Students need to have an effective system for recording what happens in class as well as what they read when they do their homework. This section provides strategies for developing a notetaking system to use during class as well as when they read textbooks, articles and other course materials.

5.1 Beliefs and Challenges Students Might Have Related to Notetaking on Lectures

Many students never developed adequate notetaking skills for lecture. Either they don’t take notes at all, or they only write down terms and definitions, or what the instructor writes on the board. Here are general beliefs students might have about notetaking that prevent them from doing it all, or from doing it well:

• “I have a good memory” or “I’ll learn more if I just listen:” Many students overestimate the strength of their memory. They believe they will recall important concepts from lectures without having to write them down.
• Notes don’t help me: Many students take notes, but those notes are not very helpful since they miss important connections and concepts. When students study them, they aren’t very helpful, so students conclude they shouldn’t bother.
• I just need to write what the Instructor puts on the board: Students tend to write down only what the instructor puts on the board and miss the explanations, examples etc. the instructor gives orally.
• All I need is the PowerPoint or Handout: Another common belief that students have is that they don’t need to take notes if the instructor provides a power point or handout. The problem is that power points and handouts are almost always outlines of what the instructor covers in lecture. They are almost never detailed enough to provide a complete understanding.
• I have to write down what the professor is saying word for word: These students are the opposite of the ones who only write what is on the board. Since they are not sure what to take notes on, they try very hard to write down lectures word for word. This is impossible to do, so students give up. Students who try to write everything word for word tend to have a related belief: that they need to write in complete sentences or they will not understand their notes later.

5.2 Discussion Points on Notetaking on Lectures

Help students understand that they need a notetaking system for lectures and other in-class activities because the human brain is not wired to remember entire lectures without intentional review and processing.

Acknowledge that notetaking is hard and learning to do it well takes practice and time, just like learning to play the piano or being a successful athlete takes intentional practice.

Dispel the myth of “looking over” notes before a test. Students often forget about their notes until just before an exam. They benefit from being explicitly taught that they need to review notes as a daily part of studying and they need to process them– which is much more involved than simply glancing over them (see the resource “Process Your Notes.”)

Help students understand that good notes consist of four different types of information: (Note that the information below applies both to taking notes on reading and taking notes on a lecture.

• Structure notes: Structure notes are any note that helps the notetaker see when the notes where taken, what they were taken over (i.e. lecture, chapter and chapter section, article, etc.,). When students are taking notes over a textbook or reading, they should copy down chapter headings and subheadings and even page numbers so they know exactly what part of the chapter the notes came from.
• Terms, definitions, facts and dates: This type of information doesn’t need a great deal of explanation– students definitely should note significant dates, terms and facts. The problem many students have is that they often see learning as knowing dates. terms and facts and opposed to understanding the significance of those dates, terms and facts.
• Concepts: Student notes often leave out the “why?” and “how?” Their notes might contain facts, but not an explanation about why those facts are worth knowing. This is where many students need help– for example, it is a fact that Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria was assassinated on June 28, 1914. His death was a key event in the lead-up to World War I. The concept that is most worth knowing about the Archduke’s death is why and how did this assassination lead to World War I? What else was going on in the world that that event was a tipping point? However, many students will write the date and the fact, but not record anything about why that assassination at that time and place was so impactful.
• Relational: These notes are arrows, words, numbers, graphic organizers, etc. ANY note athat makes it clear how information in the notes relates to other information in the notes. For example, if the student is learning about the process of photosynthesis, there notes should make it clear that photosynthesis is a process, not just a collection of terms. The student could use numbers, (i.e. step 1) or words (i.e. “and then,” or “next.”), Arrows (i.e. draw an arrow from step one to step two) or a graphic organizer (i.e. a vertical or horizontal timeline).

Below is an example of a set of notes from an astronomy lecture. The first example just shows what students often write down when they read or listen to a lecture: terms and definitions. The second example shows how the notes change when structure, concept and relational notes are added.

Example 1:

5.3 Notetaking Resources

This section consists of the following Lecture Note Resources:

• Lecture Notes Template
• Process Your Notes
• Lectures/Videos/PowerPoints Notetaking Tool

Lecture Notes Template

Date:

Process Your Notes

Lectures/ Videos/ PowerPoint Notetaking Tool

Your instructor might record themselves giving a lecture, and/or they might use PowerPoints and Videos as learning tools. Some videos might be created by your instructor, but other videos might be created by others but be closely related to the concepts you are learning. Sometimes, it is difficult to know exactly how to take notes on a lecture, video or PowerPoint, and/or it can be difficult to know exactly why your instructor assigned them to you. This worksheet will help you take notes on recorded lectures, videos or PowerPoints.

