How to Manage the Mess between Notes

How to Manage the Mess between Notes Once you become a nursing student you find yourself amidst a number of lectures. Each of this lecture sessions requires you to keep notes and this is a challenge itself. Nursing students have commonly reported that it has happened to them quite frequently to get lost between these notes. Thus, considering this issue and the impact it has on the overall learning process, it’s important to focus on how to improve the notes management process.

Keep simple notes in an organised way.

Just like in any other field, organization is the core component once you are taking notes that you want to use in the future learning routine. It has been reported that those individuals who are able to correctly take notes have shown greater abilities in terms of memorizing the information.

Usually, whilst taking notes, students strive to write down everything they are hearing, and this is not the best method to be used. The main point should be to write down the keywords. These keywords are the ones that will trigger information in our head even after days have passed by. Also, another thing to keep in mind is the terminology used whilst keeping notes.

It has been shown that if students keep notes using the professors’ exact words, they will not be able to recall the meaning of these notes in the near future.

Nursing students should be focused and encouraged to take notes in their own unique words and writing style.

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Methods to take the best notes ▪ Write short When you start taking notes you should be aware that each of us is unique, thus even the style of taking notes differs from one student to another. Yet, there is one common piece advice that applies to each student. Keep your notes short! You may want to write everything down, but the lecturer’s rhythm is faster than yours. In this case, you can set up your own system of abbreviations. Nursing students might benefit a lot in this case taking into consideration their curricula terminology. In case you want to emphasize a particular section more than others, you can underline or highlight it at that very moment. Plus, this will get you into the habit of abbreviating for when you’re out on the field.

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Notes apps

Another approach is to take notes digitally, though this simply does not work for everyone. As you might already be aware, there are a number of apps that can be downloaded through your tablet’s app store. These applications offer the possibility to use tags. This way, notes can be divided as per the related categories, just as you would do in your notebook. These categories might be topic based, date based or even chapter based.

Example of Example of date Example of chapter based: based: topic based: ✓ Maths 1st ✓ 12/12/20 ✓ Biology chapter 22 ✓ Maths 2nd ✓ 12/11/20 ✓ Chemistry chapter 22 This digital approach is considered to be feasible. It should be mentioned the fact that as all other applications it requires dedication at the initial period of usage. Studies show that many people are likely to better memorize things that are handwritten, rather than typed.

In terms of technological solutions, a nursing student might as well use a recording device. You can record everything during the lecture and once you are about to study that particular section, you can re-listen to the recording.

Apart from these two types of solutions, a nursing student might as well consider using his/ her laptop. The laptop will save unnecessary time consumption in terms of keeping notes and organize them. By using this method you can do everything at the same time from the same source and you will just have to read and go through them once it is time to re-learn.

In case the lectures are involving slide presentations, photos are considered to be a pro- active as well. Usually professors include the core essence of the lesson in these photo slideshows. You can print these as a visual studying aid.

Related: The Top 10 Worries of Nurses Non – Technological methods for notes taking Of course, there are several methods that can be applied without the necessity of technological equipment. Not all nursing students prefer a technological approach.

Here are some examples of how you can take notes, traditionally with pen and paper:

o o o o o

Outlining Method Cornell Method Mapping Method Charting Method Sentence Method

Outlining Method – This method is commonly found to be effective in cases of maths or other science related lectures. This is an indenting based methodology. The most known disadvantage of this method is the fact that it requires some planning ahead during note-taking in terms of organizing the information. Still, it is really effective in terms of outlining the prioritized information, and later it will be easy to view.

Cornell Method – Once you start taking notes in your notebook, you immediately tag this information in the left side of the paragraph. This way you can get oriented through the information even after several days. There are not recorded any disadvantages of this method, considered it is a wellorganized and clearly structured way of information recording.

Mapping Method – This method requires a considerable amount of concentration since it requires the connection of every fact or attribute mentioned in the lecture with other facts or attributes previously mentioned or to be mentioned. This methods disadvantage is the fact that a nursing student might lose his or her focus while trying to make a connection between the facts that have been already mentioned.

Charting Method – This method involves information categorizing through columns. As a matter of fact, this method is best when you are dealing with the chronological type of notes. It might fit with history classes.

Sentence Method – This method is used when dealing with voluminous information. A nursing student might fit into this category for some courses.

You might take note of the main sentence or idea of that specific fragment and then mention the page or the section related to it in the book.

This method is found appropriate to manage large quantities of information whilst in the class.

You know how difficult it is for a nursing student to deal with incoming information on a daily basis. It may be necessary to seek out some supportive information and tools that prove to be helpful during lecture time.

Keeping notes is really crucial to the proper ongoing studies considering that each of us has our own individual approach towards new information.

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