After years of not being a student, I returned to graduate school. My first term I had a professor who was a recognized expert in his field who lectured for 90 minutes at an astounding rate without refering to notes. He referred to the textbook often, but also spent a great deal of time speaking freely about the topic. The amount of information in a single class was overwhelming and as I looked around at each student frantically (and miserably) taking 10 to 20 pages of notes I knew I couldnt keep up using this method of note taking. As you say, often my notes were scribbles that didnt even connect. Then I tried taping a lecture, but that meant listening to 90 minutes of material at least twice - too much time, not practical. I thought to myself "when I have an engaging conversation with someone at a party, and my wife later asks what we talked about, I can recall most of the conversation with no notes at all because I WAS ENGAGED AND ATTENTIVE. So I decided to prepare for the next lecture by doing the assigned reading with margin notes BUT sit in front and maintain eye contact and engage with the professor - ask and answer questions, but only write down a few key words. I ended up with a single page of notes but feeling really connected to the teacher. After a few lectures the professor asked me to remain after class. He noticed I wasnt taking notes but listening intently instead. He said "I look at you and you are looking at me. I feel listened to and appreciated. When I ask a question you are the first to raise your hand and if something is unclear you are the first to ask for clarification. Im curious to see how well you retain the information for the first test using your method." He smiled and nodded at me when he passed back our first essay test of the term and I had a A-, one of the highest grades. I had literally just eight pages of notes for eight lectures, but each word on those pages was a key word, an important idea, or something I didnt understand and spent additional time sorting out later.
What really worked for me back in university was to read the chapter before the lecture. I didn't need to understand everything, but having seen the material just once really helped me.
Not only is his advice golden for someone is learning how to study, but the comment section is a box of jewels as well. Thank you all for sharing your experiences
Im not a student, just an old man who wants to retain more. This advice has been invaluable, reading has become my passion, im now defacing my books with notes and my own thoughts and its made reading a far more enriching experience. I wish i had this imformation when i was a young man.
This is GOLD! Within 8 minutes of watching the video I was taking notes the way you explained it: - Listen - Write in your own words or keywords - Within 24 hours, go through the notes -> add your thoughts and memories I finally understand note taking after so many years of struggling and feeling stressed about note taking. Thank you so much!
What is good about these videos is that the maker is someone who went through the same situation as us and now currently someone who is in charge of people like us.
This is the kind of professor is what I think of when I call them a Brofessor. Candid, practical, down to earth, able to convey in clear and memorable ways. A professor with good older brother energy.
Excellent information, thank you. I think a lot of students also make the mistake of thinking the classroom is the only place they can get all of their information. Students should be reading material BEFORE a lecture and AFTER a lecture. The lecture is an ADDITION to your knowledge and understanding, not THE source.
Bonjour, Your UA-cam lecture series on 'How to do well in College' has been an invaluable resource for me. As I approach my 45th birthday, I'm preparing to dive into a unique educational journey in 2024 - an accelerated bachelor's degree program in France, tailored for individuals with significant professional work experience. This program condenses two years of college into just six months of intensive university classes. In my relentless pursuit of strategies to excel in this challenging endeavor, I stumbled upon your series. While this video was posted almost two years ago, and it is unlikely you will read this, I want to convey my deep gratitude for your commitment to educating people on UA-cam. Bravo for sharing your expertise! Your advice, particularly on effective note-taking, has left a lasting impact on me. I'm committed to adding 'flesh' to my handwritten notes. Thank you once again!
I also teach. Statistics. And I follow you because I learn from you. I really admire what you do and the effort you spend in doing these videos. I will share your advice with my students.
Wow. I’m so glad I clicked on you. Not only are you extremely informative but your style of delivering your wisdom is captivating. This is my first year in college after 31yrs off (I’m 49 working towards my nursing degree).I will try your method now with my bioethics course and let you know what happens! Thank you for sharing your techniques with the world❤️
Recently typed my notes before attending class. I was astonished to find when I attended that class ot was like I had not taken notes at all. I recalled NOTHING. Hand writing for me from now on. Thank you Jeffrey 🎉
This is why the best teachers are 1) engaging in their delivery and 2) either provide notes or provide supplement reading material that support the lecture well, so you don't feel you need to capture every word because there is no way to get the info otherwise. But these are great ideas for taking notes. It's basically how I've approached it throughout my school and professional career. It works well.
4:35 Think through the meaning 6:28 7:48 add flesh within 24 hours 9:57 write your notes by hand with a 🖊️🖋️ 13:50 Divided attention reduces long term retention and summarize 9:00
Thank you! This video is 85% wind and 15% content. I’d hate to sit a class with this guy. Save 20 minutes of life: When taking notes, listen to what’s said, take bullet point notes on your understanding of it along the way, read those bullets after class and add any other thoughts you had. That’s it. There’s little reason to write by hand, except according to this guy that you’re distracted by the internet (yup, I get that-there’s airplane mode, and apps to correct it for those of us who are there to learn and have no impulse control). The idea that writing longhand improves comprehension is dubious (see for example this article which states [because this dude loves his quotations] “‘We found only small, statistically nonsignificant differences in quiz performance as a function of note-taking medium,’ whether students used a laptop or pen, wrote APS Fellow Heather L. Urry (Tufts University) and colleagues in Psychological Science. ‘Students and professors who are concerned about detrimental effects of computer note taking on encoding information to be learned in lectures may not need to ditch the laptop just yet.’” www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/writing-notes). Sure, there’s studies saying it is, but others like this saying it’s not. Like it or not, humans are moving toward a digital reality more and more and longhand is becoming a thing of the past, so how about we find a better way to do that, rather than remaining in a clearly dying paradigm? Honestly who DOESN’T bring a laptop to class anymore? It’s the way it’s done.
I've had the true fortune in life to have had a number of profs and instructors who had similar groundedness, humility and relatability to that exhibited by Kaplan. These are the great ones. These are the ones who motivate and energize you, make you face up to your own nonsense, even on your down days.
I took notes for this video: 1. Process and HANDWRITE in your own words what your professor says/writes. 2. Fill in the details from memory within 24 hours preferably that night. 3. If you must use an electronic device to take notes, sit in the front to minimize distractions.
Love your enthusiasm! I always wished they taught something like this when I was in school. It would have saved me YEARS of frustration, angst & anxiety!!! Never too late to learn how to learn....comprehensively!
I learned a technique from a book about anthropology which i hated but chugged through Hoping for any golden pieces of wisdom... In your notebook on the left page Only write on every other line, and leave the other side entirely blank. When you go home flesh out your notes in the empty spaces and on the blank page draw a picture if possible but also feel free to use that side for deeper notes My personal advice is write questions for your own exploration of the topic
Two years ago and still as relevant as ever. You do an amazing job. I am hooked on your style of videos because they are so engaging and it doesn't feel like you are mindlessly reading from a script. You've convinced me to give up typing my notes!
