Note-taking for higher education

Introduction
Note-taking at university can be a very important skill for the majority of students. The NOTE template can be used for taking notes in lectures, seminars, tutorials, etc., as well as notes taken from books, audio and/or video. Conventional A4 lined paper, or a digital/electronic device such as a laptop, netbook, tablet, etc. can be used, depending on the student’s preferred method of note-taking. Notes should be in summary form and long sentences avoided. Students should only write on one side of the page if using paper and pen –as this makes revising and reviewing easier. Use conventional abbreviations, notations and symbols wherever possible. http://www.gre.ac.uk/study/support/needs/disabled/aap/note-taking

There are a number of different ways to take notes. So, you need to find a method you feel most at ease with.
However, there are four general ideas that could help you to improve your note taking skill:
● Use white space to separate major ideas.
● Try to limit your notes to one concept or section per page.
● Use abbreviations and/or symbols where possible to avoid long sentences.
● Write down the information in your own words.

Method:
1) The cornell method

2) The outlining method 3) Mind mapping

4) The sentence method http://owll.massey.ac.nz/study-skills/note-taking-methods.php

Why important?
1) help to extend your attention span(Taking notes helps keep you focussed on your subject area and to the task at hand)

2)help to remember what you have heard or read ( by writing down notes, you are paraphrasing the lecture or reading material into your own words and into a format that you are more likely to understand when you review the notes. )

3)help to organise the ideas you are learning about. (This is important if you’re using your notes to review for an examination or for as a starting point in an assignment ) http://education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/note_taking.PDF Tips for taking notes from readings
1. Survey – flip through the chapter or book and note the layout, first and last chapters or paragraphs, look at the headings used, familiarise yourself with the reading.
2. Question – Ask questions about the way the reading is structured and think about the questions you will need to keep in mind while reading. Think about whether or not you think the book is relevant or if it’s current and if it suits the purpose of your study.
3. Read – read actively but quickly, looking for the main points of the reading – don’t take any notes – you might want to read through twice quickly.
4. Recall – Write down the main points of the reading and any really important facts, and opinions that help support the main points. Also record the bibliographic details.
5. Review – repeat the first three steps over and make sure you haven’t missed anything. At this point you might like to finalise your notes and reread your notes or write down how the material you’ve just covered relates to your question or task http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/graduate-skills/preview/reading-notes/note-taking/note-taking.pd Conclusion
Note taking is very important for student when they are face to face to the lecturer, it is sometimes difficult to memorize the lecturer to tell what is important and what is not. So, taking a note by any methods can help you to understand and remember what you heard and learning before. In my view, an effective note taking can reduce your study time and increase our retention of knowledge. I strongly agree student should be take note during the class.