Good note taking will greatly help your success as a student. Reading assignments are a primary way you’ll gain new knowledge in esthetics school, and educational reading requires you to read more actively and strategically than reading for pleasure. If you read mechanically, seeing the words but with your mind a million miles away, you are wasting your time. When you take good notes, you promote active listening and reading. It’ll also help you interpret, organize, and remember the material.
Three Steps For Better Reading
1. Preview
By previewing a reading assignment, you will create a framework from which to view the material and construct your understanding. First, read all the headings and subheadings throughout the text (without reading the actual text). This gives you an idea of how the chapter is structured and the hierarchy of topics. Next, read the introduction and the summary. Then read the learning objectives, chapter outline, and key words. Finally, look at each chart, table, graph, or figure in your reading. By the time you complete all these preview steps, you should have a good idea of the chapter components, and a context for understanding the details. Now you can go on to reading the text itself.
2. Read
When you actively read a textbook, take notes and question the material and yourself. Consider these questions:
- “What is the main point of this paragraph?”
- “What did I learn from this paragraph?”
- “How does this relate to what I already know?”
3. Review
After completing your reading assignment, go back over it to reread anything you aren’t sure you understand. It may help to write and answer quiz questions, or answer any review questions there may be at the end of the chapter.
Taking Notes in Lectures
Most lectures are based on material discussed in reading assignments. Read and take notes on the assigned material before each lecture as described above. Sit toward the front of the class where you can see and hear. This will help eliminate distractions. Listen actively, adding to your reading notes or using them as a prompt to ask questions when the lecturer allows.
Active Listening
Active listeners sit up straight and make eye contact with the lecturer, asking questions and taking notes. The subject matter or lecture style may challenge your ability to do this, but no matter what your feelings or ideas are about a topic, it is important to stay open-minded and listen.