The Boxing Method of Notetaking
What is the Boxing Method
The Boxing Method of notetaking is a technique that involves categorising and organising information into distinct boxes or sections.
Each box includes thoughts, concepts, or ideas of the same category. The boxes visually separate topics under different titles.
This method is designed to help you visually separate and differentiate key concepts, supporting details, examples, and other relevant information within your notes.
By compartmentalizing information into clearly defined sections, the Boxing Method can enable you to identify connections, understand relationships, and grasp the overall structure of the material.
The Boxing Method format
The Boxing Method of notetaking involves creating a visual structure for your notes by enclosing key information in boxes or frames.
Each box represents a distinct idea, concept, or piece of information.
You can format your notes in the following way or buy a template from our store to use as a base for your notes.
This method is a form of visual organization that can help highlight and prioritize essential details. Here's a simple explanation:
Create Boxes: Use a box or frame to enclose main ideas or key concepts. These boxes serve as visual anchors for important information.
Label Boxes: Inside each box, provide a brief label or heading that summarizes the enclosed information. This label should capture the essence of the content within the box.
Connect Boxes: Establish connections between boxes to illustrate relationships or dependencies between different ideas. You can use arrows or lines to indicate the flow of information.
How to use the Boxing Method
Taking notes using the Boxing Method is straightforward.
Follow these steps to organize your information effectively:
Step 1 - Divide the Page
Start by dividing the page into columns for each topic. Use two columns for portrait pages and three for landscape pages.
Add clear headings at the top of each column to represent different categories or topics.
Label each column based on the nature of the content you expect.
Step 2 – Add your Notes:
As you take notes, place relevant information under the appropriate heading.
Summarize information under relevant headings, breaking down larger clusters for easier revision.
Use larger boxes for main concepts and smaller ones for supporting details, creating a visual hierarchy.
Step 3 - Edit Your Notes (Optional):
For digital devices, you can edit your notes at this stage. Move sentences, change headings, or omit parts as needed.
Visual indicators like arrows can highlight connections between different pieces of information across boxes.
Step 4 - Draw Boxes:
When you have finished your notetaking session draw borders around the boxes you've created.
This step defines the Boxing Method, providing distinct boxes for each topic, making note review more manageable.
Step 5 - Review your Notes:
Check you have understood the information and noted it correctly.
When to use the Boxing Method
While the Boxing Method of notetaking can be a valuable technique for many types of lectures and learning situations, its suitability can vary based on the nature of the content, the style of the lecture, and your personal learning preferences.
Here's a breakdown of when the Boxing Method might be most useful:
Structured Content: Suitable for lectures that present structured content with clear categories, main concepts, and supporting details.
Hierarchical Information: Where the main ideas have subpoints or supporting details and can benefit from visual representation of the hierarchy.
Visual Learners: For presenting information in distinct categories or sections, the Boxing Method helps you categorise and organise the content effectively.
Organizing information spatially using the Boxing Method can highlight connections and relationships between pieces of information.
In subjects with a strong emphasis on categorization, classification, and clear distinctions among information types the Boxing Method excels.
It transforms notetaking into a strategic, visual process that empowers students to capture, organize, and comprehend information effectively.
Benefits of using the Boxing Method
The benefits of the Boxing Method include:
Facilitates Efficient Revision: The segmented layout streamlines review, enabling swift retrieval of specific details—ideal for focused study sessions or exam preparation.
Ideal for Visual Learners: With its clear visual representation, the Boxing Method organizes information intuitively, facilitating easy navigation and precise detail location for visual learners.
Promotes Concise and Organized Notes: Categorizing information into distinct boxes enhances the clarity of the notes, allowing for quick identification of different content types.
Key Point Identification: Helps discern main concepts from supporting details, fostering a clear distinction between core ideas and supplementary information.
Customizable Notes: Tailor categories and labels based on content, allowing for personalized notetaking aligned with specific learning objectives.
Drawbacks of using the Boxing Method
While the Boxing Method offers a number of benefits, it's important to acknowledge its drawbacks.
The disadvantages of using the Boxing Method can include:
Subject-Specific Suitability: Its not universally applicable; some subjects may not align well with the categorical structure it provides.
Demanding of Concentration: It requires focused attention during note creation, making it less suitable for multitasking or situations with distractions.
Potential Time Consumption: Meticulous categorization process can be time-consuming, especially for individuals seeking a quicker notetaking approach.
Formatting Distractions: The act of formatting boxes may divert attention during a lecture, potentially causing distraction from the class content.
Acknowledging these challenges can help users make informed choices, ensuring that the Boxing Method is applied effectively in contexts where its benefits outweigh these limitations.
Improve your Boxing Method notetaking
To make the most of the Boxing Method, consider these top tips:
Create a Clear Structure: Divide your notetaking page or digital document into a grid with clear boxes. Use straight lines to maintain a neat and organised layout.
Use Headings and Labels: Label each box with a clear heading or label that represents the category of information it will contain (e.g., "Main Concepts," "Examples," "Definitions").
Prioritise and Size Boxes: Allocate larger boxes for main concepts or key points, and smaller boxes for supporting details. This visual hierarchy emphasizes important information.
Abbreviate and Summarise: Write concise notes within each box, using keywords, phrases, or bullet points. Focus on capturing the essence of the information.
Emphasise Relationships: Use lines, arrows, or connectors to visually show relationships and connections between different boxes. This highlights the flow of information.
Listen Actively: During lectures, actively listen for cues that indicate the main ideas, categories, and supporting details. This will help you quickly populate your boxes.
Practice Visualisation: As you populate boxes, visualize the connections between categories and how they contribute to the overall understanding of the topic.
Review and Refine: After the lecture or reading, review your charted notes. Make sure the relationships and connections you've represented accurately reflect the content.
Use Colour and Formatting: Consider using colours, bolding, or formatting to emphasize certain elements within the chart and enhance visual clarity.
Combine with Other Techniques: The Boxing Method can be complemented with other notetaking techniques, such as annotations or highlighting, to capture additional context.
Stay Consistent: Maintain a consistent structure and layout throughout your notes. This will make it easier to navigate and review your charts.
Build a Hierarchy: Use the size and placement of the boxes to signify the importance or hierarchy of information. Larger or centrally positioned boxes may represent more critical concepts.
By applying these tips, you can harness the power of the Boxing Method to transform your notetaking into a strategic and visually organised process, allowing you to grasp and retain information with greater clarity and efficiency.
Summary
The Boxing Method stands out for its ease of use, aiding in the creation of well-structured notes and facilitating efficient revision.
While it may not suit all lecture formats, the Boxing Method excels in structured, hierarchical, or categorized content and is ideal for lectures with clear main points, supporting details, and interrelated concepts.
Utilizing the Boxing Method can enhance your ability to differentiate information, understand relationships, and maintain a comprehensive overview of the material.
The Boxing Method can transform your notes into a strategic resource. Bringing order to information, highlighting connections, and fostering a deeper understanding.
The Boxing Method is a great option for topic cluster notetaking but it might not be right for you in all situations. To find out about other notetaking methods check out 12 Notetaking Methods Essential for Students for some of the most effective options for students.
Blank Page Notebooks
We have 6x9 notebooks with blank pages to give you space to create notes in the Boxing Method.
Click on the notebook image to buy on Amazon.
