Talking about lectures
Is there anything in the lecture that you can discuss with other people.
Dialogue will
develop your ideas much more than just listening. You may have noticed how
difficult it is to recall what a lecturer said, when you are asked. Talking
(or writing) about the issues makes them part of your own thinking.
Lecture Notes
Taking notes in lectures is a complex skill. Someone listening to a
lecture may be trying to do all these things at once:
Listen Understand Condense Write Remember
So you should not be cross with yourself if it takes time and practice
to learn.
Suggestions for note-taking in lectures
Start on a new sheet of A4 paper and only write on one side to make
organising and editing your notes easier.
Identify the lecture. Write the course name, lecturer's name, date
and
subject of the lecture at the top of the page.
Do not try to write down everything
Think about how the purpose of the lecture affects your notes. If
the
lecture is supposed to illustrate material you already have in printed form
you may not need notes.
Observe the structure of the lecture. Sometimes the lecturer
displays a
lecture outline on the overhead projector or just says its order. Sometimes
you will have to recognise for yourself the pattern of the lecture.
Use structure clues to
organise your notes.
If the structure of the
lecture is clear it is easy to make
sequential
notes with headings and
subheadings and points listed under each.
When the structure is not explicit - draw lines. If the structure is
unclear you can use lines to connect items. A word or phrase that you put
down can have other items leading off it as if the first item was a spider
in the middle of a web. (Hence
spidergraph)
Use keywords. Listen for
key words and phrases that you can use as
headings. When you are consolidating your notes you can look them up in
dictionaries and text books.
Concentrate on the substance. You can leave out examples and
illustrations if you understand the substance.
Take down any references given (unless they are already included in
a
handout or course book).
If you use abbreviations: use a consistent system that you will
be able
to understand when you read your notes.
Keep your notes as legible, clean and tidy as you need them to be to be
useable.