The 10 Benefits Students Get from Taking Notes
Taking notes has always been a part of learning. From school to university, notes help students navigate their learning journey with ease. Taking notes the right way helps students understand and recall their subject lessons better. Additionally, in combination with visuals, the benefits get a boost.
At school, students write down the notes dictated by their teachers or get hand-outs. But at home, do encourage your child to make notes. Every child is special and so requires to follow the note-taking style that suits them the best. Even with rapid advancement in technology, taking notes remains popular.
Laptops, Tabs, etc., help take notes, but handwritten notes have a special impact. This may be due to the less distractions unlike a laptop where there may be non-academic distractions.
Visual note-taking proves to be very helpful as per studies done. The Dual Coding Theory suggests the use of words and images to enhance the learner’s recall. Hence, it encourages deep thinking and creativity as visuals are processed and remembered better.
Note-taking helps your child with memory retention. It helps them focus on their classes minus the distractions. Also, they serve as revision notes and convert the noted points into knowledge that can be useful in the long term.
Guidelines for note-taking
- Be specific and crisp.
- Keep out information that’s not important.
- Use the appropriate indentation.
- Avoid any distractions while taking points.
- Keep the points short, especially headlines.
The basic format of note-taking
It should include the following –
- Headings
- Subheadings
- Sub-sub headings
- Points
- Keywords
Different types of note-taking
- Outline: Most popular type which saves students’ time. Also, it’s easy to edit and review.
- Prompt: It’s a question-answer format that avoids lengthy notes. So it allows for easy revision.
- Diagram: Visual communication method where free-hand drawings represent ideas that connect with the main topic.
- Split: Here, a blank page is split into columns. The first column has the standard notes, whereas the others have the summary.
- Mindmap: A method similar to a flowchart where text and images are part. Information is linked in a sequence.
Benefits of note-taking
- Attention to detail: Improving note-taking skills helps your child improve their attention to detail.
- Attention span: Note-taking has proven to be helpful in improving the attention spans of students.
- Active learning: Taking good notes involves your child in the learning purpose, thus leading to a better grasp of the concept.
- Organisation skills: Organising the note content helps your child develop core organisation strengths.
- Comprehension: It can enhance your child’s comprehension by breaking down content into smaller bits. Hence, it becomes easy to study and memorise.
- Memory retention: Note-taking is proven to help with memorisation.
- Content priority: It helps your child prioritise required information, which is important while discarding the remaining.
- Creativity: Your child can explore and enhance their creativity through effective organisation and knowledge retention.
- Revision: Notes help your child revise their subjects regularly without reading at length their textbooks.
- Note-taking helps your child avoid accidental plagiarism.
Therefore, note-taking is akin to an art that will benefit your child in the long run. Encourage them to utilise it effectively and see the difference. JGS, Kokapet is the leading international school in Hyderabad. It is backed by a trust that spans more than four decades.
