CHAPTER 4: LISTENING IN CLASS AND TAKING GOOD CLASS NOTES

CHAPTER 4: LISTENING IN CLASS AND TAKING GOOD CLASS NOTES

4.1. Being an active listener 4.2. Taking good class notes    4.2.1. Preparing for each lecture    4.2.2. Using good listening strategies    4.2.3. Using an appropriate notebook    4.2.4. Taking well-organized notebook    4.2.5. The traditional note-taking format    4.2.6. The Cornell note - taking system    4.2.7. Other note-taking formats    4.2.8. Summarizing what teachers say    4.2.9. Adapting to subject matter    4.2.10. Adjusting to each teacher    4.2.11. Taking complete notes    4.2.12. Attending all classes    4.2.13. Reviewing notes after class    4.2.14. Building note-taking speed

    This chapter is designed to help you to improve your classroom listening skill and take good class notes so that you can study effectively.

4.1. BEING AN ACTIVE LISTENER

    In the college classroom active listeners are students who, when necessary, verify their understanding by asking appropriate questions and who demonstrate their understanding of what teachers say by making accurate notes of lecture content. This kind of listening requires expending effort and energy in the way summarized in the following list.

How to Improve Classroom Listening 1. Prepare to listen. Read assigned material, review your class notes, and do assigned problems or exercises before class. 2. Eliminate physical distractions. Don't let hunger, an annoying classmate, or some other physical distraction interfere with your ability to listen. 3. Eliminate mental distractions. Develop the ability to set aside worries and concerns so that you can focus your attention on what happens in class. 4. Do not prejudge a teacher. Give every teacher a fair chance, don't tune out what a teacher has to say simply because there is something about him or her that doesn't appeal to you. 5. Focus on the teacher's message • Listen to opening comments - they may provide essential background information. • Listen for major thoughts - they are the topics that provide the basic structure for a lecture. • Listen for details - they explain and support the major thoughts. • Listen for examples - they help in understanding information and concepts. • Listen for study hints - they guide you in deciding what is most important to learn. 6. Watch the chalkboard. Many teachers use the chalkboard to provide study hints, others (such as mathematics teachers) use it as the basic means for helping students understand how to solve problems. 7. Attend to nonverbal clues. Sit where you can clearly see your teachers' gestures and facial expressions - they may convey important information. 8. Ask questions. When you are in doubt about what a teacher said, it is your responsibility to ask questions that help you verify whether you understood correctly.

Guidelines for Asking Questions • Be patient. When teachers have complicated or detailed information to convey, you may find yourself formulating questions that they will eventually answer. Therefore, don't ask a question until it becomes clear to you that the teacher is not going to provide the information you want. • Ask questions at the times instructors indicate they want to answer them. Some teachers prefer to answer questions at the beginning or end of class, whereas others stop from time to time and ask, "Are there any questions?" Reserve your questions for these times. • Be specific in wording questions. "Will you please give more examples of palindromes?" is specific, but "I don’t get it" is not. Formulate your questions in a manner that will make it clear to your teacher the kind of answer you are seeking. • If you still don't understand, ask for an example. If you are confused about an answer to a question, ask your teacher for an example. An example may clear up your confusion. • Be polite. Use a sincere, questioning tone; avoid a critical, sarcastic, or whining tone. "Is this important?" is a reasonable question when it's asked sincerely, but it is rude when it is asked in a sarcastic or whining voice. • Ask only questions that may also benefit other students. Requesting an explanation about course content may benefit other students who are also interested in the answer. However, a question such as "May I have another copy of the syllabus to replace the one I lost!" benefits only you. Ask this sort of question before or after class.      It is not a good idea to ask a question if (1) the question reveals that you have not done required reading, (2) the question makes it obvious you did not do homework, or (3) your teacher does not welcome questions. In these instances, it is best to find out what you need to know by waiting until after class to talk with a fellow student or study the course textbook.

4.2. TAKING GOOD CLASS NOTES

4.2.1. Preparing for each lecture

    To prepare for classes, use the following strategies.

