Draw two lines from the top of the lined section of the page to the bottom with a ruler, diving the page into three sections. You may want to use a marker or different colored ink when drawing your dividing lines in order to help them stand out.
Course Title Topic Page number (if there is a coinciding page in your text book)
Notes in the left hand column should be short and provide a title of sorts for information you’ll be writing in other columns. You may want to record formulas in the left column that coincide with ones you use when writing problems in the middle column.
Mark math problems you are unsure of with a question mark, then ask your teacher or a friend with help with them during or after class. Make sure to align your work with the appropriate title or main points in the left hand column.
The right hand column can be used to write down anything you feel you need to remember. Try to keep the information in each column aligned with the corresponding material in the other columns.
Draw one horizontal line across your page five lines from the bottom. Draw one horizontal line across the top line of the page. Draw a vertical line connecting the two about two inches from the left margin.
Algebra 1 – 6/4/2016 - Two-variable Linear Equations Geometry – 8/1/2015 – Transversals Calculus – 10/10/2014 – Chain Rule
Keep your notes brief and simple. Only write as much as you need to in order to remember the main points. All of your note taking in class will be within that large box on the page.
Try to list the main points in the left column alongside where the notes relating to them are in the box on the right. If you need to, draw lines connecting the main points to the notes relating to them.
Writing a summary of the information on each page will help you to recall the content in the future. You can read the summaries to help you find specific topics in your notes, or as a study aid.
The left hand box might say things like, “Linear Equations,” as well as an example such as “ax+b=0. ” The right hand box would contain all of the notes you took in class, including any equations you solved. The summary box at the bottom may say something along the lines of, “ax+b=0 is considered the standard form, and not all equations will start as such. The variable could be X, but may be indicated as a different letter. ”
Some professors may ask for you to hold your questions until after the lecture. Make sure to write them down to help you recall what you wanted to ask when the time comes. If you aren’t comfortable speaking in front of the class, try approaching your teacher after class to clarify things you are unsure of.
If there was assigned reading prior to the class, make note of anything covered in the lecture that differs from how it was presented in the book. Your teacher likely wants you to follow the methodology taught in class. Things teachers write out on the board are usually important and should be considered when note taking. Make sure to record new topics, formulas needed to solve equations, and anything the teacher suggests is important. [16] X Expert Source Daron CamAcademic Tutor Expert Interview. 29 May 2020.
Studies have shown that after a week, you can usually only recall 35% of what you learned in class. Retention and recall can drop as low as 21% after two weeks. Reviewing your notes or going over them with a friend can refresh your memory and help to ensure you retain more of the course material.
Laptops can help you to organize your notes and even type them faster in some cases. Make sure you don’t allow yourself to get distracted by using other applications on your laptop during the lecture. You may want to ensure the laptop you use to take notes in math class has a keypad to record numbers faster.
If your teacher or professor does not address the use of recording devices ahead of time, you may want to ask them before recording them. Digital recorders often allow you to transfer recordings to a computer to better control which portions you want to listen to.
Although you may know how to complete a problem in class, you might have trouble remembering how to in the future. Writing out all of your work will help you to recall each step in the future.
Use a highlighter to highlight important things as you take notes or after class when reviewing them. Try different colored pens for titles or to add emphasis to sections. Use markers or colored pencils to make colorful divisions between topics or sections.
Try leaving out unimportant words. An example could be, instead of writing “Pythagoras made influential contributions to mathematics,” try simply writing, “Pythagoras was influential. ” Use abbreviations and punctuation to reduce your writing. Your notes only need to make sense to you, so feel free to use + (plus) signs instead of the word “and,” km instead of kilometers, or any other abbreviations you can easily understand.
