How to Use Notes to Get the Maximum Out of It?
According to a study conducted by Stanford psychology scholars, “Applying a strategic approach to studying helped college students improve their exam scores by an average of one-third of a letter grade.” A student can easily improve her exam scores by focusing on two important factors while attending a class — paying attention to lectures and take notes.
A student can take lecture notes in a variety of formats. Likewise, she has the option to use a number of note-taking methods or techniques. But it is also important for the student to take advantage of the lecture notes fully. She must learn how to improve exam performance by using the lecture notes optimally.
7 Ways Students Can Leverage Lecture Notes to Improve Their Academic Performance
1. Understand a Subject/Topic Clearly
While explaining a topic or concept, teachers often use information collected from diverse sources. Also, they make the subject exploratory using graphs, diagrams, formulas and/or derivations. While taking notes, students capture the information required to understand a topic or subject clearly and elaborately. They can further refer to the lecture notes to clarify doubts after attending the class.
2. Remember Important Information and Ideas
A number of studies suggest that students often forget the information not found in lecture notes. When a student takes notes while attending a class, it becomes easier for her to capture important information and ideas. She can refer to the lecture notes in the future to remember and recall important information or ideas easily. Many students use lecture notes as a robust tool to remember information before the exam.
3. Collect Missing Information
Each student can capture a variety of information while taking notes during a class. But there are always chances that a student might not capture the ideas and information fully. A student can easily assess the accuracy of the notes and fill in the missing information by comparing the lecture notes with classmates. The comparison further makes it easier for the student to understand the topic or subject elaborately.
4. Summarise the Lectures
The students attend various lectures during an academic session. They often find it challenging to identifying and differentiating the lectures from each other. While reviewing and revising the lecture notes, the students can write and include a brief summary. The brief summaries will help them to find and read the relevant notes. They will further help students to differentiate the notes based on a number of aspects — concepts, key points, problems, and examples.
5. Supplement the Textbook Materials
While preparing notes, teachers refer to multiple books or sources. Each author describes the topic or subject in a specific way. The lecture notes help students to understand a topic elaborately without reading multiple books. The students can further acquire in-depth knowledge of the subjects by checking the lecture notes against textbook materials.
6. Recite the Lecture Notes Multiple Times
A number of studies suggest that recitation is one of the most effective ways to study and learn. A student can easily understand and remember the information effectively by reciting the information captured in lecture notes. A student can easily improve her exam performance by reciting the notes strategically. She can recite the information at regular intervals to remember most of the information before the scheduled exam.
7. Prepare Properly for the Exam
While preparing for an exam, students explore ways to review study materials without putting extra time and effort. A student cannot review the textbook material quickly without using lecture notes. She can refer to the lecture notes while preparing for the exam to identify and read the most relevant parts of the textbook. The lecture notes further help the student to answer questions by recalling the important information in the exam hall.
In addition to paying attention to lectures, the students need to take notes regularly and efficiently. They can further explore ways to access high-quality notes prepared and shared by experienced teachers. LectureNotes.In — an innovative website — helps students to access and compare notes prepared by various teachers according to their precise requirements.
References
https://www.wikihow.com/Study-Lecture-Notes
https://www.chegg.com/study-101/ways-take-notes-lectures/
https://blog.cengage.com/tips-students-use-class-time-effectively/
https://sites.austincc.edu/student-skills-workshops/taking-effective-notes/benefits-of-notetaking/
https://www.studyread.com/advantages-notes-takingclass-seminars/
https://sites.austincc.edu/student-skills-workshops/taking-effective-notes/notetaking-strategies/
https://www.niagara.edu/assets/listpage/How-to-Study-College-Lecture-Notes.pdf
https://news.stanford.edu/2017/05/08/studying-strategically-equals-improved-exam-scores/
https://www.usu.edu/asc/assistance/pdf/effective_note_taking.pdf