Dr Kaplan I want to congratulate you on this note taking. Its a skill not only for school. I use this technique in attending meeting with fellow workers and supervisors. In class missing a key point meant a lower grade. In work life missing a key point could mean continued employment. Same comment on your reading youtube. When I was asked to critique a professional article. I was critiqued for margin writing as being so high schoolish. However, my comments were right where in the text I had noticed something to keep my comments in context. These are really important skills for the future beyond school.
00:00:12 Never write down every word during a lecture. 00:00:17 Avoid grabbing whole phrases and writing them down verbatim. 00:00:22 Add flesh to your notes within 24 hours to enhance understanding. 00:00:31 Take notes by hand using a pen or pencil instead of typing. 00:02:02 Engage with the content and summarize it in your own words for better retention. 00:05:19 Listen carefully, understand the material, and then write a concise summary. 00:06:02 If you don't understand something in the lecture, ask for clarification instead of writing it down blindly. 00:06:50 Review and add more details to your notes within 24 hours to solidify your understanding. 00:08:24 Despite the time commitment, enhancing your notes post-lecture significantly boosts retention. 00:09:01 Take notes by hand as it forces you to process information and aids in better understanding. 00:09:19 Avoid using laptops or devices for note-taking as they lead to shallower processing and lower retention. 00:09:40 Even if you think typing notes is more convenient, handwriting is scientifically proven to be more effective. 00:16:40 Exceptions exist for individuals with disabilities or specific needs, but handwriting notes remains the optimal method for most.
Just stumbled across your channel- what a treasure trove. I am one of those neurodivergent types. My notes are all by hand, but consist of numerous drawings and symbols, that allow for a personal shorthand. I went back to college in my 50s. I literally cannot type or spell well, because of my spicy brain, and discovered the ability to make connections with instructors and the material was easier via images. I defended my masters in front of a whiteboard and illustrated and mind mapped my argument visually as well as verbally. The professors were blown away. I have had them stop me and tell me they were still remembering my thesis and using the information in their own teaching. The connections our brains make to other things becomes what scaffolds memory and LEARNING. I worked in the writing center, specializing in non traditional students. I was booked back to back all year long, once word got out about how I taught, wrote, and took notes. Thank you for these videos. So few students are ready for college, and fewer instructors are able, or willing, to help them. Best to you and your community.
I like manuscript because I also use symbols, ideograms and diagrams within text to summarise and understand what's being said. I kust did this in making notes on this video! Best wishes!
I really ENJOY LEARNING from teachers such as This amazing Guy!! The exuberant ability to express every word keeps me wanting to listen. All my favorite teachers had this type of teaching style and energy! Makes you love learning!! This kind of teacher in the process of attaining knowledge isn't appreciated like the overrated careers that earn higher salaries.
I'm 47, have a brain injury, can't walk, and have problems with my hearing, speech, and sight. I'm currently getting my undergraduate degree. I'm enrolled with The Open University which involves distance learning. The first two years I had the problem you mentioned of getting distracted and going off looking at unrelated things on the internet. Now I use the Pomodoro Technique to keep focused, it works wonders.
I absolutely agree with you. I went to university as a mature student (in my early 50s), so I don’t know if I would have been inclined to take notes this way when I was younger, but fleshing out the material within 24 hours certainly worked for me -- and I did get excellent marks! I'll admit that I was somewhat scared into it because my note-taking was largely illegible, so I found I ‘needed’ to re-write later while the material was still fresh in my mind if I had any hope of retaining it. (Mind you, my initial poor notes were by hand, and I did use a laptop in the final process). The simple act of revisiting the ideas a second time, putting them into my own words -- essentially making meaning for myself in the re-writing -- was invaluable. Those university days are close to 25 years behind me. But I have kept most of my old notebooks, and I would wager that anyone picking them up today would find the material (no matter what the subject) easy to understand.
Wish I could give this a two thumbs up! Great advice. I am going back to university after being out of college for 23 years. Thanks so much for your gold mine of tips. Now that my prefrontal cortex is more developed, I feel much more confident I can implement your recommendations.
I've found your lectures on philosophy both instructive and entertaining. There is another benefit to taking notes in longhand that is very useful. The act of writing in longhand embeds the information faster and more durably than using a keyboard. I learned this long ago when I was performing as an actor in stage plays. After a hint from another cast member I started writing out my entire part in longhand (usually including cues) and found that it took considerably less time to memorize my lines. There is something about the hand-eye coordination, the deliberation, perhaps even some kind of muscle-memory that locks the material into one's mind. Thanks so much for your delightful presentations.
I usually avoid channels that say "do this to top your class", "get good marks easily", etc because most of them are pretty fake. But you are really different. Not a single thing you say sounds incoherent to my intuitions. Thank you!
Hello professor Jeffrey I am a philosophy student that done quite terrible in my first year. However this year all results will be counting towards my degree. I’ve written notes from 3 of your other videos and intend to implement your methods and advice this year. Will let you know what results I cultivate following your guide. Thank you for these videos!
Greetings Stacy, how was it. We've been waiting for your feedback that you promised long time ago. This is a wake up call stacy. Unless you want us to hack and check ourselves. We are anonymous, we do not forgive,we do not forget.
I would read text, out line chapter on word, save on word, take outline to class, different color ink pen for note, cross out what teacher did not go over, after class do back and delete what not covered in class. Also record the lecture.
Your channel is a gold mine! Thank you for creating it and thanks to the UA-cam algorithm gods for bringing it to my attention! I wished I learned all the study techniques you teach here early on in my life. I think that would've made a big difference in my life. I skimmed to your videos and it's all the subjects I've always wanted to learn. I'll keep coming back to watch your videos and use the techniques you taught on how to retain information. Thanks Prof! 👍👍
As a student, I had crappy note-taking and even in my professional life, I could rarely translate what I had written three days ago into actual information that would be useful in the future. I've been retired for a couple of decades and just now am discovering the Cornell method for taking notes. What you have stated in this video is all well and good, but I am convinced that you could improve it with an actual method that makes note-taking into a discipline. The fact that note-taking is not taught (except in the special needs classes) is a serious problem in modern education. BTW: While listening to your lecture, I paused the video to see if I could add to an Amazon order I had placed earlier in the day.
I can't binge watch TV shows without multitasking. I look up actors, see where else I know them from.... A couple tangents, and I've missed a half hour of the show. The good news, I can watch a series again, a few months later, and it's new to me.
I love your channel; specifically, the way you demonstrate taking notes and how to surmise what you have read. In addition, I enjoy learning about philosophy too. I’m attending Rutgers in the spring, however, I have been recently diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain tumor. The videos are extremely helpful .
You have my sympathy I had a neuroma that was only a few weeks from killing me before they looked for it. After operating I am now doing well, but a glioblastoma is something different. Our thoughts are with you and your family.
