Notes on Taking Notes, ADD-Style

How teenagers and college students with attention deficit disorder can match their note-taking with learning style to achieve academic success.

by Jonathan Mooney

The traditional way of taking notes assumes that there is a set of information that you need to leave a lecture with. That is only half true. Although there are core pieces of information that should be taken down, there are different critical lenses through which to filter it and no fixed rules for storing or learning it.

Many adults and children with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) or learning disabilities learn not by simply recording facts but by recording how they are applied or how they are relevant to our lives. After all, these are your notes, and you need to learn the subject in a way that works for you.

Here are approaches to note-taking based on the way information is processed. Match the right method of note-taking with your learning style, and you’ll not only better absorb the information but also pass the course with flying colors.

(Remember: If you use any of the note-taking techniques that follow, you’ll probably need to supplement your notes by reading additional material, reviewing other people’s notes, or chatting with the professor.)

Question.

One of the most powerful ways to learn anything new is to question it critically. Your notes are no exception. Are you this kind of thinker? Then spend your note-taking time writing questions and identifying information. If it feels comfortable to you, compose the majority of your notes in question format.

Connect.

Associative thinkers make connections between ideas that, to many, seem unrelated. If you think this way, connect the subject at hand to other lectures, assignments, or courses. Jot down quickly and briefly what is said, and then let your mind free-associate.

Think conceptually.

This style of note-taking focuses on broader concepts, ideas, and theories. For example, take very few notes on the literal details of the lecture, focusing instead on the ideas that are sparked by the information. This does mean, however, that you need to get the missing details from somewhere else — say, from reading the textbook.

Think details.

The polar opposite of conceptual thinkers, detail thinkers take notes on all examples and sub-points and fill in the broader stuff later. If it works for you, dive into the minutiae.

Think application.

Many students, including ADDers, learn by relating information to the real world. Sound like you? Go for it. Throughout a lecture, ask yourself, “How does this work? How does it apply to the world and to my life?”

Think emotionally.

Being passionately involved in the material is not only a powerful way to learn and remember things, but is the very definition of being a student. When something in a lecture pisses you off, write down your reaction; when something makes you happy, write down what was said. Focus on what makes the blood boil. It’s more fun that way.

Think anecdotally.

Our minds hold information by storing it in a vast network of associations and relationships. Why take that out of your notes? If you find yourself recording seemingly irrelevant stories, don’t get stressed. Keep writing them down.

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If it helps, go one step further, and record what your professor is wearing, along with that day’s lecture notes. Or note the number of hot members of the opposite sex you find yourself sitting next to throughout the semester. These details can be powerful tools for remembering the information from the lecture.

Regardless of the focal point of your notes, the goal is to take ownership of why you take them — not to conform to someone else’s system. Get the information you need in the form that is friendliest to you.

This article comes from the December/January 2008 issue of ADDitude.

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