Hi there. In this education post, I would like to cover the topic of note taking for students. Contents of this post can apply to adults. The motivation behind this post is based on my work. A teacher colleague had mentioned that there are times when students struggle to learn or master topics because their notes are not clear or easy to understand.
Sections
- Class Notes Not Available Online
- Organized Notes & Neat Handwriting
- Teacher Notes/Lessons Can Be Messy
- Missed Classes
Class Notes Not Available Online
There are teachers and educators who purposely not have their lecture notes online. They would write their lecture notes on the chalkboard/whiteboard and have the students copy them into their notebooks. The only way to have access to course materials would be to attend class and take notes.
Some teachers could provide .pdf documents of course materials with fill in the blank sections. The notes from class would be in the fill in the blank sections.
Neat Handwriting & Organized Notes
Having neat handwriting is beneficial for the writer and for readers. Neat handwriting is one part of good communication as there is a transfer of information from paper/text/online and between people. Students and people in general have to watch their spelling, grammar and avoid typos. As one example there is a difference between an angle versus and angel. Another example would be the classic there as in over there, their as in their toys and they're which is the contraction form as they are.
When it comes to notes from more technical courses such as science, economics, mathematics and so on, neat notes help a lot when it comes to reviewing notes. Some of the notes do contain pictures & diagrams with colours. It helps a lot to have the notes organized and easy on the eyes.
Teacher Notes/Lessons Can Be Messy
Different teachers have their own ways of writing letters, sentences and organizing their notes. Teachers who have messy or unclear writing makes it really difficult for students to have clear and understandable notes. There are instances where time is wasted for teachers and students on correcting typos, figuring out what a certain letter is and so on.
Missed Classes
Missed classes do happen for students. Reasons for missed classes can vary. It could be something like a student on vacation, the student could be at a sports competition or the student could be feeling ill. It is definitely hard for a student to catch up when there are missed classes. Another thing that makes it difficult is obtaining class notes. Class notes may not be available online, notes from classmates could be inaccurate or hard to read. The student who has missed classes may need to refer to related course notes from the internet or hire a private tutor to clarify concepts.