How to Prepare for Classes • Read assigned material. Instructors assign material for students to read before class because they know that they are going to give lectures that students cannot fully understand without having first read about lecture topics. When you have difficulty understanding lectures, it may be because you didn't prepare by reading required material. Do this reading as near to class time as possible so that the information will be fresh in your mind during lectures. • Preview assigned material. When you do not have time to read assigned material, at least preview it before class. It is better to have a little information about a lecture topic than to have no information at all. Again, preview material as near to class time as possible. • Review class notes. Before class, also review the notes you took during the previous class meeting. When you look over your notes, you provide yourself with necessary review and you prepare your mind to listen to information that likely progresses logically from information given in the preceding class. In addition, while reviewing your notes you may identify questions that you want to ask during the upcoming class. • Do assigned problems or exercises. Teachers assign problems and exercises to provide students with practice they need. For instance, mathematics instructors assign problems for students to solve and foreign language teachers assign exercises in translation because students will be graded on their abilities in these skills. When you do assigned problems or exercises, you prepare yourself properly for class and you increase the likelihood that you will learn course content.

   When you have difficulty in a college course, analyze whether you are using these strategies to prepare for class. If you are not, consider that your problem may be lessened by using them.

4.2.2. Using good listening strategies

• Listen for opening statements that provide an overview of a lecture. • Listen for major thoughts and use them as the basic structure for your notes. • Listen for details and list them under major thoughts. • Listen for examples and include them in your notes (perhaps marking them with the circled letters ex. • Listen for study hints and record them in your notes.

4.2.3. Using an appropriate notebook

    It is essential that you have a notebook that makes it easy for you to keep notes for each class completely separate from the notes for your other classes.

4.2.4. Taking well-organized class notes

    Take well-organized class notes by using the traditional format illustrated in Figure 4.1, the Cornell system shown in Figure 4.2, in any of the other note-taking formats in chapter 6. The following suggestions for organizing class notes apply no matter what note-taking method you use.

How to Organize Class Notes • Take notes on 8½-by-11-inch notebook paper so that all the information about topics is usually on one page rather than on two or three pages. • Write your name, address, and telephone number in the front of your notebook so it can be easily returned to you if you lose it. • Keep assignments for all classes in a special assignment section of your notebook so when you study you'll be less likely to overlook assignments buried in notes. • Start each day's notes on a new sheet of paper and begin them with a heading that includes the date and course name or course number. The date is essential for putting notes back in correct sequence when they become mixed up, for verifying that notes are complete, and for finding where to begin studying when teachers announce that tests cover material beginning on a particular date. • Leave at least one blank line before each main idea. Make diagrams and other drawing large, and skip lines before and after them. • Punch holes in papers instructors hand out and insert them in your ring binder for safekeeping. • Number each page so you can easily put notes back in correct order if you remove them from your ring binder. Also, consider writing only on one side of each piece of paper so you can see all your notes when you spread them out on a desk to study them.

4.2.5. The traditional note-taking format 

    Notice in Figure 4.1 that notes in the traditional format emphasize the relations between major thoughts and details.

• Major thoughts stand out clearly. In Figure 4.1 major thoughts are preceded by a line with no writing on it, they are written to the left side of the page, and they are underlined.
• Details are listed under major thoughts in an orderly fashion. In Figure 4.1 some details are preceded by numbers and others are preceded by stars.

    Of course, the notes you take under pressure during a class are not likely to be as neatly written and tidy as the notes in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1. Class Notes in the Traditional Format

Study Skills IOI, 9/14                                                           ShepherdTaking good class notes Five characteristics of good notes           Written on 81/2-by-ll-inch notebooks paper. 2. Heading includes name or number of course, teacher's name, date, and lecture topic. 3. Major details stand out clearly. 4. Minor details are listed neatly under major details. 5. They summarize what teachers. How to improve listening Eliminate environmental distractions, Ex. Don't sit near windows or annoying classmates. Eliminate physical distractions. 1. Visit rest room before class. 2. Eat before class so you won't get hungry. 3. Dress so you won't be too warm or cold. Eliminate internal distractions. Don't think about what you'll do after class. Hints for taking and studying notes Read about lecture topics before classes  Mark things written on chalkboards and about which teachers give study hints for special attention when studying Review notes as soon after class as possible Study notes thoroughly before tests

4.2.6. The Cornell note - taking system 

    Many experienced students favor the Cornell note-taking system, developed by Walter Pauk at Cornell University. To use this procedure, divide each sheet of notebook paper into the three areas illustrated in Figure 4.2 and Figure 4.3.

1. Summary area. Create the 2-by-8½-inch area at the bottom of the page by drawing a horizontal line two inches from the bottom of each page. Use this area to write a one-or two-sentence summary of the notes on the page. In writing summaries, you analyze the details in your notes to understand their overall meaning. 2. Cue column. Create the 2½-by-9-inch area on the left side of the page by drawing a vertical line two-and-a-half inches from the left side of each page, extend the line from the top of the page to the line that separates the summary area. Use this column to write questions that you anticipate may be asked about the information in the notes. According to Professor Pauk, "Writing questions helps clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory". 3. Note-taking area. Record your notes in the 6-by-9-inch area on the right side of each page.

