Note-taking is one of JumpStart study skills in our 22 Essential Study Skills. It is a fundamental skill for any student and forms the foundation for future competencies in work-related tasks, like minute-writing.
In a workshop conducted some time ago, a student was keen to learn more about note-taking. When I looked at the notes she took for the first half of the workshop, I observed that she wrote her notes diligently on the handouts, covering much of the empty spaces.
An immediate concern I had was her response to the notes after the session – How did she feel about it? Was she able to ‘decipher’ her own notes?
After a line of questioning, she confirmed my gut feeling that she would find it difficult to refer back to the notes as it was not crafted in a structured layout and was too cluttered for her.
I had a simple and ready solution for her. I gave her Post-Its and a stack of blank cue cards. At the end of the workshop, we referred to her notes again and it appeared neater. She exclaimed that now it became easier for her to organise her notes even after writing them down.
There are many ways and approaches to note-taking. Personally, I use a variety of methods and materials. From using dedicated notebooks to using cards and Post-Its.
In our work with students, we make a distinction between Note-Crafting and Note-Taking. We found that imparting to students the 5-step technique for Note-Crafting helps them develop their Note-Taking skills.
You can see some examples of Note-Taking done by our students here on our Facebook page.
What is the difference between Note-Crafting and Note-Taking?
We see Note-Taking (NT) as the Input skill that students need to document their learning as they engage their learning material or listen to a lesson in class.
Note-Crafting, on the other hand, is a deliberate effort to organise and structure the note they have taken while reading or listening. As students need to organise and structure the information, Note-Crafting becomes more of a Process than an Input study skill.
Note-Crafting is also the closing technique for the JumpStart set of the 22 Essential Study Skills. After a student completed the Note-Crafting for a topic or chapter, they will move on to the StudySMART set.