Should you handwrite or type notes for year 12 or both? (1 Viewer)

[astraaaaaah]

I've heard writing is better for memory, except my notes usually get messy and lost easily and I can sometimes forget them. In digital, apparently, the memory absorption isn't as good, however, it's easy to access. Any advice based on experience, or just general knowledge?

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

it really just comes down to personal preference. personally I feel that when I handwrite my notes I am actually putting an effort into doing so and as a result of that I am actually thinking about what I am writing down;

e.g Fiscal Policy, when I was writing down the corridor system I realised that I didn't really understand it at the moment I tried to summarise it into dot points on a page, so I went to the RBA site and other sources to fully learn it.

Thats just me, and I have no idea about you or your learning strengths/weaknesses so I can't say what will work the best. I just feel when I'm typing down my notes it just becomes more of a subconscious thing so I don't really pay attention to what I'm writing down, whereas when I handwrite it, I put a conscious effort as I can't constantly "delete" words or write paragraphs about it so these constraints constantly make me think about the best way I can summarise what I know and to do so without making mistakes. If this stresses you out too much, best thing is just to type your notes up.

In the end of the day, it really depends what you want from your notes. If you just want notes for the sake of having a source to revise from after you forget the topic, then maybe its best if you do it digitally, or even better use someone elses notes. If you're trying to "test" you know something and actively learning throughout creating notes, then perhaps handwriting them might be better. Once again this doesn't apply for everyone since everyone's different so you just have to experiment.

 

[jazz519]

Doing a combination of both is best.

In HSC, personally I made notes digitally first because the first time you write something down it's probably going to have a lot of excess information and maybe exclusion of certain important details required in responses. That way after I made a first draft, I could re-edit them throughout the year when my understanding improved and shorten the length of them so that it was easier to memorise. With writing them out you have to re-write the whole thing again if it's in a book for example. Later when exams got closer I would write the notes out for certain sections so that it would help in remembering it.

When I got to uni though I went the other way around and couldn't be bothered typing it and wrote out most of my notes. I found here there wasn't much difference in memorising it, because it's not like the first time you write it or type it you will memorise everything. If you spend enough time reading them over and over, regardless of the format it shouldn't matter if it's typed or written for memorising it.

I would just continue doing whatever method you have used in previous years if it has worked well for you.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Digital notes are more efficient in terms of the time you need to make them when compared to written notes. Also, as you mentioned, they are easily accessible, as you can organise them into files and folders according to their relevant subject and, more specifically, according to their relevant concept/module/topic. Regarding being better for memory, the fact that you will need to go through your notes on multiple occasions (instead of only once) will result in you becoming more confident and comfortable with your understanding and ability to effectively manipulate content from your respective subjects, irrespective of the type of notes you end up making. I would perceive this from a time management perspective (time feasibility), i.e. if you choose to write your notes, will you be able to effectively do so in a timely manner?

From my experience in the HSC and at university, I personally found typed notes to be better overall, particularly in the long term (mainly because I needed to come back to and revise those notes at some point in time). However, this doesn't mean that I didn't utilise handwritten notes to supplement my learning, particularly during year 12. I used handwritten notes to a much lower extent at university than I did in year 12, mainly because there is a very wordy aspect to my degree. Of course, I believe that handwritten notes are more beneficial when studying/revising/preparing for subjects such as maths and science, in which you may be required to draw certain shapes/graphs/diagrams, meaning it would be a good idea to make handwritten notes for those subjects as that would constitute a good attempt to master a particular concept/topic or improve where required. This would be applicable to both year 12 and studies beyond the HSC, such as university. Any other subjects that don't involve those, I believe digital notes would be both more efficient and effective in terms of your studies.

I hope this helps!

 

[AKONS]

Typed. By typing you save on time that could be better spent on past paper questions. Besides, writing an answer to a past paper question solidifies the content in your mind just as much OR EVEN MORE than if you physically wrote your study notes.

 

[Life'sHard]

Cmd/Ctrl F. That’s all that really needs to be said.

 

[totally_screwed]

as others have said typing is more efficient, handwriting is very slow. ofc you're wasting your time regardless of the approach if you're just passively taking notes, but if you're actually thinking about what you're typing/writing, then I think typing notes is better. except for my math subjects I don't think I ever made handwritten notes (class notes were obviously handwritten but I'm referring to personal study ones).

I think whether you type or write your notes doesn't affect how much you retain over time, you have to keep revisiting your notes anyway. personally I used to test my memory by* writing down what I could remember from my typed notes, I still do this very reliable way to study

 

[laterz laterz]

typing for sure

writing is only efficient for junior grades

 

[AKONS]

What subject are you referring to?

I can only speak from my experience, but it's worked for all my current writing subjects thus far: Economics, Business Studies, and English advanced.

 

[specificagent1]

i type it because we aren't a byod school so at school it is all written so i thought typing my own notes from written booklets and class work allows differentiation

 

[011235]

Typing all the way for notes.

I do all my revision questions/practice on paper tho.