Jason Ke, G9, RDF International School

Note-taking is an important and useful skill. Learning can be easier and more efficient in high school and college if you are good at taking notes. By doing so, you can concentrate better on your study during classes. It also helps you gain a clearer and more systematic understanding of the knowledge and better memorize what you’ve learned. During your study, your notebook is a useful tool. Here are some tips on how to take notes.

First, keep your notes short. People take notes to summarize a long, dreary paragraph into short, simple explanations that are easy to understand. Listen to what your teacher says, and drop down notes from a textbook or what your teacher says or writes on the blackboard; this is always the most important way to learn in a class.

If your speed of note-taking can’t keep up with your teacher, using abbreviations can be convenient, as long as you can remember what they mean.

After all, these are your notes, not something you have to present to others.

Second, keep your notes organized. Never take notes of two different subjects in one notebook. Prepare different notebooks for all your subjects, and take notes for one subject in the same notebook.

And of course, it doesn’t really matter if you take notes in a paper notebook or on a computer. The key point is to keep your notes tidy, just as you do with your Nintendo game cards and your clothes in your wardrobe. Last but not least, you can take notes using different colored pens. I suggest using different colors to mark out the most important or error-prone content.

Let’s start taking notes in class now. Note-taking is a good habit that brings a lot of benefits.

The first few times you may find it challenging as you have to put in extra effort in class, but as time passes, you will begin to see the advantages of taking notes. The earlier you start, the sooner the notes will help you become a better student.