The Mapping Method

The methods we've discussed so far are all linear. This is great since lectures are arranged and taught in a linear fashion - Topic A to subtopics 1 through 6, then Topic B and so on. Unfortunately, this is the issue most students have with their notes. Rapheala of Meister Labs posted an article explaining how linear methods tend to be the most popular and widely used, but not the most effective.

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All information is key information when you're rushing through a long reading, so you copy everything that you read. You write down too much and end up with paragraphs of unnecessary details. At times, it's even difficult to write clear notes in class if the professor zips through slides and talks too quickly. Subsequently, you use the outline methods incorrectly. The column methods can help you separate all those notes by forcing them into separate categories. But you still might not feel that you have sufficient notes when you realize you don't understand the significance of the bullet points and sentences in your notebook. To prevent these issues try out a non-linear method; the Mapping Method is a great start.

Every Tree in the Forest

My high school history teacher Ms. H always reminded us that to understand concepts (both large and small) we need to see the forest and the trees. Chapters of textbooks, pdfs, websites, and lecture slides are all forests. Our notes should display the trees so we can better understand those forests. It's quite beautiful.

Why It's My Favorite

This format allows you to display all the information branching from one key topic. I believe that everyone should take notes the way that's best for them to learn. If that means using a non-linear method, then so be it. Even if it is a bit more difficult to explain than the others.

It's appearance differs between individuals. For example, let's say you are taking Intro to Biopsychology and need to understand the differences between the sections of a neuron. You look through your outlined notes and realize you have a ton of facts listed but nothing connecting the ideas together. What do you do? Well, you can use a linear method like creating a chart (it's really a table) or you can try something original, something you've never dreamed of trying before; you can make a map. Quite frankly, describing how to do this is difficult. CalPoly didn't get into much detail as to how to create one, while MindMeister. wants you to use their application. Each map is different by subject and creator, so I'll tell you the simplest way to get you started.

• Step 1: Place your notebook (or sheet of loose-leaf) horizontally
• Step 2: Write the main topic ("The Sections of the Neuron") in the center of the page
• Step 3: Branch from the main topic your subtopics ("The Dendrites", "The Soma", "The Axon", etc...)
• Step 4: Branch from each subtopic any key terms or terms that will lead to definitions (from "The Dendrites": "action potentials", from "The Soma": "the axon hillock", from "The Axon": "myelin")
• Step 5: Branch definitions from the key terms (from "The Soma": "maintains the structure of the cell", from "the axon hillock": "begins the propagation of action potentials")

The finished product will be a large picture showing how the ideas relate to one another. To help you continue from here I recommend checking out MindMeister. They provide in depth examples of how to create mind maps. You can pay for their application, but don't. To create your own, I recommend using MindMapMaker. You can use this to brainstorm ideas for stories and reorder your notes, for example, Biopsychology. If branching your notes sounds too off the beaten path, the Sentence Method may be what you're searching for. 

Helpful Hints
If you decided to check out this method first, and haven't read the others, please start with Intro to Note-Taking. 

Sources
California Polytech State University. Academic Skills Center (Student Academic Services). Note-Taking Systems, 2018, https://asc.calpoly.edu/ssl/notetakingsystems. Accessed 28 August 2018.

Raphaela. “Effective Note Taking in Lectures and Class Using Mind Maps”. The Creativity and Productivity Blog (Mind Meister Labs). N/A, https://www.mindmeister.com/blog/effective-note-taking/#. Accessed 16 October 2018.