Master this skill and watch your grades go up

Recently, I was working with a High School student. He was your typical “C” student: no matter how hard he studied, no matter how much time he studied, he still got a “C” on tests. Both he and his parents were very frustrated, and they came to Huntington for help. We started with a thorough Academic Evaluation to identify the problem areas and discovered that he had very weak critical reading skills. When I asked how he took notes, he replied that he just copied what was on the board or on the PowerPoint, but he did not take his own notes. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

In all my years of tutoring, one major difference between “A” and “C” students is that A students take good notes during class. According to a recent study from Texas A&M, students who actively take class notes tend to think about the material and evaluate what it means, and this leads to deeper understanding and higher grades.Top of Form Good note-taking activities are learning processes that improve retention of course material.

1. Organize the blank page. Before class, draw a line on each sheet of paper one third of the width of the paper. This divides the paper into two columns: the left column is one-third of the width of the paper, and the right is two-thirds. During class, take notes in the wider right column, leave the narrow column blank.

2. Summarize your notes. After class is over, summarize your notes in the left column. Look for the main ideas and try to connect with notes from previous lessons.

3. Write questions. As soon as you get home that day, re-read your notes and summaries and write questions based on your notes. Do not write “who”, “where” and “when” questions, do write “why” and “how” questions.

4. Putting in time is important. You need to dedicate at least fifteen minutes each day to review notes, reread summaries, and answer the questions you created from your notes.

5. Pen beats computer. According to a study by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer at Princeton University, the act of taking notes in longhand involves deeper processing than doing so on a laptop or tablet. Typing on a device tends to be mere transcription, while longhand involves summarizing and interpreting.

6. Use abbreviations for speed. Use abbreviations for recurring words and spend less time taking notes. For example, “b/c” instead of “because” or “chem” instead of “chemistry”. You can save a lot of time this way, allowing you to capture more of the lecture as it is delivered.

Did the student improve his grades? You bet! Are he and his parents happy they came to Huntington? Absolutely! While the steps outlined above may sound simple, good note taking requires strong critical reading skills. Without mastery of critical reading skills, note taking and school in general will always be challenging. If your student is struggling in school, get help now. Call Huntington at 678-240-9240 or visit us on the web at https://center.huntingtonhelps.com/lp/alpharetta/milestone-2