Listening attentively will help you take better notes.
Most college students have to take at least one history course. Taking good notes in your college history class is one way to improve your chances of doing well in the class. Like most skills, the ability to take good notes improves the more you practice it. If you take the time to hone your note-taking skills, you will find that your notes provide an excellent tool for preparing for quizzes and tests.
Instructions
1. Draw a line down a piece of paper about 1/3 from the left side.
2. Listen intently to your history professor's lectures. On the right side of the line, write down the main points of the lectures, leaving ample space in between for additional information.
3. Fill in the space between the main points as the professor talks about each point. Make note of any important dates, people or ideas.
4. Write quickly. You will not be able to write every word spoken, so focus on key ideas. You can use abbreviations and even skip certain parts of speech to speed up your writing. For example, you could write "Thom. Jefferson Dec. of Independence." This links Thomas Jefferson to the Declaration of independence without your having to write "Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence."
5. Take time to summarize your notes after class. Write a short summary about each point on the left side of the line on your paper. You can also write questions here for study purposes.
Tags: about each, about each point, each point, left side, main points