Many students write down everything a teacher says and never look at it again. Notes are only useful if they help you understand during the lesson and recall afterwards.
Write less, think more
Trying to capture every word leaves no attention for understanding. Aim to record ideas in your own words. Summarising forces you to process what you hear.
Three methods worth trying
The Cornell method
Divide the page into a narrow left column, a wide right column and a strip at the bottom. Take notes on the right, write questions or keywords on the left afterwards, and summarise the page at the bottom. The left column becomes a ready-made self-test.
Outlining
Use headings and indented bullet points to show how ideas relate. It works well for structured subjects and lectures that follow a clear plan.
Mind mapping
Put the central topic in the middle of the page and branch outwards. It suits subjects with many connections and helps when planning essays.
Review within a day
Notes are most valuable when revisited soon. Spend ten minutes the same evening tidying them, filling gaps and writing two or three questions the page should answer.
Paper or laptop?
Typing is faster, which makes it tempting to transcribe. Handwriting is slower, which pushes you to summarise. Whichever you choose, the goal is the same: notes in your own words that you return to.
Discussion