Taking Notes in the Classroom - Organizing Notes

There are a variety of different methods that an individual might use to study a particular subject, but one of the most useful study methods is note taking. However, it is important for an individual to make sure that he or she takes notes effectively so the information included in the individual's notes is as complete and accurate as possible. In order for an individual to take effective notes, it is essential for the individual to make sure that he or she takes notes in an orderly and organized fashion, which can usually be done by using several simple organization techniques.

First, as the individual is taking notes, the individual should setup his or her notes as an outline with a main heading and possibly subheadings that allow the individual to quickly identify the topics that have been covered. The main heading should simply be the date, class, and the topic that is being covered. The individual may also use subheadings, if he or she has time, which splits the main topic into subtopics. For example, if an individual is taking notes in a world history class about the German invasion of Poland during World War II, the individual should write a main heading that includes today's date, world history, which is the name of the class, and World War II as the main topic. The German invasion of Poland could then be a subtopic and the individual could break that subtopic down even further separating events by the year in which they took place. If the professor expands on a topic covered earlier in class that the individual has already taken notes on, the individual should try to write any new notes that he or she takes about that topic in the same area as the notes that the individual originally took. This will be extremely useful when the individual goes back to study the material because all of the material related to a specific topic will be in the same place. If the individual's notes about a particular topic are spread out through his or her notebook, the individual will most likely miss important details about that specific topic when he or she is studying. It is important to note, however, that there will be situations in which the individual does not have enough time to organize his or her notes during class, but the individual can always go back and reorganize his or her notes after the class is over.