Thursday, March 7, 2019

Homeschooling the Teen Years - Study Skills: Taking Notes

Taking descent notes during a lecture is an essential skill for every college student, and beyond.  Sooner or later we've all needed to take notes in a business meeting, seminar, or even Bible study. But, it's not a skill we use naturally in our homeschooling day, and so it falls into the category of one of those "study skills" I've had to mindfully teach before sending my teens out into the world.

There are a number of great online videos that cover the topic.  I prefer "Taking Notes: Crash Course Study Skills" with Thomas Frank (actually the whole "Crash Course: Study Skills" playlist is pretty good)…


… or BrainPops clip on note taking …


… or one of the many "College Success" type class videos from almost any community college across the country (such as this one from Long Beach City College).


Just watch out for YouTubers trying to teach how to make "pretty" notes rather than effective notes.

Once we've reviewed the basics, and maybe some of the reasons for taking notes, we usually try it out together while watching a video from Great Courses or Crash Course.  Honestly, if your kids can keep up and take descent notes through any of the fast paced Crash Course videos, they'll have no problems keeping up with your average college professor.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

2 comments:

Ticia said...

The fast pace on many of the history videos online drive my kids nuts trying to take nuts, we'll definitely be watching these when I get back in town.

Natalie PlanetSmarty said...

A's school formally teacher note taking in their college prep class, but so far I am less than thrilled with her notes. To be fair, her mind works differently and she seems to be able to not just pass the tests but also really remember things that interest her (cue obscure genetics terms), so I just hope that she will find the system that works for her.