Upgrade Your Note-Taking the Easy Way

Summary

The video discusses effective note-taking strategies for students to enhance productivity. It emphasizes creating a single canvas for each topic, allowing students to build and refine their notes continuously. The speaker highlights the importance of conceptual understanding in subjects like math and literature, suggesting that students focus on big-picture ideas and relationships rather than rote memorization. Techniques such as pre-studying, annotating, and reorganizing notes are recommended. The speaker also shares personal experiences with various apps and emphasizes the importance of understanding the author's perspective in literature to improve essay writing. The goal is to develop a holistic and flexible approach to learning.

Takeaways

• 📚 Emphasize the importance of organizing notes by topics or themes rather than by individual classes or lectures to create a comprehensive understanding.
• 🖌️ Develop a 'single canvas' system where students continuously build upon their notes, integrating new information with existing knowledge.
• 🗂️ Gradually transition from traditional typed notes to a more freehand, visual approach, starting with pre-study notes and expanding them during and after lectures.
• 📝 Encourage students to refine and reorganize their notes post-lecture to correct any mistakes and enhance their understanding.
• 💡 For math, focus on conceptual understanding rather than purely procedural learning. Understand the 'why' behind formulas and equations.
• 🔄 Practice procedural aspects of subjects, such as solving equations in math, but keep the main conceptual notes separate from procedural practice.
• 🎥 When writing essays, especially for literature, encourage students to think like the author or director, understanding their decisions and the context behind them.
• 🔍 Research the background of authors or directors to better understand their work and make deeper connections in essays.
• 🧠 Use memorization tools like flashcards or mnemonic methods sparingly and primarily for rote memorization of unrelated or minor content.
• ✍️ For essays, focus on understanding themes, character motivations, and the connections between them rather than memorizing specific quotes or passages.

Q & A

What is the ultimate goal in organizing notes for college students?

The ultimate goal is to have a single canvas for all notes related to a specific topic, allowing students to continuously build and construct on top of that. This method helps in organizing notes effectively and makes it easier to review for exams.

How can students gradually transition into using a single canvas for note-taking?

Students can start by creating a basic framework or outline during pre-study, focusing on main ideas and relationships for the upcoming lectures. During lectures, they can annotate this framework and later refine, reorganize, and consolidate it.

What should students do if they find the single canvas method overwhelming?

If the single canvas method is overwhelming, students can start by typing notes during lectures and then consolidating them onto the canvas later. Alternatively, they can use a scribble pad for key ideas during the lecture and then add those to the canvas afterward.

Why did the speaker stop using multiple apps and tools for note-taking?

The speaker realized that using multiple apps and tools was unnecessary as their learning requirements increased. They found that a single method of note-taking that offloads cognitive resources and allows higher-order thinking is more effective.

What is the speaker's current note-taking method?

The speaker now primarily uses an Infinite Canvas for note-taking. The only exception is for information that needs to be memorized, in which case they use a flashcard app or other memorization tools.

How does the speaker approach note-taking for mathematics?

For mathematics, the speaker emphasizes the importance of conceptual understanding before focusing on numbers and procedures. They recommend organizing notes conceptually to understand the purpose, big picture, and application of mathematical concepts.

How does the speaker approach note-taking for essays, especially literature or movie reviews?

For essays, the speaker suggests understanding the main themes, the author's or director's background, and the relationships between characters and themes. They also recommend practicing good writing skills separately and using past exam questions for practice.

What are the benefits of understanding the author's or director's background when writing essays?

Understanding the author's or director's background helps in making authentic connections between themes, characters, and motifs. It provides insight into why certain creative decisions were made, making it easier to write insightful essays.

What advice does the speaker give for procedural practice in mathematics?

The speaker advises practicing equations and questions separately while being guided by confidence and certainty about the concepts. They emphasize the importance of understanding the conceptual framework first before engaging in procedural practice.

What can teachers or professors do to make note-taking easier for students?

Teachers and professors can focus on helping students develop a strong conceptual understanding of the material. They can also encourage the use of single-canvas note-taking methods and allow students to bring formula sheets or cheat sheets to focus more on conceptual learning.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Note-Taking Strategies for Students

The speaker discusses productivity in relation to note-taking for college students. They emphasize the importance of having a single canvas for all notes on a particular topic, which might span multiple lectures. This method allows students to build and continuously add to their notes. The speaker suggests starting with a basic framework of key ideas before lectures, then annotating during lectures, and finally refining and reorganizing the notes afterward. They share their personal journey of experimenting with various apps and methods, ultimately settling on an infinite canvas for note-taking. They recommend using flashcards for rote memorization and various mnemonic techniques for retaining information.

