Practice Taking Notes Like a Pro (on an Academic Text and a Brainstorm)

Note-taking isn't just important for students while they are in school- it's an extremely valuable life skill. Whether someone is reading or listening, taking notes helps them concentrate, which in turn allows them to absorb more information. Note-taking isn't always a natural skill, though, and most students benefit from being explicitly taught how to take notes.

This class is next in the series of "Taking Notes Like a Pro." In the first class, students learned the three most prominent types of note-taking (outline, web, and Cornell method), coupled with three key note-taking tips. Once this class is completed, students will be ready for extra practice on implementing the tips into one of the specific note-taking formats. As a subsequent class in the series, this class is geared to give students more time to practice organizing their notes in a sensible way, touching on active listening in order to identify and take notes on key information that should be written down during note-taking.

Students will be presented with both an academic text and a simulated brainstorm, and will use the note-taking tips and methods to practice taking notes in a format of their choice (either outline, web, or Cornell method). We will have class discussions to talk about how our notes should be organized and formatted, as well as how to best implement the three different note-taking tips.

All in all, this class will be jam-packed with information in a highly interactive way, with the majority of the work happening in the here-and-now of the class session. By the time this class is over, students should be more comfortable with note-taking, as well as have an increased ability to successfully take notes of their own.