Making notes during classes is an important step for you to ace your exams. If your class notes are messy and unorganized you might not have much use for them. You need to have a structured way to write your notes during classes. One of the main reasons for you to make revision notes during classes is that it will help you during your exams. Revision notes are the best way for you to revise all the important topics right before your exams. Write notes during your classes will help you retain the topics that were taught. If you haven’t made notes before, you can start now. Here are a few tips on revision note-taking during classes.
- Organize your notes of different subjects
Having different notebooks for different subjects ensures that your notes are all organized. However, some of you may prefer to write your notes in one book. And that’s okay as long as you have different sections in the book for each chapter. Keep your notes for each subject in one place so it will be easier for you to learn important concepts right before the exam. You should ensure that you make notes regularly for all the chapters. If you don’t, then your notes will be all over the place and you’ll get really confused. Especially during the time you have to study for the test, you need to have your revision notes organized properly.
- Keep your notes structured
The best way to write notes is to keep your book structured. This way, you will not get confused while studying the chapter. Instead of writing notes all over a page, you can divide your page into different sections and write down notes accordingly. For example, you can divide the page into three different sections where you can write all the key terms during class, as well as the sentences that you think are important. Once you go back home, you can write a summary on the third section of the page.
- Use simple language
One of the best ways to understand your notes is to write in a language that you will understand. You should write your notes in an easy-going language. Therefore, you will be able to understand them when the time comes for you to study for your test.
- Write down key terms
While your teacher is trying to explain to you the chapters, write down all the terms you think are important. If your teacher explains the concepts to you by writing them on the board, then that is a bonus for you. You can just note down the concepts that she writes. For example, if your history teacher mentions the date of a Civil War Battle, make sure to add the date in your notebook. Similarly, if your English teacher gives you examples of Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony you must add them in your notebook as well.
Adding notes to your notebook while your teacher is teaching can be difficult. But do not give up, and keep trying to make notes. Some teachers may not share dates and facts, instead, they would write the key terms on the board. Depending on the teacher’s style you will be able to figure out what key terms you can write down.
- Don’t overdo
Sometimes you might get really excited at taking notes. But you should keep in mind that you should not overdo it. If you try to write down every word your teacher says in the class, it will start becoming chaotic. It will start to shift your focus towards making notes, increasing your understanding of the chapter and the subject. Although, some of you can learn better by only listening in class. In this case, you can write down the important keywords and then go through what you wrote after class gets over.
- Ask Questions
In case you miss anything in class, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher any related questions. You should be able to ask her to repeat herself in case you did not understand the particular chapter. There are chances that even your classmates may have the same doubt as you. Therefore, if you ask these questions they will also be relieved to know the answers. However, if you don’t want to ask your questions to your teacher in front of the whole class, you can ask her if you can meet her after class and then talk to her. Asking a question to your teachers is much better than wondering if all the notes that you got are right as you try to study them.
- Make notes even while doing your assignments
You should always keep your class notes in hand whenever you do your reading assignments. You can compare what notes you wrote down to what the reading assignments say. Anything you find important in the readings, you can add it to your notes as you read.
- Compare your notes
Your notes might be completely different, or similar to that of your classmate’s notes. It will always be helpful for you if you go over your notes with a friend. Both of you can compare what you have written down in the notes and see if anything is missing or if something is wrong in the notes. Comparing your notes with your friend can help you reinforce what you have learned. These notes can help you remember information right before writing a test. These come very handily for revision notes.
- Copy your notes
While writing notes in class you might have scribbled down your notes in a hurry. This will make it difficult for you to read them when it comes to preparing for a test. Hence, you should always look over your notes as soon as you get back home. Once you do, you will be able to figure out what your notes are and you can recopy them in case you don’t understand them. Copying your notes in a new notebook will also help you remember and learn everything that you wrote down in class.