05:01

🧠 Conceptual Understanding in Mathematics

The speaker highlights the importance of understanding mathematical concepts without numbers first. They criticize the common approach of learning math procedurally and advocate for a conceptual understanding, which is crucial for solving complex problems with multiple variables. The speaker shares their experience of re-learning math through a conceptual lens and how it changed their perspective. They explain that while procedural practice is still necessary, understanding the big picture and relationships between concepts is key. This approach makes learning math more interesting and effective.

10:03

📖 Writing Effective Essays

The speaker explains the process of writing essays, particularly focusing on literature reviews and creative writing. They suggest reading the book thoroughly and understanding the author's or director's background to gain insight into the themes and characters. This knowledge helps in making authentic connections and writing better essays. The speaker discourages memorizing pre-written essays and emphasizes understanding the themes and motifs. They also mention creating possible exam questions and practicing good writing skills to improve essay performance.

Keywords

💡Productivity

Productivity in the context of the video refers to the efficiency and effectiveness with which students can organize and utilize their notes for learning and studying. It is a central theme of the video, as the speaker discusses various methods for students to enhance their productivity through better note-taking strategies.

💡Note-Taking

Note-taking is the process of recording information during lectures or while studying. The video emphasizes the importance of developing a non-linear note-taking method that allows students to build upon and connect ideas, which is crucial for effective learning and review.

💡Conceptual Understanding

Conceptual understanding is the grasp of the fundamental ideas and principles behind a subject, as opposed to just memorizing facts or procedures. The video stresses the significance of understanding the 'why' behind mathematical concepts, which is essential for applying knowledge in various contexts.

💡Non-linear Note-Taking

Non-linear note-taking is a method of recording information in a way that does not follow a strict linear progression, allowing for the integration of ideas and concepts from multiple sources or lectures. The script mentions this as a preferred method for building a comprehensive understanding of topics.

💡Canvas

In the video, 'canvas' is used metaphorically to describe a visual or mental space where all notes related to a particular topic are organized. The goal is to have a single canvas that represents all the information on a subject, facilitating easier review and understanding.

💡Pre-Study

Pre-study is the preparation work done before attending a lecture, such as reading ahead or jotting down key ideas from the material to be covered. The script suggests using pre-study to create an initial framework for notes that can be built upon during and after the lecture.

💡Annotation

Annotation in this context refers to the act of adding notes or comments to existing written material, such as during a lecture. The speaker mentions annotating pre-study notes during lectures as a way to enrich and personalize the understanding of the material.

💡Schema

Schema represents the structured representation of knowledge or concepts in one's mind. The video discusses the importance of representing schemas in a single, easy-to-use format, which can offload cognitive resources and facilitate higher-order thinking.

💡Flashcard

Flashcards are a study tool used for memorization, often involving the repetition of information to reinforce memory. The script mentions using flashcards with algorithmic spacing repetition for memorizing seemingly unrelated or isolated facts needed for exams.

💡Infinite Canvas

The term 'Infinite Canvas' refers to a digital or conceptual space with no limitations on size, where notes and ideas can be freely organized and connected. The speaker describes using an Infinite Canvas as their primary method for note-taking, allowing for comprehensive organization and easy navigation.

💡Method of Loci

The Method of Loci, also known as the memory palace technique, is a mnemonic device that involves associating information with specific locations in a familiar environment to aid recall. The speaker mentions using this method for memorization, integrating it into their Infinite Canvas.

💡Essay Writing

Essay writing is the process of composing a structured piece of writing on a particular topic. The video discusses different approaches to writing essays, emphasizing the importance of understanding the themes and context of the subject matter to write effectively.

💡Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is the process of identifying, analyzing, and interpreting themes within a text, movie, or other forms of media. The script uses '1984' by George Orwell as an example, explaining how understanding the author's background and intentions can lead to a deeper thematic analysis.

Highlights

The ultimate goal of note-taking is to have a single canvas for all notes related to a specific topic, enabling continuous construction and refinement.

Students should start by creating a basic frame of main ideas before lectures, gradually building on it with annotations and reorganizing the notes afterward.

