4 great note taking methods for students

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Notes and note taking play a major role irrespective of whether you are a student, a professional or a teacher.

My notes are often look like this : Lots of bullet points, random irrelevant doodles and maybe even some glitter.

In short: Not neat or effective.

Not to mention that it’s really hard to navigate through my stack of papers to look for the topic I need to currently study.

Which is why I’ve picked 4 note taking methods to help make your note taking system more efficient and neater.

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1.Structured notes

Structured notes as the name suggests basically gives you an outline.

It’s like the rules you have to follow when part of a basketball team  – giving you team more efficiency and coordination.

That’s basically what we are trying to do here.The format is easy enough to follow, but you should consider the mode of doing it.

You could choose to do it on pen and paper or on a note taking app.

A few are – Notion,Evernote,Microsoft One Note or Google Docs.

Here’s what it looks like.

2.Mind maps

I like mind maps for their simply usability.

Open up your notebook and BAM ! Your entire topic is covered in less than 2 pages

Perfect for me since I do a lot of last-minute revision.

So, when should you use a mind map ?

Mind maps are very helpful breaking down large concepts into smaller chunks. They help absorb all the information at one go.

When you have a vast topic to cover or an overly complicated definition – grab a few colour pens and draw a mind map.

3.Flashcards

4.Cornell Notes system

This is my absolute favourite because it helps me glance at all my information no matter how detailed in less than a few pages.Use this system when you need to study a book, a video or a research paper.

You can use the pdf template I’ve made and follow the steps below.

• Use the the topic line to label your notes for future reference.
• There are 2 main columns –Keywords and Notes
• Keywords column-This is where the main keywords,headings and ideas of your material needs to written or typed down.
• In the Notes column – jot down the points and notes corresponding the the keywords on the left.
• Remember to avoid long sentences.
• Use abbreviations ,diagrams and small bullet points.
• When you’re done use the summary box below to simply to concise all the information you have learnt into 1- 2 sentences.
• And you’re done!

Do leave me a comment below! I love hearing your thoughts.

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