Tags:: Article Note-taking
Note-taking is a way to record our learning from everything. The purpose of note-taking is to liberate ourselves from having to remember everything we learn, and we both know, we cannot remember all of them. I would dare to say, notes are the extension of our knowledge, the physical product where we can see, access, and tap into what we have learned.
There is only one problem with that description I provide above: it is not completely true. Writing is not only a record, but also part of the thinking and learning. Note-taking forces us to consolidate our abstract learning from almost all of the afferent inputs, be it visual, auditory, or kinetic.
The fact that we have still use pen and paper as the go-to method is telling us: we do not realize the potential of smart note-taking. Moreover, for deep knowledge workers such as medical doctors, we are prone to judge someone based on his number of years of experience while we neglect that we cannot, in any way, access that experience.
There are numerous variations of forms, structures, and strategies for note-taking. Regardless, we can divide note-taking into two methods: linear and nonlinear.
Linear means you digest down the information based on the order of the time you received it. The most common and widely adopted linear method of note-taking are highlighting and outlining. You never jump to a specific page to continue highlighting what you previously read, unless it is a different chapter or different subject. That example I just described makes a good case of outlining though.
Outlining is a way to start with a helicopter view of note-taking. You start with the title, heading 1, heading 2, body text, bullets, numbers, etc.
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Pros
More likely to be handwritten
Convenient
Cons
Siloed information; difficult to insert new, relevant information from different sources.
Limited to analog version.
The other note-taking method is non-linear. The examples of non-linear methods are mapping, charting, Cornell Notes, SQ4R, and Zettelkasten. Some people prefer to draw a mind-map in a tree structure, others prefer to make a chart. Mapping is a great way of learning for a visual person, to make an argument, or to find a connection between ideas.
Charting is a way to categorize information based on the group they belong to, for example, by heights, address, gender, or any other category.
I tried Cornell Notes but didn't find it quite convenient for medical study since the method emphasized keywords. Do you know how many keywords in the medical world we have to understand before we make any notes about those keywords? Yes. Fortunately, studies have shown that Cornell methods had no significant impact on student performance. You can skip this method.
SQ4R consist of Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review, and Relate. This method focused on the reading and understanding. In Survey, you skim the material and write the headings, subheadings, then convert them to Questions. For example:
Heading: Physiology of the Heart.
Questions: What induces the heart to beat? Who controls the heart beat? What is heart's vascularization? What does it mean to have a 'heart attack'?
After you finish 'vomiting' these questions, you Read the material to cover and write down the answers (Recite). After you Recited the whole material, make a Review purely from memory. The last R is "Relate", which forces you to make a connection with your other notes. This step distinguished itself from the linear note-taking method.
Research shows that students who use the SQ3R strategy retain more information and achieve higher test scores.
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Pros
Versatile: digital form works complementary with the analog form
Focus on understanding
The most effective way to learn and retain information
Cons
Slow and difficult (which is really not a con, if you think about it)
Steep learning curve
Need a consistent structure to works
Zettelkasten is a german word for "slip box". This method, in my opinion, is the best method for knowledge worker such as doctors because Zettelkasten emphasized on information management, with low barriers to entry.
Often, doctors tend to fall into the linear method because there are too many materials to cover and it makes them consider the loss of time to make good notes. What Zettelkasten does differently is, one well-structured note will emerge and resurface as we make another structured, related note. We failed to accumulate notes because we did not have the knowledge management system. Notes should act like our nervous system, as Bill Gates said, even though in the context of business, I think relevant to us doctors:
The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose. *
Zettelkasten is the most interesting note-taking method because it is versatile and provides a fertile soil to produce an original content. We'll talk specifically about Zettelkasten in a different article.