Rough notes. Thesis Eleven, 139(1), pp.30-45.