Why take notes?

Many students either do not understand or underestimate the importance of taking good notes. For some, not taking notes is interpreted as a sign of intellectual mastery and intelligence – it isn’t.

Good note-taking can lead to more efficient learning and study, better course outcomes, and, most significantly, better recall and retention of course material.

Good note-taking also assists in ‘semantic processing’ of information which strengthens the internal connections between ideas and enables you to recall and make sense of them later.

However good your memory is (or you think it is), the ‘cognitive burden’ of an average lecture is too great for almost anyone to to accurately retain and recall all the information at a later date!

Good notes facilitate an active approach to your learning and promote effective revision and preparation for assignments.

Very basic changes in your note-taking habits can remove much of the stress of revising, particularly if you get into the habit of regularly reviewing your notes as part of your note-taking strategy.