As a Glean ambassador, Annette recently had the chance to get early access to Glean's note taking course. Here, she shares 10 key takeaways from the course, as well as new methods of note taking to start implementing in her studies.
My name is Annette Scott-Perry and I'm a Glean Ambassador. I am also a U.S. Navy veteran. I want to share my journey of using the Glean program with other veterans and other students who may face similar or different challenges that I am facing throughout my educational journey.
I am always searching to gain more knowledge about new or different aspects of my educational journey. I recently had the opportunity to complete a Glean Note Taking Course. It showed me new tricks on note taking that I did not know about.
Honestly, I thought I took great notes. Boy, was I wrong. I may take good notes but I found that I always have room for improvement.
Here are some notes taking tips that I am going to implement in my classes that start on Monday. I hope you can take some or just a few of these tips and see if they will help in decreasing the struggles that some of us may have. And at the same time improve our note taking abilities!
10 tips I learned while taking the Glean note taking course:
- Read the syllabus and highlight the key points
- Stay focused!
- Be an active listener by engaging in the class lectures
- Complete the reading assignments
- Set actionable goals for yourself
- Look up the meaning or definitions of terms that you do not understand
- Write questions on materials you may have
- Create an outline
- Mind mapping can be useful for the interconnected concepts - placing the main topic in the center, branching out to show how different figures or events connect with one another
- With an outline – break it down chronologically
New note taking methods
As well as the key points and tips for engaging with lectures, I also learned there are a few methods for note taking.
Outline method:
- Major Point 1
- Detail 1
- Sub detail 1
- Sub detail 2
- Detail 2
Mind mapping method
- Start with the central idea
- Main branches - these are key concepts related to the central idea
- Sub branches - important information relating to the key concepts
- Details - the finer details, such as dates or names
Final thoughts
Everyone is different in their learning and note taking styles. It's always good to remember that you know which methods will work best for you and help you learn more in the long run.
We are always here to help each other to not only learn but to be successful in our future endeavours!
