Some salient guidance concerning developing good note-taking skills from the literature include placing a date and the name of the class on the top of every page to make sorting class notes out later on easier. Likewise, many students with good typing skills will likely benefit from typing their notes after school, when the information is still fresh in their minds. Students can also learn how to improve their note-taking skills by reviewing the notes taken by students with known note-taking skills. For instance, according to Willis (2007), "Sharing notes is a valuable way for all students to hone their note-taking skills and gain metacognitive awareness of which content is crucial and which is not. Teachers can ask students who have clearly written notebook entries to share them verbally or post them on a bulletin board for the benefit of students who don't have adequate notes" (p. 157).
Some other guidance concerning effective note-taking skills from Snider and Schnurer (2006) include the following:
1. Never give up. If you miss something, get the next argument. Once you stop flowing in a classroom exchange, you are opting out of meaningful participation in it.
2. Try to write down everything you can. Pour your entire attention and energy into this task.
3. Ask to see the notes of your teachers and fellow students. Learn from them.
4. Try to incorporate new techniques to increase your note-taking skills.
Finally, there is no universal, one-size-fits-all approach to taking good notes. As Snider and Schnurer point out, "Many students have developed...
106).
Conclusion
The research showed that the need for effective note-taking skills is well documented, but there remains some disagreement concerning the relative importance of these skills in a changing classroom environment and how they should be used to promote improved academic outcomes. Because education consumers invest a great deal of time and money in the enterprise, good note-taking skills represent a cost-effective strategy that can be used to help improve academic outcomes as well as the critical thinking skills that are needed as part of a larger skill set in the 21st century. By placing the date and name of the class on each page, writing down as much as possible during class and amplifying this on-the-spot information with supplemental information based on fresh recollections of classroom exchanges and lecture presentations, students can fine-tune their note-taking strategies according to their individual preferences which may be "quirky" but are valuable nevertheless.
References
Snider, a. & Schnurer, M. (2006). Many sides: Debate across the curriculum. New York
International Debate Education Association.
Ware, M.E. & Millard, R.J. (1997). Handbook on student development: Advising, career development, and field placement. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Willis, J. (2007). Brain-friendly strategies for the inclusion classroom: Insights from a neurologist and classroom teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
