Taking Notes on Lectures

Too Fast? Capture The Essence When taking notes during a lecture, the presenter often speaks too rapidly for you to write down everything said.   Good note takers can "capture the essence."  Write short statements in your own words write the main idea or keywords in the order they are presented. Some students tape record important classes and take notes at home. This means extra time and work that you can save if you learn to take notes in class.

Break It Up With Headings Most lecturers will stay on one idea at a time, just as you should when writing a good paragraph. As the ideas presented change, start a new heading.   Try to visualize the lecture as a series of paragraphs and your notes as the original outline.

Need Clarification? Ask! If your teacher will accept questions during the presentation, be sure to ask for clarification on anything you are not sure of. If you are getting behind in the note taking, sometimes you can ask him/her to slow down or pause while you catch up.   If you have a good question, this will also get him/her to pause and respond.

Don't Interrupt? Wait ... Some instructors prefer that you to wait to ask questions.   Many times, a question that pops into your head will be answered by something said later in the lecture. If you are instructed not to interrupt and do not understand something, write a short phrase and put a big question mark ? next to it.

...Then Ask At the end of the lecture, look at your notes, find any question marks (?) and ask for clarification before you leave class. Start at the first question you have. If your question is half-way through the material, allow other students who have questions about earlier parts of the lecture to ask first. Listen to the answer even if you didn't write down that question. The answer will help you clarify your notes. Another student might even ask one of your questions.

Review Your Notes After class, review your notes the same day.   When you review, use the left margin to clarify your notes. Do not write over or erase the notes taken earlier. Instead, make comments in the margin to yourself indicating what it was you thought was important. This way you can add to your notes and keep the original class-written notes intact.

Your Own Style Develop your own style. Only you know the best way to write down what you need to learn so that you can understand and study it later. As you develop your own particular style, you will realize that long sentences are not helpful. Write short statements in your own words.   Try to get comfortable with a particular style and then stick with it. Do all your note taking in every class the same way.

Words And Their Meanings In your notes, be sure to mark each word you don't understand with a V for vocabulary, indicating a word you need to look up.   Take time to look up every word you marked with a V for vocabulary.  Use the textbook glossary or Use a dictionary Write the meaning down in your own words. Keep each subject’s vocabulary on a single page with the notes for that class. This will help when you review for a test.  Also, when you come across the word again you will know where you wrote the definition.

Organize Your Notes Each day's lecture notes should start on their own page.   The page or pages should be filed in your binder. Keep the notes in chronological order by date. put the newest ones first, or add to the back Keeping notes chronologically helps you follow the course more easily  makes the material a lot easier to review keeps notes in the order the instructor has designed the class.

To Type Or Not To Type? Some people type their final notes.   By typing them into a computer file, notes are easily retrieved for studying and writing assignments. Computerized notes can be searched for specific keywords or heading titles while studying.

Taking Notes On Lectures - Summary Capture the essence - write the main ideas in short statements in your own words.   Break your notes up with headings. If you need clarification, ask. Review your notes the same day. Create your own style. Look up new vocabulary and write meanings down. Organize your notes chronologically. Typing your notes may help you find important points later.

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