listening & notetaking in lectures
TRANSCRIPT
7/24/2019 Listening & Notetaking in Lectures
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Listening & Notetaking in Lectures
Do you find it difficult to maintain your concentration in lectures? Do you get lost during lectures or
have a hard time identifying what lecture material is important? Do you have trouble keeping pace
while writing lecture notes? Feel as if you are not getting the most out of your lectures?
The following listening and notetaking strategies, which are broken down into strategies you can
implement before, during and after each lecture, can help you to address these concerns. Select the
ones you think are most relevant for you.
Listening strategies
1. Before the lecture 2. During the lecture 3. After the lecture
Maintain lifestyle factors
that increase concentration:
Daily cardiovascular
exercises
Adequate sleep levels
Healthy eating behaviors
Complete assigned readings
before lecture:
this
helps
provide a framework for
how lecture concepts relate
to each other and what
concepts are important to
note.
Review previous lecture
notes to re‐learn material
that may relate to the
upcoming lecture
If you have previously been
distracted by using your
computer in class, don’t
bring it and plan instead to
take notes by hand.
Attend the 1st lecture: this
class may provide hints
about the most important
topics of the course
Reduce distractions: if
others’ conversations or
computer use is distracting,
sit at
the
front
of
the
class
Observe the professor:
notice cues that may
indicate important material
is being covered
Professor repeats a
sentence or concept
Changes in tone, rate or
volume of professor’s
voice
Things that
are
written
on
the board or overhead
Verbal cues ie. “This is
important”
Review lecture recordings (if
available): these can be
accessed on the SFU library
website (under “Reserves”),
the course website, or
departmental website
learningcommons.sfu.ca
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Note‐taking strategies
4. Before the lecture 5. During the lecture 6. After the lecture
Read through any notes the
professor may have posted
online, and make these
notes available to you in
lectures so that you may fill
in additional details.
If you choose to complete
the assigned readings, make
notes during this time, then
supplement this with new
information that comes up
during the lecture
Making one set of notes,
whether on a blank sheet
of paper or on your
printed lecture slides,
allows for more time
efficiency when taking
notes during a class
Put an asterisk(*) next to
information that appears
both in lecture and in the
notes you made during the
assigned readings
Overlap in the text and
lecture usually indicates
that this is important
information
Keep the Pace: learn and
use abbreviations as often as
you can – this will
significantly cut down on
writing time
If you fall behind: leave
some space and pick up
where you can – you can fill
in the gaps after class
Discern important
information from
unimportant information:
the format of testing should
impact what you record
Multiple Choice: details
Short Answer: definitions
and examples
Essays: main concepts or
themes; how concepts
compare and contrast
Review text and lecture
notes within 24 hours, this
allows for:
Time to add information
to topic areas covered in
class where you fell
behind in notetaking
Cleaning up or re‐writing
notes
Identification of difficult
areas that
need
to
be
followed up with
classmate/professor/TA
Opportunities to retain
information in long term
memory
Make supplementary notes
for exam preparation, for
example:
Lists of important
terminology and
their
definitions
List of possible exam
questions
Notes on how concepts
covered in the lecture
relate to previously
learned info (using
concept maps or
comparison charts to
illustrate)
Flash cards
Review lecture notes on a
weekly basis to refresh your
memory
Revised June 7, 2012DW