Note-taking is the act of writing down or generally recording key points of information. It is a significant piece of the research process. Notes taken during class lectures or discussions may fill in as a study tool, but taking notes does not mean jotting and scribbling down words leisurely. Note-taking abilities are an important device to have and utilize with regard to considering when studying. By using notes, studying for a test or quiz can be made a lot easier. Studying itself can be progressively fun and less pressure. Note-taking skills can enable an individual to comprehend the materials being learned. Some people adapt better when they write things down, and taking notes helps them to learn better compared to just reading the material. There are different methods of note-taking for example Cornell, Outline, Map, Chart, and Sentence. Whether taking notes from lectures or reading, note-taking can improve student learning. In other words, if we students want to learn effectively, it is better to have our hands busy taking notes during lectures. Note-taking helps my study because it helps me to remember, urges me to pay attention during a lesson, and eases me when reviewing the whole chapter.
Firstly, note-taking can help my study by remembering new material whether from a lecture, a presentation, or a book. Regardless of having an excellent memory, it is almost impossible for me to remember every significant detail my lecturer or the book trying to convey. By using mind mapping, it is much more likely for me to recall the information a week after the fact. Most students like me to spend countless hours trying to get facts into their heads, believing that is where all the remembering happens. Yet, our muscles truly have better memories compared to our heads. Note-taking using mind mapping is one action that involves motor memory through the high intake of kinesthetic data that is encoded while learning. The very act of this note-taking method helps me to recall the ideas that I wrote down. According to Longchamp, Boucard, Gilhodes, Anton, Roth, Nazarian & Velay (2008), the process of adapting kinesthetically is through the physical movement of a pen on paper; these movements are initiating locales and connections in the cerebrum that do not occur through typing. The muscle movement used to handwrite letters enact the sensorimotor locale of the cerebrum, which causes reinforcement of the learned data through motor memory. It is much more effective than simply listening or reading, in any event, when I am the most attentive individual during the lecture. Sometimes, I am convinced that I cannot concentrate on what I am reading or listening to when taking notes. Frequently, it is a direct result of my poor note-taking skills. I have the urge to take down every single word, unable to sort out what important details ought to have a place in my notes. Some other times, I thought I miss the continuity of what is being read or said when I am taking notes. But after experimenting with some mind mapping, I finally believe that I miss a lot more in the event that I listen to a whole lecture or read an entire chapter without taking notes.
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Secondly, I can pay more attention during lessons by taking notes using the outlining method. This method encourages me to focus on significant facts and ideas organized in a structured form and engage in active thinking, especially when learning about topics that include a lot of details. When my mind wanders, I tend to refocus by bringing my attention to what I hear in order to complete my note. We have all got a greater number of things at the forefront of our thoughts than the content we are reading or the lecture we are tuning in to. There is last night’s good or bad time, today’s lunch, the new exciting movie list, or the telephone call that should be made. If I do not actively keep unessential thoughts out, they will sneak in and distract me from noticing keywords and ideas. Sit inside any lecture hall for a couple of minutes and soon you will notice the tape recorder addicts. While I and many others are scribbling at an incredible rate, perhaps a mile a minute, these students seem to have it taped and sit back like they own the world, letting their recorders catch every word. Most students I have seen in lectures with turned-on tape recorders look glassy-eyed and far away. Many students with prepackaged note packets let their wanders when they are reading, figuring the notes will cover for them. I do not understand why most of the student tape lectures. I try my best to make my own outlining notes as someone else’s notes are based on someone’s else knowledge. If he is known to work with something, his note on that something will be sketchy and inferential, and if I count on them to understand that lesson, it would be a disaster. In the event I feel confused or lose interest, I will ask a question for clarification or leave a question mark in my notes. In this way, I can discuss the point later with another student. If students work together to revise and update their notes, they will record better notes than the individuals who amended their notes alone. It is indeed true that note-taking using outlining method forces me to pay attention and helps me focus in class.
Last but not least, note-taking eases me when reviewing the whole topic. By using the boxing method, I can spare my time reviewing the topic as all the notes that are related to each other are grouped together in a box. When studying, I can focus on a box at a time and I can see the contrast and relation between notes in a visual way. I start jotting notes simply, like many other students, would in two segments, dividing each part with headings. However, when I am finished with reading or after class, I start drawing the box. I spend a few minutes reviewing the note as soon as I have learned it. I look through the material again and add to any notes that I have already made. Inside the boxes are all interrelated content, and I can divide the boxes by topics or subtopics as I pleased. As a visual thinker, it is convenient to have notes on different topics separated. It helps me recall them easier at the right time. It allows me to compartmentalize ideas in an organized and effective manner. I think about and read my notes twice, once when taking notes and once more when putting them into the box. Fundamentally, learning can happen during both the generation and review of notes by enabling the student to make the connection between idea units and take part in the deep processing of course content. The benefit of this note-taking strategy is that it is additionally straightforward and visually appealing. According to Boye (2012), one of the tips for effective note-taking is to reorganize your notes by trying to summarize the information or making extra layouts, graphs, concepts, maps, and charts. Looking into your notes gives me the chance to concrete the information that I already know and helps me to remember the parts that have been more easily overlooked or forgotten. Now and again reviewing my notes enables me to link the weaker piece of information to the more grounded one through connections that might not have been so evident when taking notes. By using the boxing method of note-taking, I can review my study more effectively in a short time.
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