Another good thing about taking notes in a physical notebook rather than typing: not all your notes will lend themselves to the straightforward text formatting in a word processor. Most of my notes will, sure; but when I take notes, I invariably add arrows, diagrams, floating sub-notes, and so on.
Felt so good to get all of my hunches confirmed! I always was anxious about missing out on all the knowledge-gains these tech-kids would collect while I was stuck with my unpractical paper notes. But the understanding turned out so much better with the pen and paper. Typing was too fast and it took me a whole workday going over these notes and completing them, and they turned out verbatim reports
Genuine advice through sound explanation and motivation. I totally agree with the Psychological Science’s research findings. As a former High School Math teacher, I can understand the arguments you made here for beneficial and effective notes taking in College and High School classrooms. Effective notes taking is a good habit to inculcate during our early formal education. I enjoyed all your lectures!
In a word : thank you very much ! This content is very likely to be one of the most useful that I've found in UA-cam. Pure gold ! Wish I could have capitalised on it back then when I was a student. May God bless you Sir Jeffrey Kaplan !
To this day I still take pretty good notes. For me the most important point was to fresh them out. I did best doing this within one hour, although I knew of one person who could put it off for 2 weeks. I was less brilliant. I was good with pencil but also iPad using a writing program which did not stumble over misspellings. Yes with paper and pencil I did slightly better, however the rattling of paper during a lecture sometimes was a bother to other participants. In one hour I could jot down lots mostly due to my huge handwriting style. Using iPad also did not worry participants during "sensative" information briefings because they thought, "no way can he get it all down." But as you mention in points 1 and 2, I did not need to get every word or phrase written. It was during fleshing out periods that I would look up specialty words or acronyms just to be sure I got them right, or the spellings of middle-eastern terrorist. I learned this technique by trial and error. I wish I had heard this note taking lecture back in my early school days.
It also helps to have 'read ahead' of the likely study areas so that you at least have a flavour of the topics that will come up and a thirst for extra knowledge about the 'new ideas' you know will be coming up. It's easier to surf the front of the wave. It carries you forward. In terms of reading ahead, skim the book/work from the back of the book working back forward, you get to see the usage of the 'answers' that that the earlier sections are developing,. It means you aren't surprised by the results. You see the value of ideas being developed. It makes note-taking so much easier as you can more easily identify the key point(s) YOU found educational (even if the lecturer thought they were obvious and passed over those points without any real comment). Head up; Sit at the front; Listen; then make relevant notes! (50yrs of tertiary ed, and still learning!)
I feel like that point related to typing notes all goes down to purpose and sacrifice. I type my notes in almost all classes, sometimes I don't even take notes. Whenever I find myself about to click away I just remind myself why am I here and that I am willing to sacrifice my time on social media for this lecture.
I really liked the first half of the story, about "adding the flesh", it may be one of the best advices I've had on taking notes. However, do we need to put so much emphasis on the superiority of hand-writing vs. using a laptop? I haven't looked into the papers described in the video, but I feel like "students who prefer mechanical devices" could retain a bias on his/her personality and mental status. For example, someone with ADHD features could prefer a laptop over handwriting because a computer allows more room to play around with your material(such as font, multiple highlighters etc), as well as something to do when he/she is "distracted". The same person could be forced to make handwriting notes and be similarly distracted and fiddle their thumbs or look at the ceiling, the only difference being what they do while they're distracted.
Thanks for the invaluable lesson on effective note taking at this crucial time for me for I am returning to study law after 10 years and at the age of 38 years old. I have subscribed to your channel and liked the video at least to return an iota of the help you offered. This is the second time finished watching this video from start to finish. Thank you.
Thank you! We each can learn no matter our age & stage in life. I wish I was taught by Dr. Kaplan in elementary and middle school, this note- taking method. Note-taking in high school, college, at times, was painful trying to capture every word.
I would also give an extra advice as a student that revolves around writing structure for learning, read, read a lot of different types of texts, researchs, lectures, books, articles, not complete, maybe 10 pages a day, it will improve your writing, story telling, orthography and attention skills.
Thank you, Professor Kaplan, for teaching us how to achieve at the University or college. I believe that taking notes is crucial to be a successful student.
Advice you can implement right away. Your presentation of this subject is refreshing and educational thanks for helping me to get that much better than I was yesterday with this approach 👍🏽
Hand notes are superior to laptop notes because they allow taking non-linear notes. If a lecture is boring (monotonous delivery, lack of engagement from students, the lecture is not friendly-designed for note taking), it's as easy to solve sudokus with a pen and a paper as to multitask on a laptop.
It's remarkable how you managed to stretch the same four points from the beginning that took you 20 seconds to name into an entire eternity of over an over the same information
I’ve learned as a manager when scheduling a meeting to schedule follow up time immediately after. A 1 hour meeting is scheduled as 1.5 hours. I take hand written notes and I take notes on my tablet. During follow up time i transfer handwritten to my tablet. All notes are filled in notes on with more information so it makes sense later. And so I can easily find them using search. I check off each note I followed up on. I only take notes i need.
Hi Jeffrey! Fellow Bergen County resident here! Happened upon this video. First saw you on a documentary... Subscribing to your channel now. I'm a seasoned professional, but your content is great for me too.
For me, the following tips help 1. Read ahead so that when you hear it it feels familiar 2. When you can stop and try to predict what's next, for example if you were just given the definition of force ask yourself what the integral of force might be, let's say with respect to time, how about with respect to displacement. 3. Don't write too much. 4. Have some structue in your notes, I like the Cornell method (I think that's the name, but i dont remember) where you have questions on the right side, and notes on the left, at the bottom is a very short summary. Ultimately, the best teacher is discovering things yourself, so experiment around with questions and explore these things alone when you can.
I wish they had these videos years ago when I was in college. It would made my college experience more meaningful. Unfortunately in high school they dont teach you things like this and you wander around trying to find things that work
One technique I've been using is I take notes in a book, I like to draw things If I can or at least relate it back to something drawable. But I also open up a google doc and use the speech to text thing and just let that bad boy run while I take notes. Later on I can look at my notes and use ctrl+f on my doc to find everything my teacher said about it. I don't have to use this a huge amount but it helps in subjects like bio where I'm a casual student and the subject is geared to future doctors who already know a shit ton.
This information Jeffrey is sharing is valid. Years ago, I had a discussion w/someone re: nutrition. At some point, she wanted to relate information by reading a passage from a book... I told her that I can just as easily read a passage....don't "parrot" - tell me, in your own words, what you got from the passage (THAT IS learning & comprehending). ...she couldn't do it.
I won't lie, this reminds me of the video you did about studying, very similar in technique. I almost want to take notes on your video taking notes, almost. Thanks for the video!!
I agree with your #4, it improves my retention hugely and I openly recommend it to everyone. Even when learning names, write them down. However there is a condition called dysgraphia that prevents some people from taking effective notes. They are taught the techniques you are describing but on a typing device with no internet connectivity.
