“I trust the weakest pen more than the strongest memory.” – Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek

Wouldn’t it be amazing if all your students naturally took notes that actually helped them learn? I think we both know the answer to that question.

If you’re a teacher, you know the struggle: most students won’t take notes unless reminded, told, or required. And when they do attempt it, without guidance, their notes are often incomplete or ineffective. That can be frustrating, and it’s discouraging to watch students miss out on a simple tool that could help them succeed.

Quick tip: If you want a ready-made solution, I created a Note-Taking resource on Teachers Pay Teachers that walks students step by step through the focused note-taking process, shows multiple formats, and includes visuals and templates so you can model note-taking without spending hours planning.

So how do we get students to take notes? Teach students to take focused notes by following these five steps:

1. Review the Benefits of Taking Notes
2. Share Different Note-Taking Formats
3. Explain How to Take Notes
4. Give Students Practice Taking Notes
5. Provide Students with Note-Taking Support

1. Review the Benefits of Taking Notes: Why Note-Taking Matters

Students learn more when they take notes and when they review them later. Instead of overwhelming them with studies, make it relatable:

• Share examples of high achievers like Alex Honnold, Serena Williams, or Russell Wilson, who rely on notes to improve performance.
• Ask students to reflect on times notes have helped them (or failed them).
• Highlight what makes notes effective: using drawings or symbols, taking notes by hand, and reviewing notes with questions in mind.

When students feel the purpose of notes, they engage more meaningfully.

2. Share Different Note-Taking Formats: Structured Notes Are Powerful

To increase both the likelihood and effectiveness of students taking notes, it helps to not only stress the benefits of note-taking, but also explicitly teach focused note-taking. Focused note-taking just means using a format to structure one’s notes. There are many formats to choose from and it’s important to emphasize that the format should match the content and purpose of the material and notes. I suggest teaching the following note-taking formats but allowing students to experiment and choose a format that works best for them, thus increasing student motivation for taking the notes.

• Outlining: Organize info into headings, subheadings, bullets, or arrows. Indent supporting details.
• Cornell Notes: Four sections, including topic and essential question, key ideas, notes/details, and summary. Students reflect in the summary and can fold the page to study.
• Thinking Maps or Webs: Visual patterns like Bubble Maps, Tree Maps, or Flow Maps help learners see relationships and classifications.
• Two- or Three-Column Notes: Use double-entry journals, pros/cons, facts/opinions, argument/evidence, or causes/effects. Three-column notes can include key terms, details, and personal responses.
• Sketchnotes: Combine drawings with any format to help students remember and organize ideas. One-pagers are a creative example.

These can also be incorporated into Interactive Notebooks with teacher input on the right-hand pages.

3. Explain How to Take Notes: Breaking Down the Process

Students often don’t know when or how to take notes. Teach them the step-by-step process:

Five Phases of Focused Note-Taking:

1. Taking Notes: Choose a format, record essential questions, select and arrange information.
2. Processing Notes: Revise, highlight, underline, circle, chunk, or add questions to identify and organize key ideas.
3. Connecting Thinking: Ask questions, analyze, and link new learning to prior knowledge.
4. Summarizing/Reflecting: Craft a summary that captures the meaning and importance of the content.
5. Applying Learning: Use notes to study, participate in discussions, write papers, or complete projects.

Emphasize that notes must have a purpose to be meaningful.

4. Give Students Practice Taking Notes: Turn Note-Taking Into a Skill

Students need hands-on practice using notes actively:

• Model your notes using a whiteboard, chart paper, or note-taking app like OneNote or Google Keep.
• Ask students to compare note-taking to building something familiar (like a house or ice cream cone).
• Let students demonstrate the process creatively: videos, skits, songs, or slideshows.
• Use TED Talks, short videos, or instructions (like making a paper airplane) for students to take focused notes.
• Assign research projects and have students share their learning using their notes.

The more students practice and apply notes, the more effective they become.

5. Provide Students with Note-Taking Support: Tools and Tricks That Help

Teachers can scaffold note-taking to make it easier and more effective:

• Provide partial/guided notes or templates.
• Give verbal cues: “This is important, so write this down.”
• Offer recordings of lessons to review.
• Build in pauses for students to revise or add to notes.
• Control distractions from laptops or phones.
• Give slides with space for note-taking.

These strategies help students learn actively without feeling overwhelmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should students pick their own format?
Yes. Choice increases motivation and ownership.

Are handwritten notes better than typed notes?
Yes. Research proves this. Handwritten notes encourage deeper processing and focus.

How can I make students actually use their notes?
Tie notes to discussions, projects, quizzes, or writing tasks so they see the benefit.

Bringing It All Back

I keep thinking about that frustration we all feel when students’ notes aren’t helpful. The good news is that teaching note-taking doesn’t have to be a battle.

With clear formats, structured processes, practice, and support, students can turn the weakest pen into a powerful tool, and you can finally see them engage, retain, and apply their learning.

Don’t forget—you can grab my ready-to-use Note-Taking resource on TPT to get started quickly with templates, step-by-step guidance, and visuals for your students.