The Biggest Benefits of Effective Note-taking

7 Key Benefits of Effective Note-taking It has been proven that effective note-taking enhances academic success, but does it do more?

1. Improves focus and attention to detail. Developing note-taking skills engages a student, requiring them to focus and increase their attention to detail, and as we all know, the devil is in the detail!
2. Promotes active learning. By taking effective notes, students are actively involved in the learning process thus giving it a purpose and increasing productivity.
3. Boosts comprehension and retention. A proven method of increasing memory retention, note-taking can also increase comprehension by breaking down the content for a student to consume easily.
4. Teaches prioritizing skills. Often overlooked in its importance, it is essential for a student to be able to select important material and discard unnecessary content. This further adds to their organizational and creativity skills.
5. Extends attention span. Proven to extend a student’s attention span, a necessary tool in any learning situation!
6. Improves organization skills. By prioritizing content and organizing effectively, a student develops key organization strengths. As teachers are well aware, organization is key!
7. Increases creativity. Equipped with the ability to organize their ideas effectively, focus on a particular subject and expand on ideas through knowledge retention, students can use their own initiative increasing creativity and innovation.

All of these 'benefits' are things unrelated to the content of the notes. They provide benefits through Learning by doing

However, I'm becoming more convinced that Notes should be publishable, as this gives them both a sense of structure and a sense of purpose.