And here you get one subscriber. Your explanation is really really good and helpful and in the end your your research is indeed amazing. You are amazing.
I really enjoy your videoá mr. Kaplan. In my experience as an evening-student (in daytime I worked) at Leiden University, it took mostly about an hour to two hours to work out my notes (rule # 3). It depended on how much I had learned and how much I agreed with the professor - because I always had my own thoughts about the topics (mostly pedagogy, management and learning theories). If I had my own thoughts and ideas about the theory presented (which happened often), I also wrote them down - of course as a side-note. I have experienced that the more 'flesh' you put into the notes, the more fun it is.
1. dont write every word instead think through that meaning and summarize what it is there in your own words while trying to not grab exact phrases 2. take those notes within 24 hours and use 10-15 minutes and write your own stuff within them. 3. write instead of typing ( on laptops in class ) { ironical here though } as you can be distracted by the SM / Internet etc.
I left on another of your videos that I didn't take notes cause it didn't help me and in fact impeded me. Watching this I realize I used to took notes exactly the wrong way. I'll try implementing that next semester and see how it goes. Any shaving off study time is appreciated.
my notes: active note taking --> more memorable, something to review 1) own words (by hand) 2) completion after lecture 3) sitting up front (less distractions)
I been watching your videos with attention and are great full of knowledge and content. This series in particular about how to read, take notes etc is as your self told pure gold. But, I have a question: no doubt you are right about how to take notes both from a text or from a lecture. However what about reading books on an iPad? Or a kindle? In an iPad reading an ebook and doing the process of summarizing by writing with the Apple Pencil on a different app that allows to take notes by hand via electronic hand writing? Would you agree with that? I am a neuroscientist I study learning and memory in bees and I read a lot this way, even science papers using Mendeley and now Paperpile. The thing is that I don’t have the physical space or money to get all that material in printed paper but I wonder what do you have to say about that particular deviation from your method? That is doing the same work but on an electronic device that lets you write handwriting electronically?
What I do is take notes in paper and number them to know which paragraph they are referencing to. In fact just think in the old days when people used to go the physical library and you were not allowed to take the books with you or you had just a limited amount of time to borrow. You could photocopy it or you just had to take physical notes.
Thanks for the question and answer, I was wondering about that as I watched, all my study and texts are online. Glad I found these resources early in my course 😂
I was the one writing down everything, because there wasn’t any let up from the professor during lecture, and felt if I just sat and listened I wouldn’t remember anything. I also remember being sitting in the first row during lecture because the few times I sat in the back people were on their laptops or phones checking social media. Only been distracted in the first row when there was a student that would just bring his phone to class and wait to find something wrong during the professor’s lecture (happened a lot). That same student was getting A’s in the class.
I took notes while watching your video on taking notes. It would be interesting to see a video of you taking notes while watching your own video and what notes you would take in addition to the notes you wrote on the glass.
100% - EXACTLY what I thought!!! If the lecturer speaks for 1 - 2 mins and you're just following along comprehending what's being said, what note do you actually take? To see Jeff do this over a longer video and/ or go into more depth about WHAT notes to take would be immensely helpful...
This methodology works for SO many situations, not just classroom lectures. The set of all situations that require active listening and understanding. Cultivation of good habits is terrifically important. They will serve you throughout your career. If you use this method, you will develop a habit of active listening that is triggered by the physical act of picking up your pencil and putting a header onto a notebook page. You'll be tuning in when other people are fighting the urge to tune out.
Classroom lectures are also meant to help you with real life, the greeks used the word "nous", to describe situational intelligence, lectures are a situation, understanding the content is intelligence, applying such a method will acquire situational intelligence, nous, in regards to acquiring, and understanding, information on the spot, or, in a situation where there is information to acquire, which is all situations
i appreciate the given information and how enthusiastic you are about learning/gathering information. it's possible to switch internet off and to focus and not to transcribe. The laptop or tablet is a tool, just like your brain..and you can use it in a focussed way or not. even in your brain you can "open" several tabs of thoughts next to each other and jump around thinking about your next vacation, lunch or your significant other or whatsoever.. and not listen to the lecture.. who wants to multitask or get distracted will manage to do so..this is not a "new" problem since the rise of electric portable screens. most important point seem to be: dont transcribe, dont multitask, dont get distracted. ok not sure why this aggressive/arrogant tone and bashing electronic devices that much is necessary to get the message delivered. thanks anyway. (btw: i do take notes by hand ;))
Thanks Professor, would like to try these techniques in my upcoming graduate program. Would love to share my feedback in the next two years. Like to remind me, folks.
I am 51 years old, living in Jamaica and I'm going back to school. This will help me. God bless.
After years of not being a student, I returned to graduate school. My first term I had a professor who was a recognized expert in his field who lectured for 90 minutes at an astounding rate without refering to notes. He referred to the textbook often, but also spent a great deal of time speaking freely about the topic.
The amount of information in a single class was overwhelming and as I looked around at each student frantically (and miserably) taking 10 to 20 pages of notes I knew I couldnt keep up using this method of note taking. As you say, often my notes were scribbles that didnt even connect.
Then I tried taping a lecture, but that meant listening to 90 minutes of material at least twice - too much time, not practical.
I thought to myself "when I have an engaging conversation with someone at a party, and my wife later asks what we talked about, I can recall most of the conversation with no notes at all because I WAS ENGAGED AND ATTENTIVE. So I decided to prepare for the next lecture by doing the assigned reading with margin notes BUT sit in front and maintain eye contact and engage with the professor - ask and answer questions, but only write down a few key words. I ended up with a single page of notes but feeling really connected to the teacher.
After a few lectures the professor asked me to remain after class. He noticed I wasnt taking notes but listening intently instead. He said "I look at you and you are looking at me. I feel listened to and appreciated. When I ask a question you are the first to raise your hand and if something is unclear you are the first to ask for clarification. Im curious to see how well you retain the information for the first test using your method." He smiled and nodded at me when he passed back our first essay test of the term and I had a A-, one of the highest grades. I had literally just eight pages of notes for eight lectures, but each word on those pages was a key word, an important idea, or something I didnt understand and spent additional time sorting out later.
inspiring
Your story summarised the entire video. Shows the video is 100% accurate.😊
A good professor doesn't equal a good teacher.
I will respond in exactly a year's time.
@@samuelenoh-tanya2820 Did you put it on your calendar? :)
What really worked for me back in university was to read the chapter before the lecture. I didn't need to understand everything, but having seen the material just once really helped me.
Thank you for that. Really means a lot.
am gonna apply it
Absolutely agree! This worked for me, too!
Same here.
Absolutely agree 💯
Outstanding
Not only is his advice golden for someone is learning how to study, but the comment section is a box of jewels as well. Thank you all for sharing your experiences
Amen
Totally agree!!!
