Challenge Yourself to Take Better Notes

Note taking skills are crucial to practice...

1. When Reading...
2. When Listening...

Clearly, each of these opportunities presents you with a different challenge. I believe the most problematic note taking skill to learn centers around taking notes while reading.

Using a yellow highlighter, I isolate text I find authoritative or confusing. When I return to the text later, I can focus on those areas of importance or confusion in a productive way with a different colored marker.

On my earliest read I tend to over-highlight because I am still uncertain of the most important ideas. During my next reads I use different colors of highlighters to narrow vital text even further.

I also make margin notes, especially if I am confused or if I want to connect the text to another.

Don't do this if you don't own the book. If I don't own the book I use alternatives like post-it notes and post-it arrows that point to the text I would otherwise highlight. During the original read the post-it notes remain affixed to the text. I take the post-it notes from the text during my next read, placing them in a notebook. I reserve the margins for the post-it notes while I write summaries in the note taking section of the notebook.

I never, ever copy the text word for word. Handwritten notes from my second read help me follow the argument and summarize the author's chief points.

One last point, take notice of the fact that I strongly suggest that you return to any text you are reading to dig deeper into the text rather than rely on a single or first read. Not returning to get the most out of it you can is leaving understanding standing in the wings.

Writing notes accomplishes two important goals. First, notes capture the essence of what is read or what is said. As you write your notes, your brain is organizing thoughts and ideas; you are making an impression while beginning to integrate and organize those thoughts into a meaningful pattern. This alone, is a powerful reason to motivate you to take the best notes possible.

There is, however, a second, and perhaps more important, reason to take meaningful notes. Your notes serve as a platform for reviewing what you read or what was said in a lecture without having to rely on an otherwise faulty memory. In this sense, I like to think of notes as a first draft of significant ideas that I can use to review, categorize, question and otherwise refine.

David Longstreet is an educator with over 30 years as both a classroom teacher in middle school and a teacher of teachers as a college professor. He wants to share his mini-course, Study Smarter...Not Harder, with you absolutely FREE. Just ask to get the course and it is yours with no obligation. On his website, Study Smarter Secrets, you'll find even more information packed articles like Guidelines for Effective Homework. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Longstreet