Taking Notes in the Classroom - Identifying Important Information

Note taking is one of the most common and most useful methods that an individual might use to study for a particular exam, interview, or other similar purpose. However, it is important for an individual to make sure that his or her notes are as complete and accurate as possible. In order for an individual to make sure that his or her notes are as complete as possible, the individual must be able to identify the key concepts and main ideas that are being explained in a lecture or discussion. Regardless of the specific subject that an individual is studying, it can sometimes be difficult to identify the key concepts and main ideas of a particular lecture. As a result, an individual that is having difficulty identifying the key concepts for a particular class may want to keep certain techniques for identifying important information in mind.

First, the individual should look for signals in the professor's lecture that indicate that he or she is about to say something important. These signals may include key words such as "best," "most effective," "most important," "largest," and virtually any other word or phrase that suggests that the professor is about to explain something that stands out. In fact, the word "most" is often an indicator that the professor is about to say something important as it suggests that something is "greater than anything else." Signals may also include statements that make it clear that the individual should know this particular information such as "remember that," "you should know," "you should realize," "you should note," and usually any other statement that informs the individual that he or she should remember, understand, know, or note a particular fact. Secondly, the individual should take notes on anything that the professor writes on the board, any information that the professor lists, and anything that the professor states more slowly or repeats several times. Information that the professor takes the time to write on the board or that the professor takes the time to say it slowly or repeat it is almost always important and the individual should make sure to take notes on the material that the professor writes or says in these cases. If the professor lists a series of reasons, causes, or other pieces of information about a particular topic, each item in the list is almost always important as well.