Fr
Im not a student, just an old man who wants to retain more. This advice has been invaluable, reading has become my passion, im now defacing my books with notes and my own thoughts and its made reading a far more enriching experience. I wish i had this imformation when i was a young man.
This is GOLD! Within 8 minutes of watching the video I was taking notes the way you explained it:
- Listen
- Write in your own words or keywords
- Within 24 hours, go through the notes -> add your thoughts and memories
I finally understand note taking after so many years of struggling and feeling stressed about note taking. Thank you so much!
What is good about these videos is that the maker is someone who went through the same situation as us and now currently someone who is in charge of people like us.
💯 facts!
Yes, it’s really good that he’s an actual professor. Instead of some student or study guru BS charlatan.
incarnational theology illustrated: Hebrews 2.14
This is the kind of professor is what I think of when I call them a Brofessor. Candid, practical, down to earth, able to convey in clear and memorable ways. A professor with good older brother energy.
Exactly. And i dont have any in college. I only have monofessors whonread from the book and invisifessors who are never ther.
Excellent information, thank you.
I think a lot of students also make the mistake of thinking the classroom is the only place they can get all of their information. Students should be reading material BEFORE a lecture and AFTER a lecture. The lecture is an ADDITION to your knowledge and understanding, not THE source.
Bonjour,
Your UA-cam lecture series on 'How to do well in College' has been an invaluable resource for me. As I approach my 45th birthday, I'm preparing to dive into a unique educational journey in 2024 - an accelerated bachelor's degree program in France, tailored for individuals with significant professional work experience. This program condenses two years of college into just six months of intensive university classes.
In my relentless pursuit of strategies to excel in this challenging endeavor, I stumbled upon your series. While this video was posted almost two years ago, and it is unlikely you will read this, I want to convey my deep gratitude for your commitment to educating people on UA-cam. Bravo for sharing your expertise!
Your advice, particularly on effective note-taking, has left a lasting impact on me. I'm committed to adding 'flesh' to my handwritten notes. Thank you once again!
I also teach. Statistics. And I follow you because I learn from you. I really admire what you do and the effort you spend in doing these videos. I will share your advice with my students.
Wow, thanks. It's great to be appreciated!
As a statistician, can you confirm my uneasiness about the expression "18 percents of a standard deviation lower"?
@@attis84 yikes 😅
@@profjeffreykaplan ggggcf
@@attis84 hahhahaha.... percentage of a sigma ;)
Wow. I’m so glad I clicked on you. Not only are you extremely informative but your style of delivering your wisdom is captivating. This is my first year in college after 31yrs off (I’m 49 working towards my nursing degree).I will try your method now with my bioethics course and let you know what happens! Thank you for sharing your techniques with the world❤️
Recently typed my notes before attending class. I was astonished to find when I attended that class ot was like I had not taken notes at all. I recalled NOTHING. Hand writing for me from now on. Thank you Jeffrey 🎉
This is why the best teachers are 1) engaging in their delivery and 2) either provide notes or provide supplement reading material that support the lecture well, so you don't feel you need to capture every word because there is no way to get the info otherwise. But these are great ideas for taking notes. It's basically how I've approached it throughout my school and professional career. It works well.
4:35 Think through the meaning
6:28
7:48 add flesh within 24 hours
9:57 write your notes by hand with a 🖊️🖋️
13:50 Divided attention reduces long term retention and summarize
9:00
6:28 and 9:00 - You crack me up! I see what you did there 😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you! This video is 85% wind and 15% content. I’d hate to sit a class with this guy. Save 20 minutes of life: When taking notes, listen to what’s said, take bullet point notes on your understanding of it along the way, read those bullets after class and add any other thoughts you had. That’s it. There’s little reason to write by hand, except according to this guy that you’re distracted by the internet (yup, I get that-there’s airplane mode, and apps to correct it for those of us who are there to learn and have no impulse control). The idea that writing longhand improves comprehension is dubious (see for example this article which states [because this dude loves his quotations] “‘We found only small, statistically nonsignificant differences in quiz performance as a function of note-taking medium,’ whether students used a laptop or pen, wrote APS Fellow Heather L. Urry (Tufts University) and colleagues in Psychological Science. ‘Students and professors who are concerned about detrimental effects of computer note taking on encoding information to be learned in lectures may not need to ditch the laptop just yet.’” www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/writing-notes). Sure, there’s studies saying it is, but others like this saying it’s not. Like it or not, humans are moving toward a digital reality more and more and longhand is becoming a thing of the past, so how about we find a better way to do that, rather than remaining in a clearly dying paradigm? Honestly who DOESN’T bring a laptop to class anymore? It’s the way it’s done.
@@Martin-qv6hg most of my students don't bring their laptops--and I teach software engineering classes. Many who do bring them, don't open them.
Thanks
@@zimmejochaving done it both ways, I strongly agree with the take of writing over typing.
Without out a doubt in my mind, you are the most influential teacher I've ever had...Thank you
I've had the true fortune in life to have had a number of profs and instructors who had similar groundedness, humility and relatability to that exhibited by Kaplan. These are the great ones. These are the ones who motivate and energize you, make you face up to your own nonsense, even on your down days.
You articulate passionately and strongly believe that what you share will help students. Your students are fortunate to have you as a teacher.
I took notes for this video:
1. Process and HANDWRITE in your own words what your professor says/writes.
2. Fill in the details from memory within 24 hours preferably that night.
3. If you must use an electronic device to take notes, sit in the front to minimize distractions.
Thank you,I get it
yea
I think that the point three was morre like: if somebody else is getting distracted by devices, then sit in the front.
Love your enthusiasm! I always wished they taught something like this when I was in school. It would have saved me YEARS of frustration, angst & anxiety!!! Never too late to learn how to learn....comprehensively!
I learned a technique from a book about anthropology which i hated but chugged through Hoping for any golden pieces of wisdom...
In your notebook on the left page Only write on every other line, and leave the other side entirely blank. When you go home flesh out your notes in the empty spaces and on the blank page draw a picture if possible but also feel free to use that side for deeper notes
My personal advice is write questions for your own exploration of the topic
Two years ago and still as relevant as ever. You do an amazing job. I am hooked on your style of videos because they are so engaging and it doesn't feel like you are mindlessly reading from a script. You've convinced me to give up typing my notes!
Dr Kaplan I want to congratulate you on this note taking. Its a skill not only for school. I use this technique in attending meeting with fellow workers and supervisors. In class missing a key point meant a lower grade. In work life missing a key point could mean continued employment. Same comment on your reading youtube. When I was asked to critique a professional article. I was critiqued for margin writing as being so high schoolish. However, my comments were right where in the text I had noticed something to keep my comments in context. These are really important skills for the future beyond school.
00:00:12 Never write down every word during a lecture.
00:00:17 Avoid grabbing whole phrases and writing them down verbatim.
