New Student Orientation Resource Book
A
SYSTEM FOR EFFECTIVE LISTENING AND NOTE TAKING
You can think about
FOUR TIMES FASTER than a lecturer can speak. Effective LISTENING
requires the expenditure of energy, to compensate for the rate of presentation,
you have to actively intend to listen. NOTETAKING is one way to enhance
listening, and using a systematic approach to the taking and reviewing
of your notes can add immeasurably to your understanding and remembering
of the content of lectures.
BEFORE CLASS
- Develop a mind-set
geared toward listening
- Test yourself
over the previous lecture while waiting for the next one to begin
- Skim relevant
reading assignments to acquaint yourself with main ideas, new technical
terms, etc.
- Do what you
can to improve physical and mental alertness. Fatigue, hunger,
time of day, and where you sit in the classsroom all affect motivation
- Choose notebooks
that will enhance your systematic notetaking, a separate notebook
with full-sized pages is recommended for each course.
- INTEND TO LISTEN!
DURING CLASS
- Listen for
the structure and information in the lecture
- Resist distractions,
emotional reactions, or boredom
- Be consistent
in your use of form, abbreviations, etc.
- Pay attention
to the speaker for verbal, postural, and visual cues to what's
important
- Label important
points and organizational clues; main points, examples
- When possible,
translate the lecture into your own words, but if you can't, don't
let it worry you into inattention
- If you feel
you don't take enough notes, divide your page into five sections
and try to fill each part every ten minutes (or work out your own
formula)
- Ask questions
if you don't understand
- Instead of
closing your notebook early and getting ready to leave, listen
carefully to information given toward the end of class. Summary
statements may be of particular value in highlighting main points,
there may be possible quiz questions, etc.
AFTER CLASS
- Clear up any
questions raised by the lecture by asking either the teacher or
classmates
- Fill in missing
points or misunderstood terms from text or other sources
- Edit your notes,
labeling main points, adding recall clues and questions to be answered.
Key points in the notes can be highlighted with different colors.
- Make note of
your ideas and reflections, keeping them separate from those of
the speaker
PERIODICALLY
- Review your
notes: glance at your recall clues and see how much you can remember
before re-reading the notes
- Look for the
emergence of themes, main concepts, methods of presentation
- Make up and
answer possible test questions
Back
to Table of Contents |
Next
|
