Welcome to LearnLawBetter.
In this second episode on note taking, I will explore the content that you should capture
in your notes.
By writing down the right information, you will improve your knowledge and your grades.
Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to talk to you about what you should write down
in your notes.
The key to successful note taking is engagement, rather than mindlessly copying everything
that you hear in class.
The reasons are twofold: first, the vast majority of classroom discussion is irrelevant for
exam purposes, and two, copying everything you hear stimulates the wrong part of the
brain, as I discuss in more detail in my episode called “Handwrite or Type Notes.”
When taking notes you need to keep the end in mind.
So ask yourself: “what during a classroom discussion do I need to help me on the final
exam.”
The vast majority of law professors test you on your ability to apply laws to a set of
facts.
So, step number 1 in the classroom is to figure out the rule that your professor is going
to test you on.
Over a typical one-and-a-half-hour classroom session, we're talking about half a page of notes
dedicated to the rules needed for exam purposes.
Keep in mind that each case usually represents just one rule, and then only
one or two sentences per rule.
Second, a few professors might also to provide students with policy rationales.
If your professor is going to test you on policy rationales, then yes,
capture these rationales when they come up in class.
Now, the way to see if your professor wants this type of information on an exam is by getting
a prior exam, along with the best student answer if the professor makes it available.
Now, few professors actually want this information on an exam, and even the few that do will not usually
assign many points to policy rationale.
Third, anytime your professor tells you that something is important, write it down.
That is a major clue that you are likely going to see it on the final.
Fourth, listen for recurring themes and words the professor keeps repeating.
Those may be important in helping you determine what he or she might place on the test.
Fifth, if the professor writes information on the board, like a numbered list or the rule
of law, place that in your notes.
Now, let’s discuss what not to write down.
Not everything your professor says or asks is important.
In fact, most of the classroom discussion is directed at getting you to understand the
facts and law from a particular case.
Do not write down facts from a case that help you understand it better.
Unless this is a class in Constitutional law, you will never need to know the facts from
that case again.
For example, if you read Pennoyer v. Neff in your Civil Procedure course you might be
tempted to write down some additional facts that the professor provides to you to help you understand the case.
Don’t write those facts down as they are completely useless for exam purposes.
Also, don’t write down what your classmates say, unless the professor tells you that the
colleague just articulated the correct rule of law. Much of what your colleagues say is irrelevant.
If there was some advice that made sense to you, or didn’t make sense to you, please
let me know in the comments section below.
We have many other episodes, so feel free to explore.
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Thank you for watching.