    This innovative note-taking system is widely used by successful students and business people. Study the sample notes in Figure 4.2 to understand how the cue column and summary area are used.

Figure 4.2. Class Notes in the Cornell Note-taking Format

How do psychologists account for remembering? What's a "memory trace"? What are the three memory systems? How long does sensory memory retain information? How is information transferred to STM? What are the retention times of STM? What's the capacity of the STM? How to hold information in STM? What are the retention times of LTM? What are the six ways to transfer information from STM to LTM?

Psych 105-Prof. Martin - Sept. 14 (Mon.) MEMORY Memory tricky - Can recall instantly many trivial things of childhood; yet, forget thins recently worked hard to learn & retain. Memory Trace - Fact that we retain information means that some change was made in the brain. - Change called "memory trace" - "Trace" probably a molecular arrangement similar to molecular changes in a magnetic recording tape. Three memory systems: sensory, short term, long term. - Sensory (lasts one second) Ex. Words or numbers sent to brain by sight (visual image) start to disintegrate within a few tenths of a second & gone in one full second, unless quickly transferred to S-T memory by verbal repetition. - Short term memory [STM] (lasts 30 seconds) Experiments show: a syllable of 3 letters remembered 50% of the time after 3 seconds. Totally forgotten end of 30 seconds. S-T memory-limited capacity=holds average of 7 items. More than 7 items-jettisons some to make room. To hold items in STM, must rehearse - - must hear sound of words internally or externally. - Long-Term memory [LTM] (lasts a lifetime or short time) Transfer fact or idea by: (1) Associating w/information already in LTM (2) Organizing information into meaningful units. (3) Understanding by comparing & making relationships. (4) Frameworking - fit pieces in like in a jigsaw puzzle. (5) Reorganizing - combining new and old into a new unit. (6) Rehearsing - aloud to keep memory trace strong.

Three kinds of memory systems are sensory, which retains information for about one second; short term, which retains for a maximum of thirty seconds; and long-term, which varies from a lifetime of retention to a relatively short time.      The six ways (activities) to transfer information to the long-term memory are: associating, organizing, understanding, frameworking, reorganizing and rehearsing.

Figure 4.3. The Cornell Note Sheet

4.2.7. Other Note-taking Formats 

    When you take class notes, you may also use any of the note-taking formats that are illustrated in chapter 6.

• Paragraph summaries are useful when lectures do not emphasize major and minor details. • Notes for definitions of terminology facilitate the learning of new vocabulary. • The classification chart format is a good way to record information about two or more persons, places, or things that are alike or different in two or more ways. • Time lines are ideal for notes when a lecturer gives a chronological sequence of events. • Use maps to show the relations between ideas, information, and concepts.

    Develop your own distinctive note-taking style by experimenting with a variety of note-taking formats.

4.2.8. Summarizing What Teachers say

    When you take class notes, summarize what teachers say; do not attempt to write down what they say word for word. It is impossible to record teachers' words exactly because they usually speak at the rate of about 125 to 150 words per minute, but you can probably write no more than 25 to 30 words a minute. Therefore, you must learn to summarize and paraphrase what teachers say in your own words.

4.2.9. Adapting to Subject Matter

    Because the lectures you hear in college will differ in many ways, you must be able to adapt your note-taking methods to those differences. For one thing, subject matter will determine the nature of lectures and, thus, the appearance of lecture notes. In addition, subject matter may to some extent determine how many pages of notes you will take during a class meeting.

    Adapt your note-taking strategies to be appropriate for each subject you study and to the style of each of your teachers.

4.2.10. Adjusting to Each Teacher

• When you have teachers who give disorganized lectures, use the Cornell note-taking system. There is no point in trying to take notes in the traditional format when teachers give disorganized lectures.
• When you have teachers who ramble from topic to topic without explaining how the topics are related, take the most complete notes you can about each topic they discuss. Paragraph summary notes may be useful in this situation.
• When you have teachers who read from the course textbook, follow along in your copy of the textbook, mark the points they emphasize and cross out the information they tell you is not important.

    It is your responsibility as a student to adjust to the instructional methods each of your teachers use.

