Often the problem with note-taking has very little to do with what happens in class. When students (or teachers) fail to prepare outside of class, note-taking leads to boredom and frustration.
The Need for Note-Taking Tips
Don't just assume students have mastered note-taking skills. They haven't. That's why you get to teach them note-taking tips.
Note-taking Tips: Help Students Prepare
Share these note-taking tips with your students and watch their note-taking skills improve.
- Complete outside assignments: Instructors assume that students complete assignments, and they construct their lectures accordingly. The more familiar students are with a subject, the easier it will be to understand in class.
- Bring the right materials: A good pen does not automatically make a student a great note taker, but the lack of one can be distracting. Instruct students to bring a pen, pencil, and textbook to class.
- Evaluate goals: a student who arrives consistently unprepared for class sends a strong message concerning his or her intention. Help students formulate an achievement plan and explain how taking good notes will help them achieve the plan.
- Conduct a short preclass review: Students who arrive early, review their notes, skim the reading selection, and review assigned problems or exercises put their brains in gear and create a link between past knowledge and present knowledge.
- Clarify your intentions: Have students write a short intention statement on what they plan to get out of the class. Have them write down specific ways to get more out of the class. If note-taking has been a weakness for them in the past, have them set some goals for improvement.
What Students Can Do During Class
The following note-taking skills serve as a foundation for life long learning.
- Notice the environment: Help students understand they are in a classroom, not a locker room or the gymnasium or their bedroom. Learning takes place in a classroom. Hopefully your classroom decor is conducive to that environment.
- Postpone debate: Instruct students to postpone debate until after the note-taking is finished. Simply making a note and discussing it at a more appropriate time is sufficient.
- Ignore personal feelings: Often students harbor ill feelings toward the teacher for any number of reasons. Tell students not to let these personal differences rob them of an education.
- Listen for key words: Instruct students about your particular lecturing style. Give them key words. Write things on the board. Do jumping jacks.
- Watch the board: Tell students if you write something down then it's important.
Teaching Students How to Take Notes
It's an important skill that teachers falsely assume students can do, but there's more to taking notes than rattling off a few facts and hoping students learn it. Note-taking is a process that requires outside preparation, in class listening skills, and systematic review for teachers and students.