Notes for success

Why do we need notes?

Notes are useful throughout daily life. We use them in a variety of different ways e.g. shopping lists, telephone numbers, “to do” lists etc. Notes are a simple and useful way to do the following:

• to organise our thoughts,
• to condense information,
• to make sense of what we learn,
• for revision purposes.

Note taking is an important study skill, as it helps you to convert the facts and information you want to learn into your own words, therefore making it easier to remember.

What different methods are there for taking notes?

There are many different ways to take notes. What works best for you, will depend upon what information you are working with and the techniques suited to the way you learn best.

Here are some examples of different ways to take notes:

Lists

Also used as bullet points. Useful for jotting down information you may need in the short term

Flowcharts

Helpful for understanding complicated processes. Also a good way to test your knowledge on something by trying to write out all the different stages.

Flashcards

Allows you to test yourself, by writing a question or reminder on the front and then putting the answer on the back.

How do we take notes?

The three stages involved in note taking are very important:

• Reduce information into smaller, more manageable sized pieces.
• Copy the information into a way that makes it easier to understand, learn or remember, using your own words.
• Put the information into an order which is suitable for what you are trying to learn.

When you are taking notes, think about the following:

• Only choose the most important parts to take notes – it’s about quality, not quantity.
• Make sure you organise your notes into an order which makes it easier for you to learn and remember.
• Try putting things into your own words as much as possible. You will find it much easier to understand if you are learning something you have written yourself.