Below are common “roles” lectures, PowerPoints and Videos play in a class. Read the possible roles and circle/ mark whichever roles seem most appropriate:

• Simplifies a complicated concept
• Provides information that is not in the book to give you a more complete understanding of a concept
• Provides examples of a concept students you are learning about so you can see the importance of the concept in “real life.”
• Other:

Here are some tips about taking notes on videos, lecture or PowerPoints:

• If possible, figure out exactly what you will have to do with the information you learn from the Lecture/Video/PwrPt. For example, will you need to take a test? Write a paper? Prepare for a discussion or presentation?
• Stop the recorded lecture/ video/PwrPt every seven to 10 minutes to catch up on notetaking, and determine if you understand the major ideas.
• Consider the question “How does the information in this video/PwrPt relate to or connect to the other information I am learning in this course?”
• Once you have watched the lecture/video/ PwrPoint, consider the question, “What am I supposed to get out of the video/PwrPt.?

Lectures/ Videos/ PowerPoint Organizational Tool

Now that you have thought about the purpose of the lecture/video/PwrPt, and you have some tips about taking notes, use the template below to organize your notes. Here’s how to fill it out:

• In the “Slide/Video” column, write down the title, etc. of the PowerPoint or video. If it helps, write down slide numbers so you know exactly what part of the PowerPoint lecture the comments refer to.
• Use the last column, “Major conclusions,” to write down major concepts, ideas and conclusions discussed in the video/PowerPoint.
• Next, complete the middle column. Where else in the course did your read or hear about the major concepts from the video? For example, if the video was about the Process of Communication, and you read about the Process of Communication in chapter 6 of your textbook, and it was the subject of the March 4 lecture, then, in the Course Component column, write “Chapter 6 and March 4 lecture.”

In the connections area, take notes about how what you learned in the video or PowerPoint was similar to or different from what you learned in the other course components. Did the video basically conclude the same things the chapter and the lecture did? Did your instructor make a point in lecture that was not in the book or in the Video/PowerPoint? Do your best to write down those differences and similarities in the “connections” area.

5.4 Ideas for Use: Notetaking on Lectures

If You Are a Tutor . . . 

• Have conversations with students about the challenges of taking good notes on lectures, written materials, video’s etc. Ask students to show you their notes and examine them for the four different types of notes: structure, terms, concepts and relational. (see example earlier in this chapter).
• Evaluate your students notes. Look for common flaws– definitions and terms copied from the board, facts, etc. Ask students to explain their notes to you to see if they are able to answer in terms of concepts– not just recitations of facts and definitions.
• Go over the “Process Your Notes” handout and ask students to select one or more strategies they think would improve their ability to process and use their notes.
• If your student tries to copy lectures word for word, explain this is impossible. Ask students to work on eliminating common words like “the” and “and” and replace them with symbols. Encourage students to think ahead of time about how they can abbreviate terms from their class so they don’t need to write as much. If your student claims they cannot abbreviate because they will forget what the abbreviation stands for, encourage them to make a glossary and keep it at the front of their notebook or binder.

If You Are Faculty . . .

• Explain to students that copying your lectures word for word is an impossible task, then ask students to work in small groups to come up with a series of abbreviations for terms or concepts from that unit. Encourage them to develop other kinds of abbreviations that relate to your class. For example, an arrow pointing down might mean “decrease,” or “deteriorate” while and arrow pointed up means “increase” or “improve.” NOTE: Students usually express concerns that they will forget their abbreviations. Suggest they keep track of these abbreviations on a page at the beginning of their notebook.
• Decide which processing space activities might work the best for your class and lecture in the following way: Lecture for 8 to 12 minutes, give students a 2-3 minute break to complete the processing space activity. If it fits with the goals of the class, ask students to share their notes with one another since they may give each other ideas about how to take better notes at the same time they deepen their understanding of concepts.
• With a couple minutes of class remaining, ask students to summarize the purpose of the lecture and write it at the top of their notes. Ask students to share their answers with each other and with you so you can see if you and the students are “on the same page” about the lecture’s purpose.
• Make sure to provide visual and verbal clues when you are moving from one point to another in your lecture and tell students they need to make those transitions clear in their notes. Give them suggestions about how they can make these transitions clear. For example, if you are lecturing over a four-step process, ecourage students to number the processes steps.
• If possible, help students determine purpose of a lecture by drawing a graphic organizer on the board to help students see how the lecture will “flow.” Begin lectures with a “You will learn statement.” For example, “By the time class ends today, I hope you will understand the process of . . . . .”