00:00:22 Add flesh to your notes within 24 hours to enhance understanding.
00:00:31 Take notes by hand using a pen or pencil instead of typing.
00:02:02 Engage with the content and summarize it in your own words for better retention.
00:05:19 Listen carefully, understand the material, and then write a concise summary.
00:06:02 If you don't understand something in the lecture, ask for clarification instead of writing it down blindly.
00:06:50 Review and add more details to your notes within 24 hours to solidify your understanding.
00:08:24 Despite the time commitment, enhancing your notes post-lecture significantly boosts retention.
00:09:01 Take notes by hand as it forces you to process information and aids in better understanding.
00:09:19 Avoid using laptops or devices for note-taking as they lead to shallower processing and lower retention.
00:09:40 Even if you think typing notes is more convenient, handwriting is scientifically proven to be more effective.
00:16:40 Exceptions exist for individuals with disabilities or specific needs, but handwriting notes remains the optimal method for most.
Just stumbled across your channel- what a treasure trove.
I am one of those neurodivergent types. My notes are all by hand, but consist of numerous drawings and symbols, that allow for a personal shorthand. I went back to college in my 50s. I literally cannot type or spell well, because of my spicy brain, and discovered the ability to make connections with instructors and the material was easier via images. I defended my masters in front of a whiteboard and illustrated and mind mapped my argument visually as well as verbally. The professors were blown away. I have had them stop me and tell me they were still remembering my thesis and using the information in their own teaching. The connections our brains make to other things becomes what scaffolds memory and LEARNING. I worked in the writing center, specializing in non traditional students. I was booked back to back all year long, once word got out about how I taught, wrote, and took notes.
Thank you for these videos. So few students are ready for college, and fewer instructors are able, or willing, to help them. Best to you and your community.
I like manuscript because I also use symbols, ideograms and diagrams within text to summarise and understand what's being said. I kust did this in making notes on this video! Best wishes!
I really ENJOY LEARNING from teachers such as This amazing Guy!! The exuberant ability to express every word keeps me wanting to listen. All my favorite teachers had this type of teaching style and energy! Makes you love learning!! This kind of teacher in the process of attaining knowledge isn't appreciated like the overrated careers that earn higher salaries.
This guy deserves 10000 times more subscribers, and 3500000 people are missing out...
15 years of studying, I realize my note taking was miserable.. Thanks a million!
😂😂😂
Same applies to me
I'm 47, have a brain injury, can't walk, and have problems with my hearing, speech, and sight. I'm currently getting my undergraduate degree. I'm enrolled with The Open University which involves distance learning. The first two years I had the problem you mentioned of getting distracted and going off looking at unrelated things on the internet. Now I use the Pomodoro Technique to keep focused, it works wonders.
Congratulations on getting your degree. What subject did you study? I'm going into 2nd yr business with OU.
I wish somebody had explained this stuff to me 40 years ago. However, never too late to learn. Thankyou
I absolutely agree with you. I went to university as a mature student (in my early 50s), so I don’t know if I would have been inclined to take notes this way when I was younger, but fleshing out the material within 24 hours certainly worked for me -- and I did get excellent marks! I'll admit that I was somewhat scared into it because my note-taking was largely illegible, so I found I ‘needed’ to re-write later while the material was still fresh in my mind if I had any hope of retaining it. (Mind you, my initial poor notes were by hand, and I did use a laptop in the final process). The simple act of revisiting the ideas a second time, putting them into my own words -- essentially making meaning for myself in the re-writing -- was invaluable. Those university days are close to 25 years behind me. But I have kept most of my old notebooks, and I would wager that anyone picking them up today would find the material (no matter what the subject) easy to understand.
Wish I could give this a two thumbs up! Great advice. I am going back to university after being out of college for 23 years. Thanks so much for your gold mine of tips. Now that my prefrontal cortex is more developed, I feel much more confident I can implement your recommendations.
I've found your lectures on philosophy both instructive and entertaining. There is another benefit to taking notes in longhand that is very useful. The act of writing in longhand embeds the information faster and more durably than using a keyboard. I learned this long ago when I was performing as an actor in stage plays. After a hint from another cast member I started writing out my entire part in longhand (usually including cues) and found that it took considerably less time to memorize my lines. There is something about the hand-eye coordination, the deliberation, perhaps even some kind of muscle-memory that locks the material into one's mind. Thanks so much for your delightful presentations.
I usually avoid channels that say "do this to top your class", "get good marks easily", etc because most of them are pretty fake. But you are really different. Not a single thing you say sounds incoherent to my intuitions.
Thank you!
Hello professor Jeffrey I am a philosophy student that done quite terrible in my first year. However this year all results will be counting towards my degree. I’ve written notes from 3 of your other videos and intend to implement your methods and advice this year. Will let you know what results I cultivate following your guide. Thank you for these videos!
liking it to remind you of writting the results
Yes, any results yet??🙂
Broken promises are the norm... 🙄
As a philosophy student could you make an argument that suggests “ all people who use computers in class surf the web” I found holes in that logic.
Greetings Stacy, how was it. We've been waiting for your feedback that you promised long time ago. This is a wake up call stacy. Unless you want us to hack and check ourselves. We are anonymous, we do not forgive,we do not forget.
I would read text, out line chapter on word, save on word, take outline to class, different color ink pen for note, cross out what teacher did not go over, after class do back and delete what not covered in class. Also record the lecture.
Points 3 & 4 make such a big difference. I taught this to my kid and it’s makes such a difference in taking up and retaining information.
Your channel is a gold mine! Thank you for creating it and thanks to the UA-cam algorithm gods for bringing it to my attention! I wished I learned all the study techniques you teach here early on in my life. I think that would've made a big difference in my life. I skimmed to your videos and it's all the subjects I've always wanted to learn. I'll keep coming back to watch your videos and use the techniques you taught on how to retain information. Thanks Prof! 👍👍
As a student, I had crappy note-taking and even in my professional life, I could rarely translate what I had written three days ago into actual information that would be useful in the future. I've been retired for a couple of decades and just now am discovering the Cornell method for taking notes. What you have stated in this video is all well and good, but I am convinced that you could improve it with an actual method that makes note-taking into a discipline. The fact that note-taking is not taught (except in the special needs classes) is a serious problem in modern education.
BTW: While listening to your lecture, I paused the video to see if I could add to an Amazon order I had placed earlier in the day.
I can't binge watch TV shows without multitasking. I look up actors, see where else I know them from.... A couple tangents, and I've missed a half hour of the show. The good news, I can watch a series again, a few months later, and it's new to me.
What a wonderful teacher you are….I’m studying to become a non-attorney representative and feel lucky to have found you
I love your channel; specifically, the way you demonstrate taking notes and how to surmise what you have read. In addition, I enjoy learning about philosophy too. I’m attending Rutgers in the spring, however, I have been recently diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain tumor. The videos are extremely helpful .
