While
each student must develop a style of note taking for lectures that meets
individual intellectual needs and skills, the following suggestions
might well assist you in taking complete and useful notes. The first suggestion is simple:
pay attention. Do
not spend time catching up on lost sleep, doodling, daydreaming or doing
work for another class. I
cannot guarantee that every moment of my lectures will be riveting, but
it is useless coming to class if you are not going to listen to the
lectures. Your notes will be the primary source of information for this
class. Spend time developing a technique that works best for you that
makes the material accessible and informative.
Remember that if your notes do not make sense, then neither will
you on the exam!
Complete the assigned reading before
coming to the lecture to familiarize yourself with the material.
If everything you hear in lecture is new to you, you will spend
most of your time writing down what you might already have printed in
the textbook depriving yourself of the opportunity to grasp the overall
theme of the lecture.
I will provide an outline for every lecture to facilitate
your sense of where the lecture is going.
Each lecture begins with an overview that sets out the main
“branch” or theme. Then
I will elaborate on specific points demonstrating how “leaves” are
attached to the branch. Exam
material is drawn directly from the lecture.
I am very explicit in demonstrating what I consider to be the
main points. It is
therefore imperative that your notes identify what points are given
prominent attention.
I do not expect you to believe everything presented in
lecture; I do expect you, however, to think about what is said.
You are not obliged to repeat verbatim my interpretations in an
exam, but ignorance of these points can work against you because you are
being evaluated on material acquired and analyzed in this course.
Notes should allow for annotation and running commentary.
Leave a wide margin on the side of each page—at least 1/3 of
the page. While this format will require the use of more sheets of
notepaper, it is necessary to leave blank space on the page to work over
your notes later. This way
you have space to supplement points in lecture with material from your
outside reading. An
additional suggestion is that you make use of a three-ring binder to
allow for ease of adding pages when necessary.
Whether to take notes in a similar topical outline style utilized
in lecture, or in abbreviated narrative style, is obviously an
individual choice. It is
important, however, that note taking not become so intense or
preoccupying that you neglect to think about the lecture as it is being
delivered. Assume that
after lecture some of the details will be reconstructed from memory and
reading. This supplemental
material can be added to the lecture notes where you left an empty
column.
If your handwriting is poor or your notes are disorganized, you
might want to consider re-writing them.
Take the time to check your spelling and definitions of any
unfamiliar terms. You will
find that a careful notebook, conscientiously maintained during the
course, will make easy your review of the course for examinations.
If you miss a lecture, obtain a copy of the notes from a
fellow student—the instructor does not have a copy—which you believe takes good notes.