Take The University Challenge

Listening and

Notetaking DuringLectures

The Academic Skills CentreTrent University

The

lect

ure

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated

day in and day out.

• Listen and take notes for a few minutes

Prof. Steve Joordens, UofT Psychology: "Critical Thinking"

(video clip)

Cha

lleng

e!

• Information goes by once, usually quickly. If you miss something (say, you are writing instead of listening), it’s gone.

• It’s difficult to separate what is important, the main points that you need to note, from secondary points.

F

ears

• The goal of taking notes is to end up with

meaningful notes

rather than a transcription of

the entire lecture.

Not

e-T

akin

g G

oal

• Good lecture notes can end up being more practical, meaningful and up-to-date than a textbook.

• Equally importantly, the act of taking and reviewing notes helps you learn: it forces you to listen carefully, test your understanding, determine what is important to the instructor or in the text.

• Note-taking helps your memory Why

Tak

e N

otes

?

• Read the syllabus and your notes from previous lecture: Think about where the lecture fits into the course.

• Do assigned readings. Anticipate how they might relate to the lecture ahead.

• Figure out the relationship between your readings and the lecture: don’t write the same thing down twice

Pre

pare

Instructors give cues about what is important to write down. Material is•written on a blackboard• on a slide•repeated – the same idea, topic or theme is presented several times• emphasized by tone and gesture, by the amount of time spent on a point or examples•appears in the end-of-lecture summary

Wh

at’s

imp

ort

ant?

This point is important:essential, crucial, vital

This is an example of something important:for instance, an illustration of this is

This point is important because it is part of a list:first, second, finally (etc.)

A contrasting idea is coming up:nonetheless, however, whereas

This is a review of important points:summing up, in conclusion

This point is less important:incidentally, by the way

Wor

d cu

es

• Go to Lectures. Sit Where You Can Hear and Don’t Multi-Task; be listening, thinking, noting, reflecting, questioning.

• Consider or Try NOT using a laptop.

• Date your notes. • Don’t write what you already know and what is

elsewhere: fill in outlines or add to info on slides

• Listen as much as write. Strive for 50/50 and don’t be distracted by writing/keying around you

• Don’t write in sentences. Be brief.

Not

etak

ing

• Leave space. Use arrows, short forms, write graphically.

• Jot down own thoughts and any questions to ask later.

• If you think you have missed something vital, get the info later from prof, slides, another student. Your lecture may have been captured on Panoptico and you can review.

Not

etak

ing

Use symbols and abbreviations:

1. Standard Abbreviations: w for with ch for chapter ie for that is eg for example w/o for without w/in for within b/c for because v for very

2. Abbreviations are made by leaving out the vowels and middle letter of a word:

imp = important impr = improve kn or kw = know kdge = knowledge no. or # = number prob – problem

Sym

bols

3. Other standard abbreviations:

= same or equal

> greater than

< less than

~ approximately

^ increasing

* most important

Sym

bols

• Take ten minutes to go over your notes asap while the info in still fresh in your mind. (Studies show that without review 47% of what is learnt is forgotten within 20 minutes)

1.Clarify information2.Highlight key words and phrases3.Reflect and respond to lecture by

asking: How does it fit with reading & general course themes?

4.Give your notes a title. It means you have understood them.

Prepare for Next Lecture by Reading Your Textbook

Rev

iew

One effective way of reviewing is to highlight your notes, using a three-colour system:Colour 1 – for main ideas (the basic structure of the lecture)

Colour 2 – for supporting statements or explanations of the main ideas

Colour 3 – for facts, details, terms, etc (information that might require memorization or appear in a multiple-choice test)

Hig

hlig

htin

g

• Link lecture notes to readings and topics in course outline

• Keep your notes organized and categorized– Course/Date/Topic/Title. – Individual notebooks or sections in

binders– Digital folders housing individual

lecture files. (e.g. C:/2010-11/ biol1005f/lect2)

Get your notes if you miss a class

Org

aniz

e

• Advises using a two-column note sheet

• In wide column, write lecture notes• In second column, write key words

and questions or thoughts as you take the notes and as you review them

• In space at bottom, summarize your notes on the page in one or two lines.

Do this when you first review the notes. C

orne

ll S

yste

m

•Key words include main topics, name of people, places, concepts

•Key words help you organize your thoughts and they make your notes more comprehensible

•When studying or reviewing, cover up your note column and see what you can remember about each key wordKey

Wor

ds

Prof. Steve Joordens, UofT Psychology: "Critical Thinking“

(video clip)

Giv

e it

a tr

y

Prepare: read, review previous notes put in context and anticipate

Go to Lecture: Balance listening and writing: 50/50

Review: for two minutes right after lecture, for two minutes right before next lecture To

sum

up

Tal

k to

us