Learning as a Process: Part 2 of 7

In the last post we looked at things you can do before a lecture to prepare yourself to take effective notes.  Here are some ideas for during and after the lecture:
During the lecture -

• Look for how the professor organizes the information.
• Write down anything he or she writes on the board.
• Watch for signals such as a number indicating how many points there will be, writing something on the board, saying the information is important, etc.
• If you were able to print out the power point slides, take notes directly on those.  You may need additional paper for unrelated notes.
• Leave some space between topics so you can easily see the organization when you are studying. 
• Ask questions if you do not understand something.

When you have left the lecture class, remember that you have only recorded the information.  The true learning happens after class when you start to learn the notes.
After the lecture -

• As soon as possible review your notes - make corrections, clarification, identify questions.
• Start to learn the information.  After reading, see if you can recite the information in your own words without looking.  Check yourself.  If correct, move on to the next topic.  If incorrect, review and try again.
• Use chunking - study the information in small, logical chunks.  Do no try to learn 5 pages of notes at once.
• Consider extending your learning by putting the information into a study guide such as study cards, review chart, concept map, etc.  Reworking the information into a different format helps you understand and learn.
• Be aware that one lecture leads into the next.  For the most part they are not stand-alone pieces of information but a part of a larger topic.  Keep the big picture in mind as you move through the course.

Next week we will look at effective academic reading strategies.
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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.