Why and how to make notes for studying maths

00:02:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ady977TviRI

Summary

TLDRThis educational talk offers advice on improving memory through effective note-taking strategies. It begins by emphasizing the importance of making personal notes rather than merely reading others'. The speaker suggests several methods to optimize note-taking: copying notes by hand to engage more deeply with the material, integrating information from various resources to create unique notes, and utilizing formulas as shortcuts rather than cumbersome memorization tasks. Additionally, the focus is placed on preparing notes that include formulas (as they are efficient ways to solve problems) and key examples. Important tips include highlighting solutions' steps, underlining crucial aspects, and using colors for better encoding, ultimately enhancing memory retention and understanding.

Takeaways

  • 📝 Make personal notes, don't just read others'.
  • ✍️ Copy notes by hand for better engagement.
  • 📚 Use a variety of resources to create unique notes.
  • 🧠 See formulas as shortcuts, not memorization burdens.
  • 📖 Include key examples with solutions in notes.
  • 🎨 Highlight and color-code notes for effectiveness.
  • 🔍 Focus on understanding steps rather than rote learning.
  • 📈 Personalize notes to aid long-term memory retention.
  • 💡 Organize notes for easy access and revision.
  • 📏 Use notes as a tool for deeper learning and memory improvement.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:02:54

    The speaker emphasizes the importance of memory in studying and advises students to take effective notes. Simply reading someone else's notes is insufficient. Instead, students should rewrite notes in their own words or create original notes from various resources. In mathematics, formulas should be seen as shortcuts, not burdens. The speaker suggests including formulas, key examples, and tough questions in notes while using techniques like highlighting and color-coding to better retain information.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the basic level of reading notes?

    Reading someone else's notes or from a textbook without further interaction with the material.

  • Why shouldn't you just read notes for studying?

    Because it is a basic level of study that doesn't provide significant benefit without further processing of the information.

  • What is more beneficial than reading notes?

    Copying out your notes by hand and summarizing the material in your own words.

  • What is the best method of note-taking as suggested in the speech?

    Creating your own notes by gathering information from various resources and making it personal.

  • How should formulas be perceived according to the speaker?

    Formulas should be seen as shortcuts for solving problems efficiently rather than burdensome to memorize.

  • What additional component should notes contain besides formulas?

    Key examples of tough questions, with solutions written out and annotated.

  • What strategies are suggested for remembering solutions?

    Highlight parts, use different colors, and annotate steps to better encode the information.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:00
    now um your memory your memory uh is a
  • 00:00:04
    hard worker okay when you think about
  • 00:00:05
    all the different kinds of things you
  • 00:00:06
    have to remember people um subjects how
  • 00:00:10
    many subjects do you study at the same
  • 00:00:11
    time it just gets um bigger when you go
  • 00:00:13
    into next year you become senior
  • 00:00:15
    students so do your memory a favor okay
  • 00:00:17
    the first thing to do is to make notes
  • 00:00:20
    okay when it comes to notes
  • 00:00:25
    right there are a few different things
  • 00:00:27
    you can do with notes right and they're
  • 00:00:29
    not all the same for instance you can
  • 00:00:31
    read someone else's notes or the notes
  • 00:00:33
    from the textbook something like that
  • 00:00:35
    and um that's good that's better than
  • 00:00:36
    not reading at all okay but don't be
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    under any illusion that just reading
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    notes is going to get you all that much
  • 00:00:44
    benefit okay it's it's it's basic level
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    right what would be better than that is
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    to actually take your notes and copy
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    them out because that's you getting your
  • 00:00:53
    pen not don't type it okay it's not the
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    same and actually try to take what you
  • 00:00:57
    got and think about what's important
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    okay and copy some of that down putting
  • 00:01:01
    your own words so on but what's better
  • 00:01:03
    than better than copying better again is
  • 00:01:06
    to actually create your own notes get a
  • 00:01:08
    few different kinds of resources right
  • 00:01:11
    different textbooks different worksheets
  • 00:01:13
    different friends right and then put
  • 00:01:15
    together your own notes that's what I
  • 00:01:17
    mean by not just any notes okay um the
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    kinds of things you want to
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    include um for maths right you want to
  • 00:01:24
    think about formulas okay now I know we
  • 00:01:26
    hate formulas because it's like oh it's
  • 00:01:27
    so impossible to remember like honestly
  • 00:01:30
    who can remember that c = a + b - 2 a c
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    seriously anyone okay now well yeah I
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    just did but you know I've been teaching
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    this for years now the way I think about
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    formulas is rather than thinking man
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    it's a pain to memorize
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    formulas a better name for
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    formulas is really
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    shortcuts that's what they are okay
  • 00:01:54
    because you know what this is for is for
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    working out the length of a side in a
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    triangle given the other two sides and
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    an angle okay now you can do that from
  • 00:02:01
    scratch without a formula and it will
  • 00:02:04
    take you forever right but someone who's
  • 00:02:06
    done the work to think about a shortcut
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    that will just get you there in one line
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    okay so that's how I think about those
  • 00:02:13
    um now in your notes you've got your
  • 00:02:15
    formulas shortcuts okay one other thing
  • 00:02:18
    that's really useful for you is to have
  • 00:02:20
    some key
  • 00:02:23
    examples okay find some tough questions
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    find the ones you know you struggle with
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    okay and then think about okay how did
  • 00:02:30
    they do that how did the textbook put
  • 00:02:32
    out a solution right you know you write
  • 00:02:34
    out your solution it's going to be this
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    many lines okay and then you don't just
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    have this solution there you highlight
  • 00:02:40
    Parts you're like okay this is step one
  • 00:02:42
    I had to do this okay here's another
  • 00:02:44
    step down here right that represents
  • 00:02:46
    something different how do I remember
  • 00:02:47
    that okay encode it highlight underline
  • 00:02:50
    use colors all those kinds of things
  • 00:02:52
    will help okay
Tags
  • memory
  • note-taking
  • education
  • formulas
  • learning strategies
  • study tips
  • examples
  • shortcuts
  • annotation
  • organization