Effective Note Taking Tips for High School Students

May 19 2020

The secret of transformative learning lies in effective note-taking skills. Well established note-taking tips for high school students can lead to success, not only in the classroom but in the workplace as well.

This article will describe how the time-honored marketing strategy, called the “Rule of 7,” also holds true for learning then discuss four, specific strategies high school students can employ to enhance their note-taking skills:

Outlines
The Cornell Method
Mind Mapping
The Flow Method

Applying the Rule of 7: Note-Taking for High School Students

For years, savvy business people have applied the “Marketing Rule of 7”, which claims that a prospective customer needs to interact with an advertiser’s message at least seven times before taking action. Although the strategy originated in the movie industry in the 1930s, the maxim holds true for any type of learning.

While many students know how to cram for tests, they may fail to internalize the material. Thus, they can recognize information on a quiz or test, but they cannot pull the facts spontaneously, which means that they cannot detect or build meaningful connections between topics.

The objective of learning, then, is to move information from short-term memory to long-term memory, enabling the student to personalize the lesson.

For students to “own” a lesson and integrate the concepts into their thinking, the students must learn to engage with material multiple times. When it comes to note-taking principles, the key is active, recurrent familiarity.

As students encounter new information, they should strive to interact with it in various ways, bearing in mind the “rule of 7”:

Seeing: Read the textbook carefully.
Hearing: Listen attentively to the teacher.
Writing: Take notes in class.
Speaking: Explain the concept to a peer.
Creating: Draw representational pictures that coincide with class notes.
Shading: Highlight or color-code class notes, categorizing the data.
Visualizing: Recall what the notes look like, where they appear on the page, what color ink the student used.

By involving the senses and intentionally thinking about the lesson in several ways, the student embeds the information in the brain.

Coincidentally, the following note-taking tips for high school students frequently coincide with the “Rule of 7,” allowing students to convert ordinary lessons into cooperative learning experiences.

Effective Note-Taking Tips for High School Students

Researchers suggest that teenagers can improve study habits with a few, albeit significant, changes, including the following:

While many students use technology to take notes, handwriting can trigger a cognitive response, whether the student uses paper and pen or a tablet and stylus.
- Handwriting one’s notes slows the process pace so that students have time to “digest” the ideas.
- Some of the note-taking tips that follow rely, at least in part, on handwritten notes or drawings; a combination of technology and handwritten notes can prepare students for ever-changing learning environments.
Creating scannable headings and subheads can lead to sensible organization.
- By including vocabulary, definitions, and examples, students create a memorable depiction of a concept.
- Rather than trying to capture the facts word for word, students should summarize the material, capturing the essence of the lesson.
- By paraphrasing the information, students check for understanding and reinforce comprehension.

Although there are numerous ways to take notes in class, these note-taking tips for high school students can build memory and enhance academic performance.

Four Proven Methods for Effective Note Taking

1. Outlines

One of the best note-taking tips for high school students involves outlines. While they are not innovative or particularly creative, outlines are among the most reliable methods for consolidating, arranging, and classifying information, making it easier for students to recall crucial concepts and link to attending support.

Since outlines organize information in a hierarchical fashion, students can identify key concepts and take advantage of logical connections, thus building a solid argument in the process.

For instance, traditional outlines incorporate Roman numerals, letters, and Arabic numbers, as follows:

When opting for this traditional outline format, it can be helpful to remember to group points, details, examples, or commentaries in pairs. Of course, some topics call for more than two details or examples, but a sense of consistency helps students recall the specifics readily.

By contrast, modern outlines utilize a bulleted format, which often varies widely, depending on the topic:

Main point
- Sub point
  - Detail or Example
  - Detail or Example
    - Commentary
    - Commentary
    - Commentary

Either way, students should summarize key points under the main headings and include thorough descriptions in the sub-points.

If a student plans to revise the outline, it can be expedient to transfer the notes to a computer, especially since it is easier to adapt or rearrange notes with a keyboard.

While outlines can evolve into practical, comprehensive notes, students must learn to discern between essential information and extraneous minutiae. Frequently, students try to transcribe everything the instructor says, overlooking significant facts.

