Learn five effective note-taking strategies to boost learning and memory retention. Photo: Shutterstock Studying is like ramming a stack of books into your brain. Therefore, it is necessary to figure out a way to analyse what you’ve learned and refresh your memory regularly. Note-taking is one of the most productive ways to do this. After all, you only need a pen and a piece of paper. How can we take notes more methodically? Here are five valuable tips to help you out!
Outlining method
Write your points in an organised pattern based on space indentation. First, place bullet points to the left and write your main ideas. Beneath them, leave a small gap, add another bullet point, and then elaborate on your main ideas. Write one sentence at most for each point to keep your notes concise.
Pros: It helps you review your points quickly during revision without needing to read a whole paragraph.
Cornell Method
Professor Walter Pauk of Cornell University coined this term in the 1950s; it is one of the most popular note-taking methods. Divide your paper into four sections: one small block on the top of the page for the title of your notes, two columns (one of them much bigger than the other), and a block at the bottom of the page. All the notes you take in class will go in the bigger column. After class, review your notes and write down any keywords or questions in the smaller column. Summarise the material in the block on the bottom.
Pros: This method allows you to easily review and revise what you learned and strengthens your memory.
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Charting method
As the name suggests, this is done by splitting a document into columns and rows filled with summaries of your notes. It is beneficial for subjects with a lot of data or numbers to remember, such as mathematics, biology, and chemistry.
Pros: It can help you analyse complicated data.
Mind map
Create a central idea on the paper. Then, add branches to your main idea. You can also add more branches to the subsidiary ideas and so on. However, make sure to be distinct for each point to keep things clear.
Pros: Drawing a mind map is a productive way to help people learn new concepts. It also makes it easier to retain simple information, as it helps keep things organised.
Graphics (Visual note-taking)
There are several types of graphics that you can draw in your notes, including symbols, shapes and pictures. Symbols are widely used in mathematics to represent specific notations and can be drawn freehand. Shapes are used for showing simple objects. Pictures can show clear structures of an object.
Pros: Visual note-taking improves recall and helps focus during revision.