Learning as a Process, Part 1 of 7

For the next several postings we will examine learning as a process.  Learning does not happen instantaneously - it takes time, effort and planning.  The postings will address:

• Taking effective lecture notes - before the lecture
• Taking effective lecture notes - during and after the lecture
• Academic Reading Strategies - before and during
• The importance of review
• Successful test-taking
• Getting information from your short-term to your long-term memory
• The flow of the semester

One thing that college students do is take a lot of lecture notes.  What you are creating is in effect another text that you will need for the class.  To learn from your notes they have to be clear, organized and complete.  In order to take effective notes your brain needs to be prepared to comprehend and record the information.  Here are some ideas to achieve that:

Before the lecture:

• Know what the topic will be (this is hopefully in your syllabus).
• Read the textbook to gain background knowledge and vocabulary.
• If there are power point slides, print them before class and review.  Consider using the format with the slides down the left side of the page and lines on the right for notes.
• Review the previous lecture as it will lead into the next one.

The important thing is to have some understanding about what will be covered in class.  It is impossible to get up to speed if you are unprepared and have no idea about the information.

The next blog will discuss what to do while you are taking the notes in order to have a working document to learn from and then what to do after the class.
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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.