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Maybe a controversial opinion here, but; I think note taking is seriously overrated. Sure some disciplines have things you need to know by heart, and having yo
by tokai 6y ago
Maybe a controversial opinion here, but;
I think note taking is seriously overrated. Sure some disciplines have things you need to know by heart, and having your own notes can help with that. But I rather use my brain power and attention to interpret and integrate what I hear during a lecture. Then use the literature if I need to refresh anything. For some people I feel that learning have been exchanged with note taking.
- joecool1029 6y agoHave to agree. I spent a lot of classes struggling to keep up because my handwriting was too slow and poor. Like others said, I discovered fountain pens helped but it was not a cure for the problem. Felt like anytime there were hard demands to have good notes, I spent most of my effort on taking notes rather than actually doing anything that benefitted me like comprehending what was being taught. Situation improved in college when I was finally able to record and use a laptop but I still found maths to require a friend to utilize as a notetaker for lecture.
- projektfu 6y agoI agree. I used to fall asleep in classes taking notes. I ditched the notebook and started intensely focusing on the lecturer and trying to listen actively. Attention improved and comprehension skyrocketed. As long as what was covered was also found in printed material like a book, I was much better off. It's n=1, but I didn't see any studies cited in the article either, just expert opinion and suggestions like the unweildly "Cornell method", which I have tried to use without success and never seen anyone else use. It probably comes down to a lot of cognitive variation among people. In my experience, reviewing notes that I took during lecture has about zero productivity. They don't mean anything afterward, they just reflect a few bits and pieces that made it through eyes/ears, brain, and hand. I'd be better off with a stenographer's transcript or, you know, a book chapter I had read before hand.
- paulpauper 6y agoIf you IQ is high enough, note taking is often not necessary unless the material is very detailed or complicated. working memory and long-term memory both positively correlated with IQ. In the high school i went to, the smartest kids in my class were able to get good grades on tests without taking notes.
- megameter 6y agoI think the idea of taking notes itself comes from the idea that the information is hard to acquire in any form. And occasionally a teacher does deviate from the text and say something important that will only appear in notes, but this usually isn't the case. What I have started doing recently for my own journaling is to voice record instead of writing. This puts the emphasis on the thought organization instead of the spatio-tactile-visuals of forming symbols. I record a few lines and then pause to think. The recall of it is slow, but it's mostly info I am studying in the moment, and its verbalization makes me focus on getting it correct the first time instead of write and edit, write and edit.
- asdff 6y agoWhen I write notes these days it's only if whatever word was uttered isn't already on the slides or in some text, or of there is something I need to look up later. Too many times I hear some fact, or a date, or a deadline, and go "gee that's simple and clear, I'll remember that!" then I step out of the room and it's gone forever.
- larrywright 6y agoI’m the exact opposite. I often use note taking as a way to stay engaged and attentive to what I’m listening to. My mind wanders too easily otherwise.
- perrygeo 6y agoAgreed, trying to take notes that are actually valuable long term is a distraction for me. I take very sparse notes by hand, just the critical stuff: mostly names, dates, and anything I need to follow up on. Diagrams and doodles make up the rest. It usually takes two days to fill up a notebook page. I'll review that page when it's full and make sure everything is either done, filed away, or on my calendar. Then toss the page in the recycling bin. If detailed notes are valuable enough to keep long term, take minimal notes but record it. Later read any related written materials, then document it after you've understood it.
- bananamerica 6y agoYeah. Listening to the lecture is usually hard enough. Notes will only split my attention.