Based upon marks percentage, students in any college class can be grouped into three categories:
1 Above 70%
2 65-70%
3 Below 60%
So what students of first category do to achieve such higher grades whereas the others lag behind?
OK THE FIRST SECRET OF TOPPERS - They take notes!!
One must have noticed that as soon as teachers start writing on the boards these students also start scribbling everything on their note-book.
Not only this, they scribble everything spoken by any apt teacher on green board.
While others think - Oh, I understood the concept. Why bother to take notes?
So should a student take notes or not? Are there any advantages of taking notes.
The answer is definitely - YES.
Let's take a look at various advantages of taking notes:
1 NOTES ARE FOR LONG TERM
Many students come to the class with an I-pad or nothing at all. This is the first step to disaster.
Human brain is not a recording machine. One may be understanding the concept but nothing is being recorded by the brain albeit for short span of time.
And as time passes, one forgets everything.
Moreover, by evening you are going to take eight classes, so what do you think how much your brain will be able to retain.
Toppers consciously or subconsciously understand this. Therefore they make best use of the DISCOVERY - Pen and Paper. They jott things down.
Once done, now these notes are forever. One can look at them at any time of the semester.
One can revise them as many times as one wishes. But if there are no notes what will you revise?
And they come handy while preparing for various entrance exams at the end of graduation. If one has no time to go through all the heavy books again. ( there will be another post on EFFECTIVE - TIME MANAGEMENT).
2 REVISION
Ever wonder why toppers always know the answers and you sound not to have a clue.
And you simply wonder - do they have great memory.
Well not quite in the way you think it is. In fact things are needed to be memorised.
And the single and sure shot way to memorise any thing is - REVISION.
There is no short cut to it. More you revise a thing more it is etched in your brain.
Remember on the first day in the class in first few days you don't remember the names of your classmates. But within a year you knew everyone.
How this happened. A kind of -REVISION. You are meeting them again and again, day by day.
Same holds true for learning process.
NOW the kids who are taking notes are already doing this process of revision as compared to those who are not. Suppose the latter revise at home. But the former will be doing it for second time. So they are 1X time ahead of the latter.
3 KINESTHETIC SENSE
There is a term called Kinesthetic learning - means doing physical activity while learning.
Now let's take two cases.
1 Only listening to teacher and not taking notes - what brain circuit will be used here.
a) Teacher's voice will go into ears.
b) Stimulus goes to temporal lobes.
c) Via thalamus it will be sent to prefrontal cortex for analysing and reasoning.
d) And stored as short term memory.
2 Listening and taking notes.
All four processes are occurring along with these additional -
e) Signal goes to somatosensory cortex in parietal lobe of brain
f) Via thalamus sent to prefrontal cortex.
g) Decision for taking notes (muscle movement) is taken.
h) Signal is sent to somatomotor cortex.
i) Via thalamus signal is sent to spinal cord nerves
j) Nerves take signal to arm and hand
k) Note is scribbled down.
and BHAM!!
Notes taker are using ELEVEN events of brain activity as compared to non notes takers - only FOUR.
Means when we are taking notes larger part of brain is being used. Thus more neuron synapses and circuits are being formed. This constitutes new learning also.
So decide for yourself - what is better? Using more brain or less?
So this is clear - NOTES taking makes you more BRAINY.
Let's consider this example.
Can you learn to ride a cycle simply by looking at someone who is driving it.
In one way it's so simple. Just sit on the cycle, paddle it and go.
But when you actually try to ride, you make so many mistakes and falls off many times.
Why? Because new brain synapses and circuits have to be formed and it takes time and PRACTISE to form.
Same principle is with academic learning. Taking notes means you are doing PRACTISE. Do it many time and who knows you will be in next top five students or best - the topper.
4 TEACHERS GIVE YOU ABSTRACT THINGS
Teachers may have made the lecture from many books and they may be giving you - relevant things.
You need not to go through all the troubles they have gone.
So taking those notes means they may be giving you important things.
But yes every teacher is not so competent. Well this case has been discussed in some other post.
5 MORE CONCENTERATION
During a class, different types of students do different things.
Some checks mobiles, do FB , check whatsapp, talking, desk graffiti etc.
You may be one among them. These things will never let you to concentrate on what teacher is teaching.
So who is at the loss.
YOU.
If you have somehow brought yourself to the class, won't it be good if you gain something from what teacher is saying.
Taking notes will keep you busy. You won't get distracted and will have more concentration on the topic of the hour. You are doing good things to others also by not distracting them.
Why some students don't like to take notes ?
1 Feeling at a wrong place
This is a common excuse. Some students think they were supposed to do some important things but they landed in the college by chance.
But this approach has a negative influence. Of course one will do different things, but that will happen some years after.
So stop day dreaming about future and try to live for the moment. Dedicate yourself to the subject you have taken. Even if it is boring use imagination and make it interesting. And who knows this same course may save you in future. Because things always don't go according to our planning.
Also it's not sensible bickering all the time about feeling stuck and thus spoiling other things.
Don't look at the closed door, instead look at the open one.
2 It doesn't look cool to carry books
Some kids have this attitude that books and bags are meant for school-boys. But now you are in college so you should not carry them. However this thinking is so irrational. Most kids in the college come with bags and they look equally cool.
3 Because other student's don't carry
May be some students are coming from rich or business families and their destiny is already decided. All they have to do is manage that business. But they also need to read point 1.
Hence don't compare yourself to anyone. Just think about yourself.
Conclusion
So think and analyse all the points and start taking notes. Just by doing this simple thing during classes will create a HUGE difference. It will put you on the path of becoming an ace student who can score high in exams and feel proud on himself.
