Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER
As midterms are upon us and finals seem to be lurking closer and closer, it is important to sharpen our study skills, and an effective way to do so is by improving note taking.
Throughout grade school, we are expected to learn how to go to classes and learn the best ways to absorb the material. In reality, many college students get to college and realize they do not know the most effective way for them to understand their studies.
In a study published by professors Kenneth Kiewra and Junrong Lu of the University of Nebraska and Tiphaine Colliot of Rennes 2 University, they discuss the importance of note taking in a student’s success in their study titled, “Note This: How to Improve Student Note Taking.”
In a study titled, “Note This: How to Improve Student Note Taking,” professors Kenneth Kiewra and Junrong Lu of the University of Nebraska and Tiphaine Colliot of Rennes 2 University discuss the importance of this skill in a student’s success.
“Students are incomplete note takers who routinely record just one-third of a lesson’s important information in their notes,” Kiewara, Colliot and Lu write in the study. “This is unfortunate, because the number of lesson points recorded in notes is positively correlated with student achievement. Moreover, both the activity of recording notes and the subsequent review of notes are advantages.”
The study also discussed that one of the more important aspects of studying is not found in the notes that you take but rather in the reviewing of those notes.
“Recording a complete set of notes is not the ultimate goal,” Kiewara, Colliot and Lu write in the study. “As mentioned earlier, the primary value of note taking lies in reviewing recorded notes. Unfortunately, students often review their notes in shallow and ineffective ways–studying one idea at a time in a piecemeal fashion and employing redundant strategies such as re-copying and rehearsing notes.”
While in classes, it can be beneficial to recognize how you receive and retain information. Pay attention to the things that help spark your recollection and shape your note taking from there. No matter what, there are endless ways to improve your studies, but it is up to you to do so.
