Taking notes at lectures and summarising course texts may be a good way to remember things more easily. Thera are a number of methods you can try out, if you wish to maximise the effect of note-taking.

Note-taking pairs

To copy what is written on the black board is not always the optimal way of note-taking. It is taxing for the brain to concentrate on the text and what the teacher is saying, at the same time. There is the risk of missing part of the reasoning going on, if you are too focused on what the teacher just said.

Instead, you could make an agreement with a fellow class mate to swop methods; this means one of you take notes while the other one listens carefully. Afterwards you go through the notes together, and compare it to what the other person has registered from listening during the lecture. It is vital not to wait too long, in order to keep your recollections fresh. One advantage with this method, is that you get a chance to discuss and process the lecture content, which enhances your chances of understanding and remembering.

Use your equipment in a smart manner

Use a large notepad, preferably a size A4. One pad for each course, to keep avoid getting mixed up. Experiment with lined note-pads, chequered notepads, and blank pages. Save some empty space on each page, for supplement notes and later editing. Another method is to enter your notes on the right-hand side of the page, and save the left-hand side for summaries.

Include dates for all your notes. It will make it so much easier to compare notes with course -mates.

Be creative

Use colours, draw arrows and figures. The more work for the brain, the better!

Don’t forget to edit

The more you work on your notes, the greater the chance that you will remember what you set out to learn. Try to rewrite, edit, clarify and summarise your notes, as soon as you can, after writing them down. That way they will be easier to use, when you want to revise before an exam. On top of that, you create a new learning opportunity while processing your notes. Feel free to make your own illustrations, and, why not try mind-maps?

In this video (4.02) you will find fast examples of three different kinds of mind-maps:

Question mind maps, where you form questions addressed to your material, and then write down the correct answers.
Imagery mind maps, based on images linked to specific pieces of information.
Recall mind maps, a tool for rehearsing while studying – a good way of processing your notes.

If you enjoy taking notes and organising them on your computer, or phone, or pad, there are lots of digital tools to choose from. Basically, you can always find instructions on Youtube on how to use them.

OneNote is a versatile and flexible tool for note-taking. As an SLU student, you can download and install Microsoft Office 365 for free, where OneNote is included. More information to be found below:

Software for students

In the video below (4:30) you will get an overview of some smart functions provided by OneNote, which might prove helpful.

App tips

There are a number of useful note-taking apps. You will find them on the app page below.

Reading and note-taking – apps