 The 5 R's of note-taking. How to use your notes effectively. The 5 R's of note-taking are record, reduce, recite, reflect, and review. Each step in this process will help you to study and learn information. Let's look at each step, each action, separately. This is the first step in note-taking. The student needs to record the information they are learning. This can be either with pen and paper or on a digital device. Formatting your page to use a specific note-taking method helps to organize the information and allows you to study it more easily later. Using abbreviations and symbols can help you record more information more quickly when listening. Remember to write legibly so you can read it later. But these notes are for you, so choose the note-taking method, symbols, and abbreviations that work best for you. After you record the notes, you need to reduce them. This means that you will write a summary of the topic and main ideas in your own words. The meaning is still the same, but the words are your words and represent your understanding. Another idea is to pull out key words and phrases to write on the sides of your notes or to highlight items to direct your focus. If there is a portion of your notes that you are not able to summarize, this would be a good place to mark so that you can ask a question or clarify in the next class during the instructor's office hours or in an email to your instructor. Be sure to leave some space at the bottom of the page where you can write this summary. It should offer you cues about what to study from the material in that class session. For post-class or after-class, it is a good idea to review your notes and then to recite what you can recall without looking. If you get stuck, reference the notes for a reminder. If there is an area where you are not able to recall or say, this would be a good item to ask a classmate or your instructor about. Use spaced study sessions to try this step. This means try to recite your notes shortly after, soon after class, then again after a day or so, and then yet again later and so on. A student's job is not only to record the information, they also need to reflect on it or think about it. If you have more questions about the topic, what is your opinion about it? Can you make connections between this new information and other information or topics in the class, in other classes, or in your life? Does it inspire any new ideas in your mind? Can this new information be applied in your life? Don't take notes and then just leave the information on the page. Help to keep it in your brain by thinking about it actively. The last step is essential. Students must continue to revisit and review their notes in order to retain the information. If you don't use it, your brain will lose it. Spending time right after class to review is the first step. This is best done in the first 24 hours. Highlight information, note questions that you have, notice connections, etc. However, you need to continue to go back and review for a little bit of time every few days or every week, depending on the material, to help yourself remember. Give it a try. Try applying the 5Rs the next time you take notes and see how it helps you to improve your memory of the material.