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get to live the rest of your time out peacefully and do what you love.
Awesome bruh
You have my sympathy I had a neuroma that was only a few weeks from killing me before they looked for it. After operating I am now doing well, but a glioblastoma is something different. Our thoughts are with you and your family.
Another good thing about taking notes in a physical notebook rather than typing: not all your notes will lend themselves to the straightforward text formatting in a word processor. Most of my notes will, sure; but when I take notes, I invariably add arrows, diagrams, floating sub-notes, and so on.
Felt so good to get all of my hunches confirmed! I always was anxious about missing out on all the knowledge-gains these tech-kids would collect while I was stuck with my unpractical paper notes. But the understanding turned out so much better with the pen and paper. Typing was too fast and it took me a whole workday going over these notes and completing them, and they turned out verbatim reports
Genuine advice through sound explanation and motivation. I totally agree with the Psychological Science’s research findings. As a former High School Math teacher, I can understand the arguments you made here for beneficial and effective notes taking in College and High School classrooms. Effective notes taking is a good habit to inculcate during our early formal education. I enjoyed all your lectures!
In a word : thank you very much !
This content is very likely to be one of the most useful that I've found in UA-cam. Pure gold !
Wish I could have capitalised on it back then when I was a student.
May God bless you Sir Jeffrey Kaplan !
To this day I still take pretty good notes. For me the most important point was to fresh them out. I did best doing this within one hour, although I knew of one person who could put it off for 2 weeks. I was less brilliant. I was good with pencil but also iPad using a writing program which did not stumble over misspellings. Yes with paper and pencil I did slightly better, however the rattling of paper during a lecture sometimes was a bother to other participants. In one hour I could jot down lots mostly due to my huge handwriting style. Using iPad also did not worry participants during "sensative" information briefings because they thought, "no way can he get it all down." But as you mention in points 1 and 2, I did not need to get every word or phrase written. It was during fleshing out periods that I would look up specialty words or acronyms just to be sure I got them right, or the spellings of middle-eastern terrorist. I learned this technique by trial and error. I wish I had heard this note taking lecture back in my early school days.
It also helps to have 'read ahead' of the likely study areas so that you at least have a flavour of the topics that will come up and a thirst for extra knowledge about the 'new ideas' you know will be coming up. It's easier to surf the front of the wave. It carries you forward.
In terms of reading ahead, skim the book/work from the back of the book working back forward, you get to see the usage of the 'answers' that that the earlier sections are developing,. It means you aren't surprised by the results. You see the value of ideas being developed.
It makes note-taking so much easier as you can more easily identify the key point(s) YOU found educational (even if the lecturer thought they were obvious and passed over those points without any real comment).
Head up; Sit at the front; Listen; then make relevant notes!
(50yrs of tertiary ed, and still learning!)
Yes, this has always been the game changer for me
"who do you think you are?!" "No one is powerful enough"
Love your style. I take notes efficiently, but I still enjoyed watching this
How efficient and powerful your expressions are . Admirable ❤❤❤
Am currently studying. Thanks professor I will implement this technique to achieve success. Thanks a ton
I feel like that point related to typing notes all goes down to purpose and sacrifice. I type my notes in almost all classes, sometimes I don't even take notes. Whenever I find myself about to click away I just remind myself why am I here and that I am willing to sacrifice my time on social media for this lecture.
I really liked the first half of the story, about "adding the flesh", it may be one of the best advices I've had on taking notes.
However, do we need to put so much emphasis on the superiority of hand-writing vs. using a laptop? I haven't looked into the papers described in the video, but I feel like "students who prefer mechanical devices" could retain a bias on his/her personality and mental status. For example, someone with ADHD features could prefer a laptop over handwriting because a computer allows more room to play around with your material(such as font, multiple highlighters etc), as well as something to do when he/she is "distracted". The same person could be forced to make handwriting notes and be similarly distracted and fiddle their thumbs or look at the ceiling, the only difference being what they do while they're distracted.
Thanks for the invaluable lesson on effective note taking at this crucial time for me for I am returning to study law after 10 years and at the age of 38 years old. I have subscribed to your channel and liked the video at least to return an iota of the help you offered. This is the second time finished watching this video from start to finish. Thank you.
Thank you! We each can learn no matter our age & stage in life.
I wish I was taught by Dr. Kaplan in elementary and middle school, this note- taking method. Note-taking in high school, college, at times, was painful trying to capture every word.
I would also give an extra advice as a student that revolves around writing structure for learning, read, read a lot of different types of texts, researchs, lectures, books, articles, not complete, maybe 10 pages a day, it will improve your writing, story telling, orthography and attention skills.
Thank you, Professor Kaplan, for teaching us how to achieve at the University or college. I believe that taking notes is crucial to be a successful student.
Oh man - just started a playlist of what my kids have to review each school year. Thanks!
Advice you can implement right away. Your presentation of this subject is refreshing and educational thanks for helping me to get that much better than I was yesterday with this approach 👍🏽
Hand notes are superior to laptop notes because they allow taking non-linear notes. If a lecture is boring (monotonous delivery, lack of engagement from students, the lecture is not friendly-designed for note taking), it's as easy to solve sudokus with a pen and a paper as to multitask on a laptop.
It's remarkable how you managed to stretch the same four points from the beginning that took you 20 seconds to name into an entire eternity of over an over the same information
This is great information. I usually type notes - every word - and could tell it was a lot of work with very little payoff.
OMG, this stuff is pure Gold, thank you, I am preparing for a major professional 4 part exam, I will be using these techniques to retain notes.
This is the greatest teaching I have ever received
I’ve learned as a manager when scheduling a meeting to schedule follow up time immediately after. A 1 hour meeting is scheduled as 1.5 hours.
I take hand written notes and I take notes on my tablet. During follow up time i transfer handwritten to my tablet. All notes are filled in notes on with more information so it makes sense later. And so I can easily find them using search. I check off each note I followed up on.
I only take notes i need.
Hi Jeffrey! Fellow Bergen County resident here! Happened upon this video. First saw you on a documentary... Subscribing to your channel now. I'm a seasoned professional, but your content is great for me too.
For me, the following tips help
1. Read ahead so that when you hear it it feels familiar
2. When you can stop and try to predict what's next, for example if you were just given the definition of force ask yourself what the integral of force might be, let's say with respect to time, how about with respect to displacement.
3. Don't write too much.
4. Have some structue in your notes, I like the Cornell method (I think that's the name, but i dont remember) where you have questions on the right side, and notes on the left, at the bottom is a very short summary.
Ultimately, the best teacher is discovering things yourself, so experiment around with questions and explore these things alone when you can.
I wish they had these videos years ago when I was in college. It would made my college experience more meaningful. Unfortunately in high school they dont teach you things like this and you wander around trying to find things that work
You are so passionate in what you are speaking.. thanks so much for this.. God Bless you sir!!!
