HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF LECTURES

OBJECTIVES  Activities before the lecture  Activities during the lecture  Activities after the lecture

WHAT IS LECTURE? A lecture is an oration, intended to present information or teach people / students about a particular subject or topic, by a university or college or professional teacher.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE  Before the lecture  During the lecture  After the lecture

BEFORE THE LECTURE (1) u Check the “Schedule for the Day” for the topics’ coverage u Review notes from the previous lecture – if relevant u Complete any assigned outside reading or reference assignments

BEFORE THE LECTURE (2) u Have notes / paper and writing stuff ready u Sit where you will be able to avoid distractions u Be prepared to listen and actively participate

PREVIEWING THE TEXTBOOK u Read chapter title u Review the learning objectives u Read the headings u Look at the bold / italicized / highlighted text u Read the application stories in boxes u Read the summary u Look at the questions at the end of the chapter

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE  Before the lecture  During the lecture  After the lecture

DURING THE LECTURE Develop your u Listening Skills l Comprehension u Writing Skills (note - taking) l Expression

LISTENING SKILLS

DURING THE LECTURE... u Listen attentively u Write down the main ideas, context, and information u Jot down examples that support the main ideas u Summarize what is said, in your own words

During the Lecture... u Use abbreviations and short- hands?? u Ask questions! u Answer questions! u Listen for what is emphasized or repeated

During the Lecture... u Follow and Copy down what the teacher writes on the overhead or board, apart from the slides u Write in an organized, orderly, and concise manner

Note taking Skills “In addition to attending class, it is important to brush up on your note- taking skills to really achieve optimum success.” Kiran Misra, writer for Edinboro University

Why do we have to take notes? u To help us identify the main, important ideas in the lecture u To help us learn and remember the material for later u To have a record of information that is not available anywhere else

Why do we have to take notes? u To keep track of information your teacher (the same person who makes your exams) considers important u To help us complete class assignments and homework u To clarify the purpose of the lecture

The Five R’s Keys to Good Note-taking: l Record l Reduce l Recite l Reflect l Review From the Cornell Note taking System

Remember! u Be PREPARED! u Do NOT try to write down everything! u PARTICIPATE constructively!

Remember! u Depending on your learning style, choose, is it better to take too many notes or too few! u Taking ten minutes to review after each class will save you hours of time later!

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE  Before the lecture  During the lecture  After the lecture

After the Lecture... u REVIEW your notes, in order to keep your memory fresh! u Underline or highlight main ideas, concepts, and information

After the Lecture... u Seek answers to any remaining questions u Converse with your peers about new material

REVIEW! Research indicates that 80% of new material can be recalled if you review notes within the first 24 hours of presentation.

FORGETTING CURVE

A personal recall u A medical student, made fun of, by peers u Now a well known Hepatologist u His habit of review (as he stated himself): Every night, as he would go to bed, he would close his eyes and review all the new things he learned that day, and not go to sleep, until he has recollected them all.

EFFECTIVE STUDY 1.The key to effective study is: l CONSISTENCY 2.Consistency is dependent upon planning: l Keep a weekly calendar l Set a study time you can adhere to daily

EFFECTIVE STUDY l Plan to work in the same place each evening l Work at a desk or table l Have good lighting l NO TV, iPhone, Stereo, etc l Learn something new each evening

EFFECTIVE STUDY 3.Study Plan: P Q R S T u P - Preview: read the bold print, pictures, graphs, etc. u Q - Question: read chapter questions, vocabulary, and teacher worksheets two or three times

EFFECTIVE STUDY u R – Read: Read the given selections and note familiar passages u S – Study: Go over chapter questions and worksheets. Review class notes u T - Test yourself: Don’t wait for a formal test to discover you don’t know an answer

EFFECTIVE STUDY u Keep a Notebook for every class: l Keep them neat l Update your notebook daily l Use ink l Place corrected papers and / or handouts in your notebook (in the back)

SUMMARY u Before the lecture l Scheduling, preparing for class, reviewing the textbooks, objectives etc u During the lecture l Listening to the lecture and taking notes u After the lecture l Remembering the lecture, how to study more effectively.

Study Hard, and make it count!