A sketch note on note making skillLalit Kishore, Jaipur, India

Key points

Note making consists of simultaneously listening to the teacher or while reading a book as well writing down the key points and sub-points can be cultivated with practice and support.

At the senior school level and onwards, it is important to cultivate this in order to become a really studious and effective learner.

Listen or read carefully and actively to pick up on the key words and phrases to get into notes.

Well prepared class notes and read-along notes are useful when it comes to revision, remembering quickly and for assignment writing.

Generally in one-hour lecture there are five or six key points and a dozen or more sub-points relating to them.

To begin with, capture the key points, sub-headings and explain them in your own words later by leaving a blank space beneath the point.

Develop abbreviations for the keywords with brackets and later use them in abbreviated form. Be consistent with the use of abbreviations and symbols in your notes.

Don’t try and cram too much writing on a single page, or make your writing so small that it’s illegible. Use as much paper as you need to express all the ideas from the lecture in a clear and readable form.

Draw visuals, diagrams, charts, and graphics or mind maps to make quick sense of your ideas.

Leave a margin on left hand side of the page as 1/3 of its width to add certain things later.

Reread your notes and review them. Rewrite neatly and slightly beautify notes. This improves understanding and memory.

Re-reading your notes again before the next session brings the process full circle and serves to reinforce your learning and understanding of the subject.