Transitioning to non-linear note-taking can be phased, starting with pre-study notes and moving towards an Infinite Canvas approach.

The focus of note-taking should be on offloading cognitive resources to enable higher-order thinking and representing concepts in an easy-to-navigate format.

The Infinite Canvas method simplifies note-taking by consolidating information into a single, easy-to-navigate format.

For rote memorization, tools like flashcard apps with algorithmic space repetition or memorization techniques such as the method of loci can be useful.

Understanding math conceptually, rather than procedurally, is key to mastering complex problems and equations.

Students should focus on understanding the purpose and big picture of math concepts before diving into procedural practice.

Conceptual understanding in math can lead to better problem-solving, especially when dealing with multi-variable contexts like physics.

For math notes, the focus should be on relationships between concepts rather than procedural practice, which can be done separately.

When studying literature or films, understanding the author's or director's background and creative decisions can provide deeper insights into themes and characters.

To excel in literature or film essays, students should think like the author or director, connecting themes and motifs to the creator's personal experiences or intentions.

Creating a list of possible exam questions and practicing answers can help students apply their conceptual understanding effectively.

The procedural aspect of essay writing requires good writing skills, which can be developed through practice and feedback.

Teachers and professors can support students by encouraging conceptual understanding and providing tools for effective note organization.

