Chris Pirillo: Any old way, I have got a top five list here for students who are out there, related to school and note taking these were submitted by Snake eyes 11, one of our active members here at live.pirillo.com in the chat you may see there it is right there -- right there and these are notes these tips about notes, notes about tips are relevant because my wife Panzie (ph) just went in for an assessment test, she is going to pursue a degree, a college degree, we don't really know what it's going to be in right now. She is not sure which field she is going to pursue specifically. She has got a few ideas of the things she is interested in.
For me, I didn't teach English, I now teach technology that's because I enjoy it. I think more than anything having a degree, just shows that you have the ability to see things through more than anything else. So snake eyes 11 top five tips on school and note taking.
1)Go to class and be prepared. Don't show up with nothing in the right way. What I see a lot is students go to class with no paper, pen and pencil, may also help to bring more that one writing utensil. You may want to bring a highlighter and some extra pens. If you use a laptop to take notes make sure the battery is fully charged or find the closest outlet. Be sure to save previous notes and study them everyday. You never know that it's going to be a pop quiz or a test. Don't save your homework to the last minute, read your assignment and do your work before it's due. Another thing, if you have a laptop you need to buy extra battery or make sure that the keyboard that you are using is super quiet because if you are in class and you are listening to the instructor and all you hear next to you is - it drives me straight up the wall. Get a tablet PC.
2)Have a concious effort to listen and be attentive. Sometimes during this we will ask off topic questions and you get bored and sometimes you fall off topic. So always be prepared and stay attentive. Be prepared to adapt to whatever direction the lecture takes. When a lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asked a question you aren't particularly interested in because students have a tendency to zone out when this happens. Before you know it, the lecture gets back on track and you have missed crucial information that should have noted because you had zoned out. It's very easy to get off topic and if you do miss anything that day in class ask a friend or someone else for notes. If you are sick one day, then come back to class and you realize you are having a test, don't blame the instructor for planning the test on that day. Always ask someone for notes, when you were sick so that you can write them down.
3)Use a method that works for you. If you are a big fan of two column notes then use that method. Be sure to also start each lecture on a different page and make sure you date and label all your notes. Don't use the same notebook for each class, use a different notebook or a different notebook section if it's like a five subject notebook for each particular class. You don't want to be writing notes for your history in your math binder. Always make sure you keep your notes dated, put them on order, keep them in order, this will help you study for test and final exams. It's always important to develop a system of abbreviation and symbols you can use wherever possible.
4) Pay close attention to content. If something is written down in the red over the chalk board, write it down, even if you think it's not important. Write down definitions to the words that are listed, make sure you write down everything that is repeated or spelled up. Usually when my teacher writes something down multiple times, I know it's going to be on the test later on.
5)Last step, this is important, review your notes, reread or study at least 24 hours later to make sure it's still fresh in your mind. Be sure to edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don't make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear so that you have a better meaning for that word and you understand it. If you need to make corrections or you would like to edit your notes choose another color to determine what you actually wrote in class and what you just edited.
If keywords and questions are still unclear you can go back and look and read the chapter and fill in the definition in the left column. So again, editing is important. If you are still unclear, circle it or underline it and ask the professor or teacher, fill anything you may have left from the textbook as well as make sure the textbook and your notes match. I'm going to throw in a couple of other tips too. This may only be relevant for those in college, but study groups are great, not just for test, but just for comradery and social interaction making sure you understand the concepts that were discussed in class. It's very important, and another thing if you are going to buy college books, textbooks, buy them online, do not buy them locally because it's price will cost you heck of a lot more. I wish I would have had the internet around when I was in college because you end up spending hundreds of dollars on textbooks and then when you go to sell them back at the end of the semester, they give you like two dollars. It is -- I'm telling you, the college textbooks are a scam.
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