LECTURES- Note-taking

MAKING
Taking notes in lectures can be a difficult
experience. One student commented:

THEM WORK ‘We have lecturers who talk at us non-stop,

FOR YOU scribbling stuff on the whiteboard all the time,
and we’re still trying to get it down minutes
after they’ve left the room…’
Effective Learning Programme
[quotation from Rowntree, slightly adapted 1998:119]
Robert Blake & Carol Bennett
Student Learning Development Centre
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The power of PowerPoint?

 How could the first student overcome

his problem?
Another stopped going to lectures:

 Doyou agree with the second

‘It’s a waste of time going to lectures I
student? Are lectures no longer
just download the PowerPoint’
necessary?

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Before the lecture

 What have lectures been like so far? Do you prepare for lectures in any way?

 How do they differ to your previous

What do you do?
experience?
What could you do?

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 In the lecture After the lecture
What makes you listen to certain parts Are you happy with your notes?
Why / Why not?
of the lecture more carefully?
If not, what can you do about it?
How do you cope with the quantity of information? Has PowerPoint helped in any way? How?

Do you have a particular method? In what ways is PowerPoint not helpful?

Remember that many lectures are recorded, so

What is it? you can re-watch sections that you didn’t catch

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Preparation strategies
 Have you read the course outline?
 What’s the title of the lecture?
 How does it relate to the other titles in the
Some Helpful Ideas? series?
 What does it mean to you?

 What do you know already?

 (How) does it relate to real life issues?

 Have you read any of the preliminary

reading?
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Practising note taking

Note taking strategies strategies - SQL2R
 Be prepared: activate your schema A balance between listening carefully and
 Don’t try to record everything taking notes is needed. The SQ3R strategy
 Work in pairs to share tasks
used for effective reading [Survey, Question,
Read, Recall, Review] can be adapted to
 Develop a system of short hand
SQL2R:
 Listen for cues for important points
 Surveying
 Ask the tutor to slow down!
 Questioning
 Sit back and enjoy (if lecture notes are
 Listening & Note taking
given)
 Recall
 Try out different strategies
 Review
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Practising note taking strategies: Practising note taking strategies-
Surveying-signposting Questioning
Surveying: listening for signposting by the Questioning before the lecture can be helpful,
lecturer: ask yourself:
 I’ll begin by

 Well,
What do I want to get out of this lecture?
 The first of these settings,
How does it fit in with the course?
 One of the key questions

 There are 3 main theories…. What do I already know about this topic?
 So now we’ve come to ….

 To sum up, what we’ve looked at so far

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Practising note taking strategies-

questioning Note taking strategies
During the lecture ask yourself: Unless you have a superb memory, you’ll
forget much of what you’ve heard and
- What are the main points? made notes on. Try to Recall and Review
over coffee after the lecture, with one or two
- What is informative? others. It’s more enjoyable, efficient and
effective as it can promote fruitful
- What is analytical? discussion. Make it a regular post lecture
slot.
- What is the lecturer's opinion?

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Practising note taking strategies:

Practising note taking review
strategies- recall Review
 Make questions about the parts you can’t
remember (there’ll be fewer if you work
Quickly draw a quick mind map, spider together)
 Review your notes to answer the questions
diagram or flow chart summarising what you
& fill in the gaps.
all remember – what were the main points?  Make a list of those bits you didn’t
understand & re read your notes

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 Practising note taking strategies- Practising note taking strategies-
types of notes linear notes
Example:
Prepare for the lecture:
If you find that PowerPoint handouts restrict  Do prep reading/thinking
Read through the lecture topic
you, try recording your notes in another 

 Sort out note paper pencils, etc.

way: In the lecture
 Be active
 Linear notes: with headings & sub-headings;  Listen for cues
points are numbered sequentially  Use shorthand/symbols

 Use tape/buddy

After the lecture

 Mind maps: suit visual thinkers  Talk it over with friends

 Note what you do know/still don’t know

 Summarise it

 Flow diagrams: suit logical thinkers  Re write brief neat notes (if necessary)

(Ref. http://www.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/note_taking_appendix_a.htm)
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Practising note taking strategies- Practising note taking strategies-

mind map notes flow diagram notes
An example of notes in the form of a flow diagram
An example of notes in the form of a mind map from
Tony Buzan. Note the use of colour & space

http://www.mind-map.com/EN/mindmaps/how_to.html
Liverpool Hope University http://www.hope.ac.uk/gnu/stuhelp/notes4.htm#Note

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Note taking strategies- lecture Post lecture summary notes

details
Date
Also record on each page: Course
 Course title- abbreviations
Lecturer
 Lecture title

 Lecturer name or Initials

Overview: what was the lecture about?
 Date

 Page number
Key vocabulary:
 Sub topic? [Helps you locate topics] Key concepts/theories:
This can help you to avoid plagiarism & keep track
of your notes 6 months on Issues/questions to be raised in seminar:

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 Note taking in lectures-
Note taking in lectures- symbols abbreviations
& abbreviations  e.g. for example
 c. about
 i.e. that is
 etc. etcetera: and approximately
Developing a clear system of ‘shorthand’ so on  thro‘/thru through
using abbreviations helps save time writing ,  N.B. note  ref. reference
Q. question  imp important
reading and reviewing. It also helps you 

 No. number  sit. situation

focus on the key points.  eval evaluation
 probs. problems
 p./pp page/pages  analy analysis
 1st first  diff/diff.y difficult/difficulty
 max. maximum  diff.t different

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Note taking in lectures-using

symbols Note taking in lectures-asking
What symbols would you use for? for clarification
therefore
because To take notes more effectively you may
statement/answer is correct need, to ask questions for clarification.
statement/answer is wrong Some time is usually given for this at the
question; is the statement correct? end of a lecture.
and/plus Think of some questions that you can ask to
ditto (means the same as the words immediately above make a lecturer easier to understand
the ditto marks) If you’re too shy you can also ask these
does not equal, differs from, is the opposite of questions in the follow up seminar
is/are/have/has/equals
leads to/results in/causes
does not lead to/result in/cause 27 28

Note taking in lectures-asking Note taking in lectures-asking

for clarification for clarification
 I’m afraid I didn’t follow your point about…Could you  Could you give an example of …
go over that again?  Sorry/I’m afraid I didn’t catch what you say
 Could you go over [again] what you said about ..
about..
 Sorry, could you speak a little louder please?

 Could you explain what you meant when you said that …?  Sorry, could you speak a little more slowly
please?
 Could you be more specific about..?  Sorry to interrupt, could I ask a question about ..

 Could you expand a little on what you said about…?

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 Note taking in lectures -
further help
For further help, go to ‘ Structure’ at
http://www.uefap.co.uk/listen/listfram.htm

Try this quiz and listening task:

http://www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk/listening
_to_lectures.html

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