How to take effective notes in your Math Class

Contrary to popular opinion, I feel that students should be doing math more often than taking notes.  A binder (3 ring) should be used for the technique described below.  Note taking should be minimal (better to watch the teacher more and then eventually do problems yourself!) and here is how I teach all my students to do it.

This is what your notebook should look like in Math Class on day 1 of a topic

1. Take a clean sheet of paper from the back of your notebook and move it to the FRONT.  It should now be the first thing you see when you open your notebook. Start on a clean sheet of paper for each new topic (usually each day though sometimes we continue a large topic per day)
2. Put the date in the upper right hand corner of the page.  Box it so it jumps out at you later (see below).
3. Put the topic title (that the teacher typically puts on the board) above the read line and in large letters.
4. Copy down any formulas
5. Copy every example problem the teacher puts on the board.
6. Any class problems that you are assigned to do should go next.

The same applies if any handouts (which I use a lot) are given out.  Put the date in the upper right hand corner.  Hopefully your teacher has hole-punched it for you – but if not, get it hole punched for your binder.

Now when you go to study for a quiz or a test, your notes will have the most recent pages first.  Start reviewing the most recent topics because they will be fresher (and therefore often easier to do).  Copy problems from your notes onto a clean sheet of paper and practice them.  The solutions to every example problem will be in your notes. Keep going until you hit the first date of the unit (or whatever date the teachers tells you the test covers from).