Group Note Taking

Are you tired of struggling to keep up with a lecture while copying page after page of notes in class? My advice? Don’t take the notes — at least not every day. Instead, form a group with some of your classmates and take turns taking good class notes. When it’s not your day to be the note-taker, really concentrate on what is being said in class. You might want to jot down a few particularly important points, but mostly try to participate in class. Ask questions when you can’t understand the point your teacher is trying to get across, and score points by answering questions your teacher asks. After class you can either photocopy the notes from your classmate, or better yet, copy them over by hand while reviewing in your mind what happened in class.

Source: Note Taking Techniques, Tips and Strategies

It’s a novel idea, but as a student I can foresee some possible pitfalls like the delegated note-taker for a certain day missing class or some vital point being left out of the notes accidentally. At the same time, I can see how this could greatly benefit a student by allowing him or her to be more engaged in the class. Students could take it a step further by reviewing the notes as a group following the class while making copies by hand or by photocopier.

Let us know what you think of this note-taking technique in the comments below. Do you have a unique note taking techniques? Share it with us!