Transcripts

I wanted to ask you a little bit more

about

productivity in relation to notes

do you teach any way for students to

organize their notes like if you're in

college you have multiple classes

studying for a midterm or final there's

multiple chapters go through going to

class you take notes and then you have

to eventually review for an exam so is

there some kind of organizational system

that you recommend your students for

notes uh it depends completely on their

level of skill and how comfortable they

are with it the ultimate goal you want

to end up at is that you have sort of

like a single canvas that all of your

notes for that particular topic are on

so when I say topic for a university

that might be like you know four or five

lectures of that week you know so it's

not like one canvas for every paper so

like all of biology or chemistry

but for within within that like for

example uh redox or Organics or for um

you know I don't know like cellular

transport whatever that topic is you

want to have sort of one canvas and you

want to be building on it and then

constructing on top of that continuously

but that's quite difficult to do if

someone doesn't have like a really good

method of non-linear note taking that

allows them to build on effectively so

in that case you sort of just try to

phase your way into it so for example if

you're mostly typed at the moment and

we're trying to go into more freehand

then one great way of doing that would

be like in your pre-study in the weekend

before the week's worth of lectures

coming up write some notes on all four

or five lectures coming up that week and

for those lectures all you want to do is

just get the main ideas and just create

some big groups and some major

relationships like for four or five

lectures you might have like literally

15 words on the page 15 keywords that

you have like Okay so this the next five

lectures like basically talking about

this topic where this kind of goes to

this and then there's this and then we

learn about this process and then how

that can be used in these kind of

applications just that very very very

basic frame let me start there and then

from there if we're feeling confident

enough with it and we want to give it a

go we can take that into lecture and

then we can annotate on top of that

during the lecture and then afterwards

we can look through that clean it up

simplify it re-jigs the structure

reorganize it and you realize I put this

Arrow going this way that's actually

wrong it has to be this way and we can

reorganize it after that and that's a

little overwhelming then we can just

start with that frame in the pre-study

we can type up the notes while we're in

the lecture and then afterwards we can

try to take our type notes and then

consolidate them onto this map or even

if that's too much then we can just have

that scribble pad idea that I talked

about before where we just you know have

those things next to us as we're going

through and then after you've got that

scribble pad you can look at it and just

take some of the key ideas you got from

that and try to add that to your map but

the idea is that over time we want to be

less and less dependent on all these

other things and more and more using

just kind of like a single canvas I

really went through like very long kind

of uh not very straightforward journey

in terms of how I used to write notes

because I use like every single app

there was like I was the person that

really Min maxed every single app like I

like

five six different apps probably even

more because I have like

scanning apps and then like software

like text recognition that allows me to

then like and then moving on to my

Evernote and then going for my Evernote

and then like syncing up with like Rome

or like notion and then creating like a

relationship and then like create you

know processing that and something else

so I used to have multiple steps to do

this over time and as the amount I've

needed to learn has gone up and the

knowledge requirements I've needed to

have gone up and as I've had less and

less time to just sit and study I've

realized that it's really pretty

unnecessary all I need is a method of

note taking that allows me to offload

cognitive resources to allow me to do

higher order thinking and to represent

that schema in the single format that's

easy to use and easy to navigate so for

me now I virtually use just one Infinite

Canvas and that's basically it the only

exception would be if there are things

that are seemingly unrelated seemingly

meaningless but you still need to know

it for your test or exam and that's the

stuff that you need to wrote memorize so

you'd use a flashcard app something with

algorithmic space repetition to make

sure that you're able to hold on to that

content or audio you some other type of

memorization tool my go-to is a

combination of method of loci and Link

method or story method I think I might

even have a video on YouTube teaching my

kind of version of that because it's a

little bit different and I put that in

my Infinite Canvas directly or

very very very very very rarely and I

haven't used this for years now I'll use

like a power system Pao but that's it's

just so time consuming to set up a pal

table that I just I haven't used that

and haven't needed that for years and

now I I don't really need to rope

memorize anything anymore like ever so I

don't use that at all but if I was going

back to like if I would have studied

medicine again I would probably do

something like that okay so on this

topic a student comes and asks you what

do your what do your mathematic notes

look like and what do your notes look

like for a class where you have to write

like three essays technical versus

non-technical nodes yeah so let's let's

do the maths one first so if you talk to

well I guess not talk to you about it if

you listen to uh like some of the top

professors of mathematics in the world

and I can't name names because I'm just

not that familiar but I've I've seen

these videos and I've seen these

interviews with you know like World

leading you know mathematicians like

prodigies one of the things that they

often say is that when you learn math

and this is a big problem with how math

is often taught is that you want to

learn maths without the numbers first

you want to have a conceptual

understanding of mass because just like

how you would understand it and biology

or physics or chemistry or any other

like political science or economics just

like how you'd understand concepts for

those subjects understanding concepts

for math is equally important in fact

it's even arguably more important

because when you see a problem and it's

not just like differentiate this you

know or like find the area under the

curve where it's just like simple Plug

and Play when it's bringing it together

in different contexts and now it's not

just like numbers but it's like the

velocity of this particular thing and

like the you know force of gravity

acting you know when there's multiple

variables stacked on top of it what

allows you to actually solve it is to

conceptually understand how you can

approach that in the first place and

then what follows from that is knowing

what the equations are but what a lot of

people do is they look at Mass purely

procedurally and they look at an

isolation and so when they look at a

problem what they're trying to do is

just pattern recognition

they're trying to say can I get the

variables represented in here to fit

into any of the equations that I know

about and therefore people will use

equations incorrectly people will say oh

this is the letter e and here's the

letter e and it's like oh it must be the

same thing and they'll use it that way

you know very common for physics the

equation will be used out of context

like it's not really meant to be used in

that way but they'll sort of jankly fit

it in there or they'll just constantly

be like seeing okay can I make this a

simultaneous equation blah blah or

they'll just mindlessly work through it

until they feel like it looks like

something a bit more familiar and

