Your instructor’s lectures contain information that you’ll find on all of your quizzes and tests. A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to their lecture and take effective notes which you can study from.

There are actually 3 stages to note taking. You have to be prepared before the class starts, during the class and after class.  Here are the different stages and what you should be doing during each of those.

Before Class

Make sure you’re prepared to take notes. Do you have your notebook, pens and paper? Are you sitting close to the instructor so you can hear him/her easily? Can you easily see the whiteboard where diagrams and notes will be made by the instructor?

Did you prepare for class? Did you complete all of your chapter readings and finish your homework? It will be difficult to keep up with your instructor if you have no idea what they are talking about.

Review your notes from the previous day before the start of class. With the content fresh in your mind it’ll be easier to pick up right where you left off the day before.

During Class

Pay attention to keywords your instructor may say. Key words to look for include, “Remember that…..” “An important part of…..”

If the instructor writes notes or draws diagrams on the whiteboard make sure you do the same in your notes. Diagrams and pictures will help illustrate an idea and make it easier to remember the information.

An instructor may talk faster than you can write your notes. Make sure you abbreviate as much as you can. For example, use the % sign instead of writing the word percent, use other symbols like &, @ or abbreviate words so you can write them down faster.

After Class

Rewrite those notes! Remember all those abbreviations you used? This is the time to rewrite your notes. You’ll be able to review them, memorize them and if they we’re written sloppily, you can rewrite them neatly to make it easier to read.

Use your textbook or ask a student if you have any missing information in your notes. Or even if you just want to double check them.

Associate Degree Programs, Coyne College, Diploma Programs, note taking, preparation for class, tips
Uncategorized
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Trackback from your own site.