Tips on Note Taking during Lesson

Many do not realize the key to Note Taking... 

There is No Right and Wrong of course.. But there is always an Easier Way or Method...

General Tips on Note Taking during Lesson

Stay Organized
It may seem obvious, but your class notes can only help you if you can find them. When you're taking notes be sure to:·    Keep all your notes for one SUBJECT in one place.
·    Date and number pages to keep them in order and make it easier to refer back to them.

During Class
Make the best use of your class time by having a note-taking method.
Start by using the main section of your notebook page to take down your notes during class. Be sure to leave space on the left side of the page and the bottom. Things to keep in mind:·    Get the speaker's main points. Don't write down every word you hear.
·    Leave blanks in your notes to add explanations later.
·    Organize as you write. Pay attention to cues such as repetition and emphasis.
·    Indicate main points and supporting points as you go.
·    Jot down key vocabulary, important facts, and formulas.
·    Ask questions. If you're confused, it's better to ask while the material is fresh in your mind.

Revising your NotesUnderline, highlight, and use symbols to sort through the information. If you don't understand something, get help from your teacher or classmates.After revising,  in the left-hand area of the page write down key words and questions your teacher might ask on a test. At the bottom of each page, write a summary of the notes on the page. This helps you digest what you've learned, and will improve your memory of the notes in the long term, for tests down the road.

For Review
Once you've done all of the above, you'll find you've created your own personalized Study Guide. Cover the main section of the page and use the key words and questions in the left margin as a quiz.

Stick to It
Review your notes the day you take them, and all your notes once a week, and you'll hardly need to study when tests come around. You've been doing the work all along.

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Method 1: >>>Cornell System<<<

The distinguishing feature of the Cornell system is the layout of the page on which you take your notes. The page layout includes large margins on the left and bottom of the page. A picture of this layout (not to scale), with dimensions, is shown below.  

Cue (Recall) Column

The space to the left of the vertical margin should be reserved for a cue (or recall) column. You should not write in this area during the lecture, while you are taking notes. The cue column is not created until you review your notes (which, ideally, you do as soon after the lecture as possible, and certainly before the next lecture). As you study the material in your notes, you should devise questions which the notes answer (think "Jeopardy"). These questions are the "cues" that should be written in the cue column. By writing questions, you are forced to think about the lecture material in a way that clarifies meaning, reveals relationships, establishes continuity, strengthens memory, and attempts to predict test and exam items.

The Summaries

The area below the horizontal margin near the bottom of the page should be reserved for a summary of the notes on that page. A summary is brief -- at most, only a few sentences. The page summary provides a concise review of the important material on the page. More importantly, in writing a summary, you are forced to view the material in a way that allows you to see how it all fits together, in a general sense. The summary should be written in your own words... helping you to own the information.

Note-Taking Area

The space to the right of the vertical margin is where you actually record your notes during the lecture. Pick a note-taking format with which you are comfortable -- there are no hard-and-fast rules for this aspect of the Cornell system. However, you should not attempt to transcribe verbatim every word spoken by the instructor. It is usually not difficult to separate the essential material from the non-essential. For instance, if information is written on the blackboard, it is probably important enough to include in your notes. To avoid missing information during the lecture, you should develop a system of abbreviations you understand, and you should write in telegraphic sentences (where you only include enough words to carry the essential meaning) or similar shorthand that is often used in cell phone text messages. As you take notes, realize that your emphasis should be on the key ideas, rather than the actual words used to convey those ideas.

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My version(sample)

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Method 1: >>>Mind map<<<

My Personal Favorite

This works well for me and is also for more Visual Learners... 

•  People who are very Visual learn better with images OR should i say they remember better with images. 
• So in this case Mind Mapping is a very useful tool as it will allow you to 
• Understand the Topic better
• See the topic from a Overall view, at a glance. Instead of the usual (part by part) method which makes it difficult for some to link the topics together in the end. 
• Remember better, as the whole mind map will be absorbed by your brain as 1 Whole Image... When you think of the Topic, the Image of the mind map will appear to you. 
• HOW?
• First look and the chapter and Write the Name of the Chapter in the middle of the paper. (you can add on details such as Pg no. etc)
• Next, look through so see how many Headers the Chapter has. Only the Headers NOT the sub-headers. 
• Now divide with arrows and add in those Headers. (Example from above diagram: Sleep/Stress/Exercise/Diet)
• Now for each header, see how many sub-headers it has. Then further divide it and add them in (if any). (Example from above diagram: Diet further divided to Fruits / Vege)
• Now the final part... Read the paragraph for each of the header/subheaders and then IN YOUR OWN WORDS, rephrase the paragraph and pen it down in point forms.
• You can choose to draw images instead of writing, both images and words. You can make your mind map as colorful as you want. 
• There are many online tools for mind map software that you can download AT HOME to create cool Mind Maps or even source for Nice Templates online and use them. 
• Free Downloadable Software, E-Draw
• Some sample templates

Happy Trying.... 

So Now you know how to do your Note Taking Faster, Quicker and the Right & Fun Way...