The Cornell note-taking system is an effective method for organizing and reviewing class notes. This style of note-taking divides a page into three sections – a cues column, a notes column, and a summary.
Making a Cornell notes template in Google Docs is easy and allows you to customize the layout to suit your needs. Here is a step-by-step guide.
Benefits of Using Cornell Notes
Before jumping into the how-to guide, let’s first go over some of the key benefits of using the Cornell method:
- Encourages critical thinking and analysis – The cues column prompts you to pull out key points, main ideas, and questions. This boosts comprehension.
- Organized structure – The three-column format keeps notes neat and easy to navigate when reviewing.
- Aids retention and recall – The process of condensing notes into concise keywords and summarizing content boosts retention.
- Flexible – You can customize and tweak the template based on course material and personal preference.
- Digital – Storing notes digitally makes them easy to access, share, and search. No more lost papers!
Step 1: Open a Blank Google Doc
Go to Google Docs and click the multicolored “+” icon in the top left. This will open up a blank document.
You can also select “File > New > Blank document” from the menu bar.
Step 2: Add a Title and Date
At the very top of the page, type a centered title like “Biology Notes” and the date on the right.
This clearly labels each document for easy organization.
Step 3: Insert a Table
Go to “Insert > Table” and insert a three-column table that spans the width of the page.
This will create the three note sections – cues, notes, and summary.
Step 4: Add Column Headers
In the first row of the table, add a “Cues” header in the left column, a “Notes” header in the middle, and a “Summary” header in the right.
Bold and center these headers to clearly distinguish the three sections.
Step 5: Adjust Column Widths
Make the cues column narrower (around 2 inches wide) and the notes column wider to provide enough space for detailed notes.
The summary section just needs enough room for a paragraph.
Step 6: Add Visual Customizations (Optional)
Here are some optional tweaks you can make to visually distinguish the sections:
- Highlight header rows
- Add borders
- Change background fills
- Increase row height for note rows
This improves readability when reviewing the notes.
Step 7: Save as a Template
Once your template layout is complete, go to “File > Save as template” to save it for reuse.
Name the file something like “My Cornell Notes Template”.
How to Use the Cornell Notes Google Doc Template
- Open the template and fill in the title and date
- Take notes in the main notes column during class
- Pull out key words, concepts, questions into the cues column
- Review and summarize the notes in your own words in the summary section
Storing your notes digitally makes them easy to organize, share, and find!
Customizing Your Cornell Notes Template
The basic Cornell notes format works well for most students. But you can customize your template further:
- Add more structure with lines in the notes column
- Color code classes by changing title background
- Increase row height for more room to write
- Add images related to course topics
Tweak the template until you find a layout that perfectly suits your note-taking style.
Benefits of Digital Cornell Notes
Taking Cornell notes digitally in Google Docs makes them much easier to work with:
- Access notes from any device instantly
- Search notes to quickly find key points
- Never worry about losing notes
- Easily share and collaborate on notes
- Store and organize notes by class and topic
- Annotate and highlight for efficient review
- Tap into add-ons for more features
The flexibility of digital notes can take your study sessions to the next level!
Wrap Up
The Cornell note-taking method helps condense, organize and summarize class notes for more effective studying. By making a customized template in Google Docs, you can take advantage of this proven system digitally.
Use the template to structure your notes, then tweak it over time to match your personal note-taking preferences. This will lead to notes that are tidy, easy to review, and simple to find, share, and collaborate on!
