What challenges, if any, do you face in taking notes whether in school or at work?

None really. I think the important thing is deciphering what is important information worth noting, and what is not.

WHat is this "note" you speek of? LOL jkjk

My biggest challenge when writing notes is to remember the note itself... lol

I have two major challenges in note taking...first, I can't decide what I should write down, what is the "main idea" and what is the little bits that can be left out. Second, when I do get notes down on the paper...even a few hours after writing them...I often have no idea what they mean! I try to take notes in a way that will mean something to me, but then I forget what the hell I was thinking while taking the notes...it's like trying to decipher someone else's shorthand notes for a class I didn't even go to!

I think it is all related to my inability to properly "hear" and comprehend what I am supposed to be taking notes on...and even when I try really hard to focus, by the time my brain processes some info I have missed the next bit.

I don't take notes.... unless something is extremely important (like an important detail such as a date or so on). I miss more just by trying to take notes in the first place. Yes... I often have to ask others later on, but it wouldn't be any different as if I had actually attempted.

I take notes during lectures or meetings-but rarely read them or understand what I wrote. I think the exercise sometimes helps me retain information, but only sometimes. There are two types of note-taking that work for me and am working on adapting and using them in my HS classroom.

A LECTURE NOTE-TAKING METHOD THAT WORKED FOR ME
My Research Methods professor had us purchase a syllabus/note-taking/test review book he compiled-bound at the copy place, was the best and most helpful note-taking tool I used in grad school. He printed all the powerpoint slides used during his lectures, 3 to a page. The slides were on the left side and lines for notes next to each slide were on the right side. Easy to do, you just select the print layout in ppt and it prepares these pages automatically. I still have this book! It was easy to review and understand lecture notes-I could put them in context and relate them to the corresponding chapter in our textbook.

NOTES FROM READINGS, THE METHOD THAT WORKS FOR ME
Taking notes, actually mind/concept maps-while reading articles or texts is the only way I comprehend and retain the information I need or want. I use lots of markers and pen colors. It is fun-a factor that increases long-term memory and retention of the material. I am a visual learner and actually "photographically picture" the maps I create when recalling the material! John Dewey is hard to understand-the mind maps I created were the only way I was able to grasp his theory of Experience and Education-or even stay awake while reading his book!

ME-VI

Taking notes isn't a problem . . . .finding the notes I took is some thing completely different.

Going back and reviewing the notes seems to be my issue. Although I am learning that my mind works better when the information is in a "flow chart" kind of picture. Oh and lots of colours also works!

One problem for me is deciding what notes to take.
A bigger problem than that is remembering what I've done with them ;)

Michiko74 - I agree with the flow-chart type thing - its easier to understand that a full block of text.

My problem with taking notes is missing whats being said while I'm writing. If the prof moves on to another idea mid-note I usually get lefts with two incomplete thoughts. Aside from this, sometimes I just doodle.

I try to seperate what is more important using indents and small cap writing. I usually end up with a lot of arrows and stuff writing in the margins!

Like High Functioning I don't take notes per say. Here and there I make a note of important information that I want to review and expand on later on my own. I really just try to focus on the lecture as much as I can.

notes:

I've gotten really good at writing them.

the main thing is to write big, leave spaces, and make titles stand out


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losing notes:

in univesrity, I found that the SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS with PERFORATED PAGES 3 HOLE PUNCHED saved my *****.
I had one for each class, or one that I took all my notes in, and then put them in binders at home.

I colour coded binders and notebooks

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not format FOR ALLLLLL NOTES

______________________________________________
| PSYC 101 |
| 1/4 10/12/07 |
| |
| TITLE: THE BRAIN |
| ************** |


explanation:

TOP LEFT is what page it is out of the total number of notes
TOP RIGHT is the COURSE CODE (psyc=psychology 101)
underneath course code is the date
****specific format for date: MM/DD/YY

rason: it's how you say it to others, ANDDDDD when you do computer files, it puts the notes in chronological order if you name the file by date.
(if you put date first, then month, then year = all your notes on the 10th of whatever month would be together)

I've used this system since high school and it works.

you can flip through notes quickly by looking at the upper right corner

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LEARN SHORT FORM
make up your own

have a key at the top if you don't usually use that word in shortform

my symbols:

@L = at least
> more than
< less than
T with a circle around it = Time
b/c because
w/ with
w/o without

K with line under it = knowledge

for words ending in "tion", I put just the 'n' in small writing up top

'l for words ending in "ial" sound...
eg. essential = essnt'l
internat(nl) ---brackets in small font up high

names of ppl: first initial with circle around it (I put a decoder key at the top of the page or in the margins)

! with circle around it: IMPORTANT! PAY ATTENTION!

