Having difficulty taking notes

To elaborate on that is for Philosophy classwork more often then not I have to take notes from the textbooks which I struggle with note taking and end up copying it and then nothing goes in memory since it not in my words and my writing style is very formal when I usually do essays. Can you recommend a technique for note taking, it would be appreciated.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

Simes

Have you tried mind-mapping?

Reply 2

KAUSARMARIAM

Original post by Simes

Have you tried mind-mapping?

Mind-mapping just doesn't cut it for me, which I have tried however it didn't work out for my AS and now what do I d for my A2 I am absorbing information and formulas but for Philosophy I don't feel as if I am top notch with my note taking skills.

Reply 3

Simes

Can you spare 35 minutes to learn about a selection of techniques? If you can put aside that time, this link might help.

One thing I have learned is that, after practice, I can make most systems work for me with varying degrees of success. However, some work better in some situations than others.

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When I am exploring a new subject for myself, I find mind mapping is useful for recording the connections I am making and leads I am following as I go from one Google result / Wikipedia page to another.

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Contrary to what some people say, I do find it useful to highlight key phrases and concepts in my text books as it speeds up revision before an exam. I only need to read the highlighted terms, if I can recall what they mean, I can go to the next. If not I read the paragraph or page before moving on.

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I also put Post-It flags on the pages that have information I know I will have to refer to later in my essays. This is also a note-taking technique, the notes are in the form of references.

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When weighing up an argument, building up two columns of bullet points work well for listing pros and cons.

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For an essay plan I build up a text document of sentences or phrases in blocks.

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When being lectured, writing down phrases that get emphasised, the jargon terms and any words the lecturer says are significant, is useful. It does provide a quick way of referring back to that lecture's contents, even if you have completely forgotten it. Just Google all the phrases, jargon and key words and you'll create your own lecture.

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When being given advice on how to tackle a project, bullet points work well as they form a checklist.

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When being introduced to a new subject, taking notes in an indented style works well for me in giving me structure:

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C101 Chemistry - what we will cover this year

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Inorganic

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Metals

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earth elements

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noble gases

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Organic

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carbon

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life

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industry

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power

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refining

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Doodling. Sometimes a silly picture is great when a lecture is being given in a narrative form.

There is no right way. There are lots of ways; practise a few and see what works and when. And sometimes using more than one method at the same time is the right thing to do, especially when reading in advance of constructing an essay.

Reply 4

mindbursts

I agree, there is no right way, just the way that works best for you, at that time and depending on the circumstances and especially depending on how you will be assessed. It is different to prepare for a written examination, as it is to write an essay that will be assessed and graded ... or for a viva voce. Key to this is that you make time, focus and put in the effort, thinking it through, writing it down ... and sharing your emerging ideas with fellow students and/or your tutor, even with likeminds in a forum online.

Reply 5

FreshGarbage

Original post by KAUSARMARIAM

The best thing to do is write your notes so they can easily transferred to an essay.

Start with the problem, understand it then write what the problem is and any key definitions etc

The support arguments. Why is this a good thing or bad thing. Any evidence to help this problem

Criticism. Put a header on each one and explain.

Summarise all you have written

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