2022-07-13 15:34:24
Some points on note taking
During the lecture the lecture should be your first review of the material to be covered, not your first exposure! Get into revision rhythm from day one of lectures and you’ll reap the benefits.
• Sometimes the lecturer gives the class a brief reminder of what material was covered in the last lecture and then goes on to outline the content of today’s lecture. This approach helps you to put the new information in context and to see the connection between ideas.
• Some lecturers conduct their lecture like an essay with an introduction, main body and conclusion, so this structure will help you to follow the trail of ideas. Note the sub points which expand on a main idea, as well as any examples which illustrate these points.
• The first few minutes (introduction) may provide some particularly important information regarding what points will be covered. The introduction may also provide a clear idea of the main headings that you can use in your notes but don’t rely on this to be the case.
• The last few minutes (conclusion) may provide a summary of the points covered. This is a good time to check whether these points feature in your notes. However, sometimes lecturers run out of time so don’t expect every lecture to have a conclusion.
• The lecturer may help you to discern what’s important by prefacing information with “This is important”, for example, or “Don’t worry about this aspect too much; what I want you to focus on is the next piece of information.” Also note the use of signposting words such as firstly, in particular, especially or most importantly which categorise or emphasise the information. These words help you to know what’s important and to see the relationship between ideas. Also, if a lecturer says a concept or term is important, it is! If you’re told to concentrate on a particular aspect of a theory or a concept, then do! Be aware of such messages as they will help you to stay focused and to prioritise material.
• Some lecturers state the objectives of a lecture and they may also provide you with a set of questions which you should be able to answer at the end of the lecture. These questions will provide you with some focus for the lecture.
• There may be rules, principles or subordinate topics which go together to form the main ideas. Therefore, look for supporting information in the form of definitions, explanations, examples and/or proof of the topics.
• The lecture is an opportunity to challenge and draw together information you’re reading.
• Be a hardworking listener and don’t write down word for word what the lecturer says. If possible, try to think about the points before writing them down, as this will help you to make sense of the material later on.
• Lecturers may also refer to knowledge that must be known first in order to understand other knowledge. This approach is useful because it makes links between ideas and helps you to put information in context.
• Many lecturers have a number of main points with sub-points and sub-sub-points. This ordering provides structure and helps you to understand how the different points relate to each other. To help you to frame the lecture you could use lettering or numbering to show the sequence or priority of the information. You could also categorize the ideas as 1) 2) 3) or A, B, C, for example.
• If the lecturer writes a date, term, equation, or an author’s or theorist’s name on the board, then you should take a note of it and the context in which it’s given.
• Don’t double up on information. If your textbook has the content covered, there’s no point in rewriting it.
• Leave a couple of lines between pieces of information, rather than having a dense body of script. Such a layout will make your notes easier to read and will facilitate working with them.
• Make sure you date your lecture notes and handouts.
• As the lecturer refers to information already on handouts, don’t rewrite it. Instead, supplement it with the new details or examples provided.
1.6K viewsMarsㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ, 12:34
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