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colours:

definitions: red, then definition is in black
important people: names in green, and then key words underlined in green

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I end up writing down everything, b/c I got fast at it

and in college, although I had accommodations to photocopy other students' notes, they ended up wanting mine b/c they were so complete and easy to read.

use arrows, bubbles, mind mapping format etc.

hierarchy graphics

look up graphic organizers, or note taking on google and you should be able to find some good stuff

I write down what the teacher writes down...then make side notes I have no idea what I meant.

And with a lot of teachers their notes don't make sense either without them talking.

Gr I hate notes...they should die.

How do I take notes for art history?
Every thing the instructor talks abut are slides.
I have already started to make picture flash cards. with the infromation on the back.

How do I take notes in class.
The instructor is talking so fast and adds information that is not necessary it is hard to pick out and add to my notes.

I have a quiz on Tuesday of next week.

I have been lucky this semester in that all the lecturers have used Powerpoint slides that we have been able to download from the uni website and have basically gone through them in the lecture. We have been told in 2 of my units that "if it is not on the slides, it's not in the exam" so I am using these slides as the basis of my revision for my exams (the week after next on Mon/Tues/Wed/Fri) and filling in extra stuff from my textbooks. A tip I got given at night school last year - the more colours you use for the revision notes, the easier it is to remember the stuff in the exam. From my experience, it works a treat! Hope this helps! Good luck Frapster and everyone else who has exams now

if you have accommodations b/c of having ADHD, then see if you're entitled to having a copy of the slides (even black and white photocopies of the images) with the prof's notes copied out.

If not, then go to the prof outside of class time and get the names of the artwork and the artist so you can look them up on the internet.

OR
ask the prof for a good website/publication that has those artworks on/in it.

if you're not sure what the important information is, I found the reviewing the syllabus helps - sometimes the profs include the objectives of the course.

often the profs will let the students know what formate the quiz will be in:
multiple choice? (I call it "multiple guess")
matching?
fill in the blank?
short answer?
essay?

-will you be required to name the art piece from a slide?
-will you required to list the distinguishing characteristics of a particular piece/artist?

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activities for studying:

Cue cards with names, dates, style/theme/whatever - all on separate cards
mix them all up, and then sort them out

the picture cards you mentioned sound like a great start :)

good luck!

PS: for figuring out what the important info is... listen for the "indicator words"
-the point is
-or anything the prof keeps coming back to
there are other key words... but I'm blanking on them. You can find them on study skills websites though

I have a test on Wednesday.

My study buddy, Britany and I are making flash cards with the picture of the art work on the front and the name of the art work/ the artist, scluptor , time period ( new kingdom )
on the back , also the yr, the medium it was created from like limestone.

the professor has suggested to make a time line for the Eygptian art and time periods of the Early Dynastic, to late ... I did that and put the pictures by the name of art work too. I showed it to him and asked if I had it completed. He said " This is beautiful." Tha made me feel good.

I tend not to take notes - because I find that when I do, I'm not actually getting what I need from the professor. In other words, I'm hearing him, but because I'm busy writing down notes, I'm not able to actually LISTEN to him.

More often than not, I'll just read the text book quite throughly or go to small study groups where I am able to better concentrate than I am in a lecture hall with hundreds of other students...

I am the same way. I take notes and dont get all of what the professor is saying. I know I cant take notes for all of my classes from the book.

how do i take notes for my classes when I already tape the classes, ( hardley have time to listen to them)

take notes in class, they are terrible.

my trick is moving to a new field. I'm in engineering and almost all my classes were taped and I could watch the classes online. Some profs are so old/slow that I would drift away into...uh...lala land? and notice I had totally missed the lecture.

so instead of attending class, I watched the videos at 2x the speed and paused to take notes..

on classes I cant do this I have a friend let me copy his/her notes instead...someone I trust to be there and take accurate notes.

my notes were so impecable after just writting them that most people copied my notes, but I found that I was really good at taking notes, but awful and understanding what was actually going on.

before videos I recorded the audio to listen later with an iPod.

I read Slowpoke's reply before starting Summer session and the spiral notebook is a lifesaver. I work better with the smaller than normal notebooks, I think turning the page more often keeps my mind more stimulated. In highschool I was a C student and since I've been on wellbutrin and taking notes + studying they've risen to B's.

i dunno what to write down in note taking so i had teachers copy it for me

but when i had to read a book in class every page they made me take notes on a posted note about what i just read

Yes I do have problems, that's why I started recording every class this semester and I already feel a lot better for doing it.