One technique I've been using is I take notes in a book, I like to draw things If I can or at least relate it back to something drawable.
But I also open up a google doc and use the speech to text thing and just let that bad boy run while I take notes.
Later on I can look at my notes and use ctrl+f on my doc to find everything my teacher said about it.
I don't have to use this a huge amount but it helps in subjects like bio where I'm a casual student and the subject is geared to future doctors who already know a shit ton.
Excellent way of explaining, you can write a whole book on these lectures
This information Jeffrey is sharing is valid. Years ago, I had a discussion w/someone re: nutrition. At some point, she wanted to relate information by reading a passage from a book... I told her that I can just as easily read a passage....don't "parrot" - tell me, in your own words, what you got from the passage (THAT IS learning & comprehending).
...she couldn't do it.
I won't lie, this reminds me of the video you did about studying, very similar in technique. I almost want to take notes on your video taking notes, almost. Thanks for the video!!
After long busy university schedule watching your video sir. Amazing channel.
Thank You, university just started, was really struggling with note-taking.
I agree with your #4, it improves my retention hugely and I openly recommend it to everyone. Even when learning names, write them down. However there is a condition called dysgraphia that prevents some people from taking effective notes. They are taught the techniques you are describing but on a typing device with no internet connectivity.
And here you get one subscriber. Your explanation is really really good and helpful and in the end your your research is indeed amazing. You are amazing.
Excellent job, Jeffrey. I am a slow learner with very poor retention, you may have just shown me what I was doing wrong.
Thank you for your video
I really enjoy your videoá mr. Kaplan. In my experience as an evening-student (in daytime I worked) at Leiden University, it took mostly about an hour to two hours to work out my notes (rule # 3). It depended on how much I had learned and how much I agreed with the professor - because I always had my own thoughts about the topics (mostly pedagogy, management and learning theories). If I had my own thoughts and ideas about the theory presented (which happened often), I also wrote them down - of course as a side-note. I have experienced that the more 'flesh' you put into the notes, the more fun it is.
1. dont write every word instead think through that meaning and summarize what it is there in your own words while trying to not grab exact phrases
2. take those notes within 24 hours and use 10-15 minutes and write your own stuff within them.
3. write instead of typing ( on laptops in class ) { ironical here though } as you can be distracted by the SM / Internet etc.
I left on another of your videos that I didn't take notes cause it didn't help me and in fact impeded me. Watching this I realize I used to took notes exactly the wrong way.
I'll try implementing that next semester and see how it goes. Any shaving off study time is appreciated.
I started multi-tasking during the bit about multi-tasking. I think it was the power of suggestion.
my notes:
active note taking --> more memorable, something to review
1) own words (by hand)
2) completion after lecture
3) sitting up front (less distractions)
Thanks Jeffrey, that was helpful! Thanks for including many research papers and their findings.
I been watching your videos with attention and are great full of knowledge and content. This series in particular about how to read, take notes etc is as your self told pure gold. But, I have a question: no doubt you are right about how to take notes both from a text or from a lecture. However what about reading books on an iPad? Or a kindle? In an iPad reading an ebook and doing the process of summarizing by writing with the Apple Pencil on a different app that allows to take notes by hand via electronic hand writing? Would you agree with that? I am a neuroscientist I study learning and memory in bees and I read a lot this way, even science papers using Mendeley and now Paperpile. The thing is that I don’t have the physical space or money to get all that material in printed paper but I wonder what do you have to say about that particular deviation from your method? That is doing the same work but on an electronic device that lets you write handwriting electronically?
What I do is take notes in paper and number them to know which paragraph they are referencing to. In fact just think in the old days when people used to go the physical library and you were not allowed to take the books with you or you had just a limited amount of time to borrow. You could photocopy it or you just had to take physical notes.
Thanks for the question and answer, I was wondering about that as I watched, all my study and texts are online. Glad I found these resources early in my course 😂
Great video! I saw the title and decided to take notes on everything you said, verbatim ;) .
This. This actually makes me excited about now taking! I can't wait to put it into practice.
I was the one writing down everything, because there wasn’t any let up from the professor during lecture, and felt if I just sat and listened I wouldn’t remember anything. I also remember being sitting in the first row during lecture because the few times I sat in the back people were on their laptops or phones checking social media. Only been distracted in the first row when there was a student that would just bring his phone to class and wait to find something wrong during the professor’s lecture (happened a lot). That same student was getting A’s in the class.
I took notes while watching your video on taking notes. It would be interesting to see a video of you taking notes while watching your own video and what notes you would take in addition to the notes you wrote on the glass.
100% - EXACTLY what I thought!!! If the lecturer speaks for 1 - 2 mins and you're just following along comprehending what's being said, what note do you actually take? To see Jeff do this over a longer video and/ or go into more depth about WHAT notes to take would be immensely helpful...
This methodology works for SO many situations, not just classroom lectures. The set of all situations that require active listening and understanding.
Cultivation of good habits is terrifically important. They will serve you throughout your career.
If you use this method, you will develop a habit of active listening that is triggered by the physical act of picking up your pencil and putting a header onto a notebook page. You'll be tuning in when other people are fighting the urge to tune out.
Classroom lectures are also meant to help you with real life, the greeks used the word "nous", to describe situational intelligence, lectures are a situation, understanding the content is intelligence, applying such a method will acquire situational intelligence, nous, in regards to acquiring, and understanding, information on the spot, or, in a situation where there is information to acquire, which is all situations
drooling over his teaching skills.
My notes are rubbish, looking forward to putting this into practice, thank you
i appreciate the given information and how enthusiastic you are about learning/gathering information.
it's possible to switch internet off and to focus and not to transcribe. The laptop or tablet is a tool, just like your brain..and you can use it in a focussed way or not. even in your brain you can "open" several tabs of thoughts next to each other and jump around thinking about your next vacation, lunch or your significant other or whatsoever.. and not listen to the lecture..
who wants to multitask or get distracted will manage to do so..this is not a "new" problem since the rise of electric portable screens.
most important point seem to be: dont transcribe, dont multitask, dont get distracted. ok
not sure why this aggressive/arrogant tone and bashing electronic devices that much is necessary to get the message delivered. thanks anyway. (btw: i do take notes by hand ;))
This is the best most aware professor ive ever seen lol
Awrsome content
Ty, sounds like a good thing to try and it can't hurt. Enjoy your videos.
I really needed this because of time pressure, I need to save time to study for my exams, thank you, Shieldon Cooper sir✨
I'm a slow typer. Which is blessing, thank you prof jeff for telling me
I studied Mathematics, and without the symbols I would have learned nothing. I wrote what I needed to go find references to the lecture subject.
Thank you so much for your channel, specially for this series! Really great advice for me to put to practice! 🤗🌷
Thanks Professor, would like to try these techniques in my upcoming graduate program. Would love to share my feedback in the next two years. Like to remind me, folks.