Notes, Notes, and More Notes
By Mimi Rothschild
During home school you should adopt the habit of taking good notes. When listening and when reading, notes help imprint information in the mind. Keep main points bulleted for easy and meaningful review. People develop unique systems of note taking, for the tendency is to do what ‘feels best’ or most natural, whether in home school or any other environment. However, just because a certain note taking system feels right does not mean it should not be reflected upon or assessed from time to time. So much of what a home schooled student brings to home school and so much of what a home schooler takes away is a refining of study methods. Stop and consider whether or not your note taking takes a consistent form, if they are clear, if important points and your own thoughts are included, and whether or not you take advantage of abbreviations.
When listening to a lesson or lecture for home school or reading other key material, it pays to get into the habit of taking constant notes. That means not only every time, but with the same logical format. A good home school habit is to pace your note taking. A proficient home school note-taker will write down only about 15-20% of words spoken in a lecture. With brevity, abbreviations, and writing information in your own words, it is possible to retain all the vital information in such few words. In addition to these considerations, home school students should avoid habits of illegible writing or overly correct spelling and grammar. Remember, notes are reference tools. So while the spelling alarm can be turned off, they must still be readable to be of any use.
One crucial note taking skill a home school student will need to develop is that of selective note taking. That is, detecting the main points in a lecture, i.e. the material worth writing down. Some lecturers have unique and obvious cues, while other lecturers will be subtle. Nowadays, major points are often bulletined ahead of time on a computerized slideshow. Yet, not all main points or sub-points will be bulletined, so it still pays to learn these cues while in home school. If a lecturer pauses before/after an idea, repeats a particular point, prefaces a particular idea with introductory phrases, or writes an idea on the board (or has it in a slideshow), chances are it is a key point.
In addition to content, form must be considered. Again, there is no one right form for note taking. It must record and organize the necessary information for review in a manner that makes sense in, out of, or after home school. Outlining, patterning, lists, margin notes, and highlighting are all forms of note taking. Examples of these are easily available online. Certain formats or lecture styles will be more conducive to certain types or combinations of these note taking methods. Using these guidelines, it is up to the home schooled student while in home school to develop their own method of taking notes.
 E-Mail to a Friend
|