Nevertheless, outlines are at the top of our note-taking tips for high-school students.

At Marlborough, courses, such as Honors Humanities Seminar: Theories & Politics of Race or Contemporary Asian Studies, lend themselves to note taking that relies on outlines.

2. The Cornell Method

The Cornell Method is not a note-taking technique as much as it is a means of organizing and reviewing data.

By dividing a piece of paper into three, distinct regions, the student designs a valuable study guide. First, the student draws a Cue Column on the left. Then, the student draws a wider Note-Taking Column on the right; at the bottom of the page, the student reserves a section for the Summary.

During a lecture or discussion, the student records crucial talking points in the Note-Taking Column.
Shortly afterward, the student condenses information from the Note-Taking Column and jots a summary in the Cue Column. In addition, students should include questions, terms, or observations in the Cue Column.

By covering either the Note-Taking Column or the Cue Column, the student can review the facts and check for comprehension.

Finally, the student should reflect on the lesson as a whole and synthesize the key points in a statement in the Summary.

Although the Cornell Method requires thoughtful contemplation, the result can be a thorough understanding of a topic from different perspectives; thus, this method is one of our favorite note-taking tips for high school students.

At Marlborough, students may want to use the Cornell Method in courses, such as California in Literature, Honors or AP Biology, Social Psychology, or Entrepreneurship 101: Design Your Future.

3. Mind Mapping

Like a great tree, a Mind Map features branches that radiate from a central idea at the center of the page. Each branch represents a sub-topic or related idea, with smaller twigs indicating correlating facts.

To reinforce natural connections, or to highlight cause and effect, students may color code certain sections of the Mind Map.

Creating a Mind Map can result in a systematic list that emphasizes the connections between topics, making it one of the most interesting note-taking tips for high school students.

At Marlborough, students might find Mind Mapping helpful in courses, such as Statistics and Probability with Applications, Computer Science Projects Honors, Honors or AP Chemistry, or Engineering Design & Analysis.

4. The Flow Method

For students who prefer a more holistic approach to learning, author Scott Young’s Flow Method might be useful, particularly since it deviates from a conventional, hierarchical note-taking method. Like all effectual note-taking strategies, the Flow Method stresses important information but downplays or omits entirely data that seems irrelevant.

As the instructor presents the lesson, the student engages in a mental dialogue with the material, considering the validity of an argument, raising questions, or recalling similar examples. Thus, the student records thoughts and responses to the lesson.

Consequently, the student combines active listening with intellectual curiosity; in other words, the student personalizes the information. Retention, then, improves because the student has invested emotional and mental energy.

Interestingly, the Flow Method may vary from student to student; while some students start with a central idea and use arrows to indicate offshoots or associated ideas, other students may incorporate representational drawings.

For instance, a teacher might ask students to consider “Gregor’s locked door” as a symbol in Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis.
A student taking notes with the Flow Method might write Gregor’s name in the middle of the page and draw non-linear arrows, pointing to pictures of a door, a family, and a pile of old furniture and trash.
From there, the student might draw new arrows, pointing to words or pictures that indicate self-isolation, rejection, and decay.

Since the Flow Method requires students to search for connections, the system uses “backlinking”, or tracing conclusions to their source, narrowing the focus, rather than widening it.

For students who struggle with organization, the Flow Method may feel too chaotic; if this is the case, the student can defer to another note-taking technique. Or, the student may simply view this strategy as a supplement and rely on the textbook.

Consequently, if the student is a visual learner, this method can be one of the most exciting, innovative note-taking tips for high school students.

At Marlborough, students can benefit from the Flow Method in courses, such as Honors French Literature and Cinema, AP Chinese Language and Culture, or Documentary Filmmaking I and II.

Why Choose Marlborough?

Marlborough serves girls in grades 7 through 12. As a private, college-preparatory secondary school, we are conveniently located in the heart of Los Angeles, California.

Our goal is to ignite intellectual inquiry and to build the problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills that students need to succeed in the 21st century.

Next Steps

If you want your daughter to become a curious, agile thinker, consider Marlborough. Our outstanding educational program prepares young people for college and beyond.

Want to know more about the Marlborough experience?