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Summary

The presenter describes a note-taking system developed through demanding study and exams. It is especially suited to humanities and language subjects, but can be adapted to any subject. The method has three stages: preparing to take notes, building and maintaining structured notes, and using them actively for revision.

1. Prepare Before Taking Notes

• Combine handwriting and digital notes.

  • Handwriting can encourage understanding and make it harder to copy text without processing it, though it takes longer and can be more difficult to store and organize.
  • Typing is quicker and makes notes easier to search, reorganize, and print, but it can tempt students to copy material verbatim.
  • The presenter’s approach is to take initial notes by hand, then type them into a document.

• Learn what the exam requires.

  • Before studying in depth, review past exam papers, assessment criteria, marking schemes, and examiner reports.
  • This helps identify:
    1. Frequently tested topics.
    2. What earns marks and where students commonly lose them.
    3. The kinds of answers required, such as short responses or essays.

• Use multiple sources.

  • Start with the core textbook, then add relevant class worksheets, other textbooks, online resources, and independent research.
  • Bring the material together in a single master document so the notes are not limited to one textbook’s coverage.

2. Build and Maintain Structured Notes

• Do not treat note-taking as the main act of studying. It prepares the material for later review; deeper learning comes from working with the notes afterward.
• For long courses, create a master document for each subject and build it over time rather than making scattered notes only before individual assessments.
• Aim to finish the notes before dedicated final-exam preparation, which the presenter recommends beginning at least two months before exams.
• Read or review a section before writing notes. First get an overview and identify:
  • The main arguments.
  • The details that explain each argument.
  • The evidence supporting it.
• Organize notes hierarchically:
  • Put the main arguments or ideas first as “anchors.”
  • Add supporting details beneath them in indented bullets.
  • Add evidence beneath the relevant details.
• Go beyond the textbook where useful. For example, in IB history, essays may benefit from historiography. The presenter recommends supplementing a textbook quotation with material from the historian’s own work to create a richer account of differing interpretations.
• Transfer the handwritten draft into a digital document to create a secure, organized copy that can be reviewed and rearranged.
• Keep updating the master notes as new resources or information become available.
• Track sources carefully. Use citations, page numbers, or footnotes so that information can be traced later.

3. Use the Notes Actively for Revision

• Print the notes and review them with highlighters or markers.
• Add comments in the margins, including:
  • Connections or recurring patterns across topics.
  • Questions that arise while reviewing.
• Practice mentally answering possible essay questions as you read, rather than passively scanning the notes.
• Reorganize material to suit the task:
  • Sort sources by publication date to study how interpretations have changed.
  • Group notes by theme to plan a thematic essay.

The main takeaway is that notes should be organized around the student’s goals, especially the format and demands of the exam. They should serve as a foundation for active revision, not be mistaken for studying itself.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: One presenter or narrator describing her own note-taking method.
• Sources and examples mentioned: Past exam papers, assessment criteria, marking schemes, examiner reports, textbooks, class worksheets, online resources, independent research, and an IB history example on authoritarian states and the Weimar Republic.
• Historian referenced: Peter Gay, including a quotation from Culture: Outsider as Insider.