Essential Note Taking Methods for Online School Students

November 4, 2025 byPhoebe Brown

6 min to read

A teenage girl is laying on a couch with her laptop and taking notes

Does your student diligently take notes in class but find they aren’t as helpful as they hoped when it comes time to study?

Or do they take very few notes during class because they’re not sure how or even why taking notes is so important?

Learning effective note-taking methods can not only help kids in school make the most of their study time but can help them become better students as well.

Learn how to become a master note-taker—whether you prefer pen and paper or a computer—by finding out which note-taking method works best for you.

How to Take Good Notes in School

Taking great notes while in class or studying is about helping students get organized, stay focused, remember key points, and feel prepared for taking tests or writing research papers. Effective note-taking is not about recording every word a teacher says or writes on the board. Instead of focusing on copying the experts word for word, note-taking should prioritize writing down information in the way a student can understand it best.

The first step to better understanding—and most importantly, retaining—the material students see in class is to learn how to take good-quality notes. <H3> Get Organized

Quality notes start with organization. Students will want to write the course name, lesson topic, and date on each page of their notes to keep their thoughts orderly. When taking notes for multiple subjects, they might try separating their notes into different sections by using moveable dividers, color-coded notebooks, or different documents in a digital note-taking app.

Stay Focused

While students should make sure they write enough information to understand their notes when they revisit them later, they should avoid writing too much. Taking notes in complete sentences with full details can slow students down and may accidentally cause them to actually miss information. Instead, effective note-taking methods suggest that students use short phrases, symbols, contractions, abbreviations, or another form of shorthand as well as bullet points to capture key information.

Notes should record the most important information, including:

Key points, dates, concepts, and formulas

Definitions, examples, and graphs

Connections or references to previous lessons or other subjects

Any repeating ideas or facts

Questions about the lesson or material to ask about or research later

Effective Note-Taking Methods

Everyone has their own learning preferences and their own note-taking styles. It may take some trial and error to find the right note-taking method that works for your student. Here are three of the most effective methods to take notes to help them get started.

1. Cornell Method

Developed by a Cornell University education professor in the 1940s, the Cornell Method simplifies note-taking for lectures and helps students with test preparation by encouraging them to be an active listener and critical thinker.

Here’s how it works:

Format the page as shown in the example below or download a Connections Academy® template.

Write notes in the right-hand “Notes” column and focus on the most important information covered—key concepts, dates, definitions, etc.

Now, use the left-hand column to restate the notes in the right-hand column as questions or short key phrases. These restatements may take the following form:

Why/when/who did... ?

Why is it important that... ?

Define __________________. In the “Summary” section at the bottom, boil the notes down into two or three sentences that capture the major lesson theme(s).

Review and edit the notes by the end of the next day to identify any outstanding questions.

Once done, the notes should look similar to this:

By restating the notes in question or key phrase format, students can deepen their understanding of the material and retain more information. As a bonus, they’ll have a ready-to-use study guide for tests. Simply cover the notes on the right and try to answer the questions on the left.

2. Mapping Method

If the student is more of a visual learner, then visual note- taking strategies, such as the mind- mapping technique, may be the right fit since it relies on graphics and structures to connect key ideas. Some students may struggle to use this method when taking notes on a live lecture, but the mind- mapping technique can be a great way to collect your thoughts while studying or organizing your thoughts while reading or researching.

In this method you:

Start with a key phrase that identifies the main topic. Place that phrase in a box or bubble in the center of the page. Draw a line from that topic box and write down a phrase that summarizes the first main fact or idea covered. Draw a box or circle around that phrase.

For each fact or detail directly related to that idea, write a phrase summarizing it, circle or box the phrase, and draw a line back to the idea box.

Repeat these steps for each main idea covered in the lesson, textbook, or video.

Once completed, it should look similar to the example below from a lesson on the Inca civilization. Students can also use color-coding to distinguish between types of information such as dates, people, examples, definitions, or theories.

An example of World History notes about the Inca Civilization using the mapping method

3. Outline or Bullet Method

If students like a highly structured approach or prefer outlining, then the outline/bullet method may be an ideal note-taking option. This is a particularly effective note-taking method for those who think linearly and are detail-oriented.

Using indents, numbers and letters, or indents and bullets, this note -taking method organizes notes in a logical, easy-to-scan hierarchy. With the outline method, students:

List the first main idea or theme
    a. Indent the next line and add the first point related to that main idea as letter A.
    b. Continue adding other related points as letter B, C, and so on.
Repeat the above for each main idea and related facts that follow.

When done, the notes should look something like this:

An example of World History notes using the Outline Note Taking example

Digital Note- Taking Apps

All of the note -taking methods listed above can be turned into digital notes using note -taking apps. Many digital note -taking apps offer a free version along with a paid version. Students can find the type of app that most closely matches their note taking style and keep everything saved digitally, so they can study anywhere, anytime from their devices.

What Note- Taking Method Is Best for Your Student?

Whether students choose one note -taking method or a combination of them, it’s important to remember that their notes need to be easily understood and individualized to their needs. With practice, they can find the best note -taking method for them and reap the rewards of effective study habits.

Considering online school? Learn more about what Connections Academy has to offer by downloading our free eGuide.