What is the best way to take book and class notes?
My primary advice is that, no matter how hard it may seem, you just keep taking notes during lectures and reading. By urging yourself to practice note-taking at all times, your skills will develop naturally and will become habit. I am not formally a student anymore, but often when I sit down to read or watch something educational on TV, I have the urge to grab my notebook and start jotting down the information that interests me. You should start by bringing a notebook to every class. Practice following the lecture closely (usually the most difficult part of taking notes). A good first step is to jot down any definitions that the instructor gives. Also practice trying to summarize the main idea of the lecture and jot that down at the top of the page. Don’t just copy down whatever the instuctor writes on the board or the overhead projector – this is not really note-taking – although if you find that’s all you do for a while, be satisfied that at least you’re writing. Feel free to use a l
