Taking Lecture Notes by Mohd Zahid Laton

Why we have to take lecture notes?

1. Promotes active listening.
2. Provides an accurate record of information.
3. Provides an opportunity to interpret, condense & organize information.
4. Provides an opportunity for repetition of the material.

Ultimately, learning and practicing effective strategies for HOW to take lecture notes will help you become a more successful student.

How To Take Lecture Notes

Prepare Before Taking Note

1. Read the text assignment before class.

2. By reading the text assignment before the class start, it will allow you to:

• Build up some background about the topic.
• Have some idea what the lecture is about.
• Identify main ideas of the lecture and organize your notes easier.
• Be familiar with key terms and names related to the topic.

You have to get ready to take notes as soon as you walk into the lecture classroom. You may choose your own seat but you are allowed to sit in front of the classroom because it provides you to see and hear better. Finally, you can do some revision for the topics that you will learn on that day while waiting for the class to begin.

Become An Active Listener

Strategies for improving listening skills:

1. Read the text assignment before the learning lesson start to build background on the topic.
2. Review your last set of notes before the lecture begins.
3. Sit in the lecturer's line of vision.
4. Decide what you want to listen.
5. Focus your attention mentally by eliminating and avoiding attraction.
6. Focus your attention physically by sitting up and making eye contact with the speaker.
7. Listen with an open mind, setting your own biased.
8. Control your emotional responses.
9. Listen for the main points and related details and take notes.
10. Ask and answer questions.
11. Monitor your listening. Check with lecturer and classmate (at the end of the lecture) if you are unsure of some of the information.

The Cornell Method

What To Include In Your Notes

Headings

• Always note all headings - the main point - that are made during a lecture.

Details

• Listen to all details.
• Some of the details that you may want to focus on:
• Any facts or explanations that expand or explain the main points that are mentioned.
• Definitions, word for word, especially if your lecturer repeats them several times.
• Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed.
• Anything that is repeated and spelled out.
• Anything that is written on the whiteboard or on a Powerpoint slide.
• Drawings, charts or problems that are written on the board.

Discussion Classes

• Some lecturers prefer the discussion format when teaching.
• You can easily take notes on a discussion.
• Instead of writing down the main heading, write down the question that's posed. Then jot down the various points that are made during the discussions.

Powerpoint Presentations

• Use the headings and subheadings in the PowerPoint presentations to organize your notes. Copy the headings and subheadings into your notes as the lecturer refers to them. Then liste to what the lecturer says about the slide and takes notes.

Math and Science Classes

• Taking notes in math and science classes requires special strategies.
• You may find it helpful to write the problem on the left side of the note page and anything the lecturer says about it directly across from each step. Listen carefully for the main points and the important details and put them in your notes.

Online Lecture Notes

• Some lecturers choose to post their lecture notes o the course websites. Some post the notes prior to the lecture, others post their notes after the lecture.
• Student always ask whether or not they really need to take notes in class when they can simply print the notes either before or after class. The answer is YES.
• When you take notes, you are actively engaged in the class, you can condense the material, you can organize the material your way and you can put the information in your words.
• You use the lecturer's set of notes to build some background knowledge prior to the lecture. Then after you take notes, use the online notes to edit your notes.

Reviewing Notes

There are three ways to review your notes:

1. Recite from the headings

• You can review your notes by using the headings or topics to prompt your memory.
• After you review your notes by reciting them aloud, cover the information under each heading and try to recall all of the points related to the topics. Then check your notes to see whether you missed anything. This review method helps you learn the material in an integrated way.

2. Recite from the recall questions

• When you think you know the information in your notes, use the recall questions to test your memory of the main points and supporting details.
• This review method helps you learn the material in an isolated way - you learn specific answers to specific questions.

3. Talk about the information with others

• Another way to study the information in your notes is simply talk about it. Putting the information in your own words and explaining it to others is an excellent way to move it into long-term memory.
• Get together with your note-taking friends or a study group to review your notes. You can take turns discussing the information, predicting additional test questions and quizzing each other on the information. You can also teach the material to someone or something.