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The benefits of taking notes in class Notes help you stay focused and attentive .
The Benefits of Class Notes
Notes create a kind of journal of what your teacher wants you to know and do. Notes make a reliable, personalized study guide for any subject.
1. Notes improve focus. 2. Notes provide a journal of directions. 3. Notes make a good study guide. 4. Writing improves retention. 5. Notes activate schema.
The act of writing something down improves your ability to remember it, especially for visual and kinesthetic learners. Notes can be used to activate your schema .
8 simple rules for navigating notes:
Rule #1: Note-taking is a skill developed over time. Taking notes in class is a struggle for many students. They can’t decide what to write down, or they write too much or too little. Some students can’t decipher their handwriting later, and many don’t know how to use their notes to study. Be patient and keep at it. Even the world’s best note-taker was once a note-taking noob. You can become a good note-taker. It’s not that hard. Rule #2: Note-taking skills begin with active listening skills. When you get to class, have a pen or pencil in hand. Open your notebook or binder to the note section. Use your active listening skills. Focus. Make a conscious decision to listen. Make eye contact, make connections, and control your own distracting behaviors and attitudes. Listen for two different, but equally important kinds of information: What your teacher wants you to do and what your teacher wants you to know . PRODUCT PREVIEW Rule #3: Always include To Do Information in your notes. To Do information is direction about what a teacher wants students to do, and how, when and where they are supposed to do it. (Think reminders about due dates, deadlines, and directions.) Sometimes students don’t listen carefully to “to do” information because there’s no test on it. But if you’ve ever been marked down on an assignment because you handed it in late or failed to follow your teacher’s instructions, you know that “to do” information is as important as content . To do information usually comes at the beginning or end of a class. Your teacher may verbally tell you the information, or write it on the board. It includes: • changes or additions to homework assignments • due date reminders • permission slip or field trip information • assignment turn-in directions
THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY SKILLS 131
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