The Charting Method of Notetaking
What is the Charting Method
The Charting Method of notetaking is a structured technique that involves creating visual representations, often in the form of tables or charts, to organize and condense information.
It is a powerful tool for learners who are visually oriented and offers a unique way to engage with information that goes beyond traditional notetaking techniques.
The Charting Method allows you to chart your intellectual journey, mapping out connections, relationships, and ideas with precision, transforming your notes into dynamic visual maps that effortlessly capture connections, hierarchies, and key concepts.
This method is particularly useful for capturing complex relationships, comparisons, hierarchies, and patterns between different concepts, ideas, or data points.
By visually organizing information, the Charting Method enhances comprehension, facilitates quick review, and promotes a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Charting Method format options
To use the Charting Method of notetaking you need to select the type of chart you will use.
Charting can be done by hand or digitally with software tools like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Microsoft OneNote.
Format your page into one of the Charting style listed below or you can buy a template from our store as a base for your chart.
Charting Options:
1. Mind Maps: Ideal for visual learners, mind maps employ a central idea surrounded by branches of related concepts. It promotes holistic understanding and easy recall.
2. Venn Diagrams: Perfect for highlighting similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Venn diagrams provide a clear visual representation of overlapping and distinct characteristics.
3. Concept Maps: Similar to mind maps but with a more hierarchical structure, concept maps showcase relationships between concepts. This method aids in understanding complex topics and their interconnections.
4. Flowcharts: Sequential thinkers benefit from flowcharts, illustrating step-by-step processes. It's excellent for procedural subjects and understanding cause-and-effect relationships.
5. T-Charts: Employed for comparison, T-charts allow users to list pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, or any two opposing factors side by side.
6. Tables and Grids: Particularly useful for organizing data or making comparisons, tables and grids provide a structured layout for information, ensuring clarity and ease of reference.
Choosing the right charting method depends on the type of information, personal preferences, and the nature of the subject matter.
Experimenting with different options allows you to discover the most effective approach for your unique learning style and notetaking requirements.
How to make notes using the Charting Method
Step 1: Choose & Create a Chart
Selecting a suitable chart format that aligns with your information and learning preferences.
Choose a hand-drawn chart in your notebook, a digital format, or a template from our store.
Your choice of chart lays the foundation for an organized and visually appealing notetaking experience.
Step 2: Add Labels
With your chosen chart format in hand, creating clear labels for each main topic and category.
The key is to ensure your labels make sense and are easy to understand.
Step 3: Add Notes
Divide your data into the designated categories established in the previous step, linking each piece to its corresponding column.
Fill the chart with key points, supporting details, and examples, using concise phrases, keywords, or symbols for efficient representation.
Step 4: Review and Revise
Review your charted notes to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Make any necessary revisions to improve the organization and presentation of information.
When to use the Charting Method
Charting will work well for lectures or research that have a lot of facts or statistical information or where topics can be compared.
For example, when you need to compare the methods and study populations of research studies. This method distils notes down into only the essential details this style is great for:
Preparation for exams, tests, or presentations
Taking brief notes in-the-moment
Organizing facts or statistics to connect between topics and retain information
Comparisons between topics and subtopics
Creating an overview of a subject
Simplifying complex information
Benefits of using the Charting Method
The Charting Method of notetaking offers a range of benefits that enhance comprehension, organisation, and retention of information.
Here are some key advantages of using the Charting Method:
Easy to Understand: charts, tables, and diagrams can make tricky concepts easy to understand
Organized Data: charts help present information logically, so it is clear how ideas connect together
Helpful for Learning : Short phrases and keywords in charts can help the learning process
Quick Review: charts provide a quick summary that lets you revisit important stuff fast and easy.
Adaptability: charts can be used for any subject
Overall, the Charting Method is a powerful technique for anyone seeking to enhance their learning experience and make their notes more accessible and comprehensible.
Drawbacks of using the Charting Method
While the Charting Method of notetaking offers several advantages, it will not be the right choice for all notetaking situations at university.
The Charting Method can be challenging to use in these situations:
Complex for Real-Time Notetaking: Creating detailed charts in real-time during fast-paced lectures or discussions can be challenging and might cause you to miss important points.
Time-Consuming: Developing intricate charts requires time and effort, which may slow down your notetaking process, especially for content-rich material.
Lack of Detail: In an attempt to create concise charts, you might omit important details or nuances that are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the material.
Overemphasis on Visuals: Relying solely on charts might lead to a superficial understanding of the content, neglecting the depth that textual explanations can provide.
Digital Challenges: Translating hand-drawn charts to digital formats can be cumbersome, and digital charting tools might have limitations in terms of creating complex diagrams.
To mitigate these disadvantages, consider using the Charting Method in conjunction with other notetaking techniques, adapting the level of detail and complexity based on the context, and practicing the creation of effective charts in advance.
It's important to strike a balance between capturing information visually and ensuring a deep, accurate understanding of the material.
Improve your Charting Method notetaking
Choose one chart format for each topic
Avoid trying to combine different charts
Use labels that make sense for your data
Start with the main topics and categories and build your chart out from there
Use colour, bold, underscoring to emphasize key points
Don’t crowd your charts, leave white space so you can easily review the data
Use arrows and lines to connect data and topics
Combine your chart with other notetaking methods to enhance your notes
Review your chart at the end of the notetaking session to ensure it makes sense
Correct any errors or clarify any points in your chart as soon as you notice them
Summary
Whether you're tackling a complex lecture, breaking down a research paper, or studying for an exam, the Charting Method offers a versatile approach to notetaking that enhances your ability to synthesis, retain, and comprehend information with ease.
When you have identified a primary topic and want to use the Charting Method for your notes, it is relatively straightforward to implement.
To make notes in the Charting Method you will organise your information into categories noting only the important information and labelling the data appropriately.
Using this method you will build a chart that has dissected complex information into short summaries that covers the detail you need for to identify connections between the topics you are investigating.
The Charting Method is a great option for making notes about facts and figures 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.
Notebooks
We have 6x9 notebooks with blank pages to give you space to create notes in the Charting Method.
Click on the notebook image to buy on Amazon.
