Tips for Effective Lecture Notes - In the Classroom

The semester has started in earnest and your lecture classes are going full throttle.   Here are some suggestions to improve your lecture notes that you can use while you are in the classroom.

• Take a good seat.  The best location is in the middle ‘T' - front few rows or straight down the room in front of the professor.  You will have better eye contact and better hearing.   Don’t be afraid to move from distractions – windows, radiators, chatting students.
• Date your notes so you can easily find a section when reviewing.  Number the pages if using a loose leaf notebook.
• Leave a lot of blank space.  This will give your eye some space to rest and the organization will be more clear.  It will also leave you room in case you need to add more information.
• Abbreviations are good because they help you write faster.  But be sure you will remember them a month or more later.  You could leave some space and complete the word later as you review.
• Only write on the right side of the notebook.  Then if you need to add more information you have the blank left page.
• Look for the professor’s organization of the material.  Watch for verbal and nonverbal signals to know what is important, how many points there are, etc.
• Write down everything the professor writes on the board.
• If the professor uses Power Point and you have access to the slides before class, print them out and take your notes directly on that paper.

Remember, you are creating an entirely new text that you will need to use for learning.  Be sure your notes are as “workable” as possible!

Next post – what to do outside the classroom to improve your lecture notes.