Notebook Maintenance to Improve Memory
The development of good comfortable note taking skills is of utmost importance as any student of any age begins to address the challenge of conceptually difficult material. The necessity will come to each student at different times, but if we are to be lifetime learners the time will eventually come to all of us. When we learn something that takes time to digest, note taking preserves important information.

Frustration can make note taking detrimental to good learning. So, it will be important to develop a cadence that allows effective delivery of material and the proper recording of the material through note taking and notebook maintenance.

Studies show that even the sharp mind of a teenager forgets vital information within 17 minutes of hearing it. Writing it down improves retention, but in the end writing something that is never read again doesn't serve the process of understanding and is a general waste of time. Understanding is what we're after, as it reflects higher brain function and serves to put the goods into the brain and into a place where it can be recalled later in life. That's what a real education is about.

Memory is something that can be described biologically and there's little that is supernatural about it. If you're interested you can click here to read "way too much" on the subject. It will suffice to say that if you store information in as many places in your brain as possible, you have a better chance of recalling the information over time. So if you here it, see it, write it and speak about it, that leads to storage in multiple parts of the brain. Hanging basic concepts all over the place in there is what we're all about here.

Setting up your Notebook

Setting up your notebook properly, means setting it up early. The ultimate goal is to get a classroom tool that is useful and that means you need to be able to find the information you want easily. So here's a sep-by-step process for setting up a handy-dandy notebook.

A) First, you need a binder. As classroom culture and a limited storage capability prevail, we need some uniformity. So, what you'll need is a 3-Ring, D-Ring, Clearview, 1" Binder. The picture to the right shows a suitable binder choice, while the picture below that details a the binder's "D-Ring". Scientific laboratories generally use stiched notebooks to protect theintegrety of the work being detailed. We use a binder because itgives us better flexibility in the learning process.

B) Good organization of your book starts in maintaining a good table of contents. A table of contents gives you a handy way to find information without flipping through the entire book. So we'll need to get in the habit of numbering each note page and entering the first of a series of notes into our table. We'll be using both sides of these pages, each side should be numbered clearly.

C) We'll be using a Cornell Note Taking System in class. This requires a specific type of paper (Note Paper, Graph Paper) and a specific technique.

Basic Note Taking Technique

The first mistake made by most is though the adoption of the idea that every word must be written in a good set of notes. This leads to frustration, wishing that curricula would slow down and in the end the will to perservere fades and often we give up. Why not? Frustration doesn't help the learning process and actually can slow it down. Frustration does have its place in he classroom, but not when you're joggling the needs of listening, observing and writing all at once, note taking can seem like an unnecessary burden.

So, here are ten simple ideas regarding good note taking.

1) Learn the

2) Be ready to begin class at the beginning of class, relax and clear your head (that also means unplug yourself).

3) Make sure you have a system for dialogue, vocabulary and graphic representation.

4) Be ready to begin class at the beginning of class, relax and clear your head.

5) Don't assume that you can or should take everything down. Think in terms of a summary of events.

6) Leave space between ideas (a line or 2) so that you can add more later.

7) If your instructor writes or draws something on the board,...record it into your notes.

8) If a slide is emphasized, make sure you get the important parts into your notes.

9) If your instructor repeats a phrase or concept, then it should be in your notes (emphasized).

10) Remember, if it is presented it is fair game on any assessment devise (quiz, question, ...)

Above all,...Be ready to begin class at the beginning of class, relax and clear your head.

The title "student" is an honorable title, but it also reflects upon a verb.
That verb is learn. It's something you do and can learn to do.