they're like oh yes I've stumbled upon

it there's it's a very inconsistent way

of doing maths and I'll be the first

person to say that's the entirety of how

I learn Mass actually like personally

but for for whatever reason like I

started getting into this YouTube

channel called number file which talks

about like theoretical mathematics and I

was like man math is really interesting

and then so I started learning math

again but like purely conceptually first

and I've got to tell you like it just

completely changed the view on how I

think about paths so with mass there's

not that many Concepts not as much as

something like biology or physics or

chemistry or the Sciences or even

something like politics or economics or

things like that it's actually very easy

to do this entire process we've been

talking about you just look at what

you're being taught and you say well

what's the purpose of it what's the big

picture how can I apply it why is that

actually important and how is that

similar to these other things that I've

learned how are they all related

together and then you can group those

things in a very similar way and now

you've got okay so we've got these

equations that generally allow me to do

this there's these things that allow me

to do this and they're related because

you know this is the previous step or

you know I need to do this to create

this kind of variable so that I can

actually use it in this kind of process

and we get a really good conceptual

understanding of it and then the rest is

just procedural then you practice doing

the equations you practice your

questions you you make sure that you're

able to carry the three and you can

apply the chain rule effectively and all

those things but the good thing is that

with assessments these days a lot of

schools are varying towards allowing

people to bring like formula sheets or

cheat sheets they're allowing you to

actually have the equation or in some

cases they literally they give you like

a table of equations like in the actual

exam book itself so you don't have to

actually have memorized all these things

going into it so a lot of places will

now do that because they're trying to

get people to focus a little bit more on

the conceptual aspects of it so my notes

for saying like maths would look very

very similar I don't know if I've got a

public YouTube video where I have an

example of something like that but it

basically looks exactly the same we've

got those relationships we've got the

you know still looks like a map

what what wouldn't be on that is all the

practice that I'm doing so procedural

practice Yeah the procedural practice I

wouldn't have that on that canvas you

know I'm doing that on this is a normal

way that people are doing it but the

difference is I'm still being led by my

certainty and confidence about it like

we talked about before so basically

understanding math in words

gotcha that's very interesting um and

then for something like essays uh that

kind of depends I guess on the type of

essay that you're doing a very like

literate literature science heavy uh

kind of like research essay is going to

be very very different from like a

creative writing essay or um a text

response like a book study or a movie

study or something like that that's

going to be very different I'll focus a

little bit more on the sort of book

review movie review that type of essay

instead rather than the sort of I guess

in a way fact-based more scientific

essays because it's kind of a different

process there's quite a long thing to

talk about

um so you can apply the same thing it's

actually exactly the same principle but

just the way it's answered is a little

bit different so if I look at for

example I often give the example of 1984

by George Orwell number one because it's

still a common book that's used in a lot

of curriculums um and also because it's

one of my favorite books so 1984 uh by

George Orwell that that might be a book

that you're required to write an essay

about first of all just read the book

and you know like just literally read

the book but then afterwards when you're

trying to really create like good essays

out of it you're not really going to

know how what questions they're gonna

ask they're going to ask you a lot of

people will just try to predict the

answers and then write like the perfect

they're saying just memorize the essay

and then just like regurgitate it in the

assessment which is very time consuming

it's not very safe well I don't know how

important people think this is but I

personally think it's quite important is

that it's not enjoyable at all like if

I'm gonna be spending my time doing

something I'd rather do something that's

enjoyable as well as being effective

so when we're dissecting the book we can

think about well what are the main

themes and how are those themes similar

or different to each other and an

interesting thing here is that those

books or those movies were written by

people and those people made decisions

about inserting that theme they wanted

to portray a certain thing in a certain

way

and they made a decision about that but

why did they make that decision so what

you'll find is that if you spin like

literally I know 15 minutes reading on

Wikipedia about that author or

director's history and background you

would just start seeing like now this

movie actually makes sense like I can

see the perspective and the mindset that

this person had in their creative

process that made them insert this

character like this character is a

representation of their Kenya spent as a

police officer this person is the

representation of like the manager that

they struggled with like this person it

represents the thoughts that they had

while they were serving in the military

you start seeing the origin stories of

all of these and then when you see how

they're relating together you're able to

draw more authentic connections so I

always say if you were the director or

the author going into the assessment and

you have to write about your own work

you would crush it so that's the goal

you want to think like the author or the

director and so all these decisions that

you made in theme games and characters

and examples and motifs and you know

literary techniques and things

these are things that are like natural

and obvious to you you know why you did

it that way and why you didn't do it

another way so that's the kind of way

that you should be thinking about it you

don't often have to remember like exact

specific wordings of sentences and

things and even if you do need to

remember quotes you're unlikely to need

to remember more than just like a couple

and even when you do remember the way

you integrate it is usually only just

like a few words like boom you know the

author described it as like blob like

three words this is the way they

described it and usually you don't even

have to remember that because when you

think about it conceptually it's like

yes this makes sense why they chose to

use these words because it was creating

this type of impact so

um my notes for that would reflect that

process I'd have sort of that author's

background or whatever way that I'm

linking it together I talk about sort of

their main rationales and drivers and

then sort of what themes have led from

that and therefore the relationships and

the characters and the examples that

were there and then there's a procedural

component I'm going to create a list of

possible exam questions and past papers

and I'm going to use that knowledge and

answer those because the best of my

ability and there's going to be an

aspect of just good writing and being

elegant and your wording and phrasing

and things like that and that's that's

really just a completely separate skill

set and you just have to do good writing

and get good feedback to just get better

at that but in terms of actually

constructing the flow and being able to

perform in an exam effectively that's

where it's going to be at

what can teachers

or professors do to to make it easier

for students

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