4.2.11. Taking Complete Notes

    When you are aware that you have missed information during a lecture, leave a blank space in your notes. Also, place a question mark (?) or some other symbol in the margin next to information that you do not understand or that you believe you may have recorded incorrectly. When the time is appropriate, raise your hand and ask the question that will help you to make your notes complete or accurate. Do not be reluctant to ask questions - skillful instructors depend on students' questions to know what is not clear. You can also improve your notes after class by talking with the teacher, by talking with a classmate who takes good notes, or by studying required reading material.

    The following list summarizes what you can do to ensure that you have complete class notes.

How to Take Complete Class Notes • Attend all classes. • Be ready to take notes the minute class begins. • Include everything that teachers write on the board and mark it for special attention when you study. • Include everything that teachers say after glancing at their notes; they often refer to notes to make certain they state precisely information they intend to include in a test. • Mark for special attention material in notes teachers say is important or difficult to learn. • Record examples in such a way that you will recognize them if they show up in test questions. • Include all definitions of terminology; in many subjects, a large portion of test questions directly or indirectly test students' knowledge of terminology. • When you miss information, leave a blank space for it in your notes. After class, find out what you missed and write it in your notes where it belongs. • Take notes until the very end of class. Instructors often rush to cover a great deal of information during the last few minutes of a class session. • Build note-taking speed by using simplified handwriting and abbreviations. • Avoid recopying your notes; it is easy to make errors and lose information when recopying notes. • Copy notes from a classmate if you must be absent.

4.2.12. Attending All Classes

    It is extremely important for you to attend all of your classes so you will have a complete set of notes. If you are absent from a class, you have no alternative but to copy the notes taken by one of your classmates. Unfortunately, though, the notes that are useful to your fellow students may not be very helpful to you. Therefore, when you copy notes, make certain you completely understand them by having the person who took them carefully explain what they mean.

    Copy notes before or after class, not during it. Students who copy notes during class miss two lectures - the one they are copying and the one their teacher gives while they are copying.

4.2.13. Reviewing Notes After Class

    Notes taken in September may contain information that you need to learn for a test in November. If you don’t understand your notes in September, you won’t understand them in November when you study for a test. Therefore, during the first free time you have following a lecture, reread your notes to make certain that you understand them and that they are complete.

    Change your notes in any way that makes them easier to understand. Correct misspelled words, fill in missing information, and make other changes that improve them.

4.2.14. Building Note-Taking Speed 

    Because lectures speak much faster than students can write, good class notes are summaries rather than word-for-word records of teachers' statements.

    Note-taking requires the ability to write quickly and neatly, but there are very few first-year college students who use a fast, neat method for writing class notes.

    You may also write faster by using abbreviations of the following kinds.

Common Abbreviations • Standard abbreviations: pp. (pages), etc. (and so on), e.g. (for example), i.e. (that is) • Standard abbreviations without periods: NY (New York), ex (example),mph (miles per hour), p (page) • First letters of words: subj (subject), psy (psychology), chap (chapter),ques (question) • Omitted vowels: bldg (building), hdbk (handbook), wk (week), yr (year) • The letter s added to abbreviations to form the plural: subjs(subjects), hdbks (handbooks), chaps (chapters), yrs (years) • Arabic numerals: 7/4/1776 (July 4, 1776), 2 (two), 4th (fourth), $15 million (fifteen million dollars)

    The best abbreviations for you to use in class notes are the ones you understand. Be careful not to use an abbreviation such as comp and later find yourself unable to remember whether it stands for companion, comparative, compensation, complete, compose, composition, compound, comprehensive, or one of the many other words that begin with comp.

    Another way to build note-taking speed is to abbreviate in class notes using symbols such as the following.

    Finally, do not slow yourself down by worrying a great deal about spelling when you take class notes. You are the only who


reads your notes. When you are uncertain about the spelling of a word, write "sp" in the margin next to the word and locate the correct spelling after class.

Practice 1.1: Your Classroom Listening Skills 

    Check Yes for statements that describe you and No for the ones that do not describe you. Use the items you checked no as a guide for improving your classroom listening strategies.

Yes	No
		1. I prepare myself for listening by reading assigned material, reviewing class notes, and doing assigned problems or exercises before class.
		2. I plan ahead so that I do not become hungry or thirsty during class.
		3. I select seats that give me good views of teachers but from which I cannot be distracted by events outside the classroom.
		4. I select seats away from students who distract me.
		5. I dress in layers so I can remove clothes if a room is too warm or put on clothes if it is too cold.
		6. If I am distracted by thoughts about things I must do after class, I write them on my list of things to do and redirect my attention to the lecture.
		7. If I am distracted by thoughts about a personal problem, I remind myself that I cannot think about the problem and listen to the lecture, and I redirect my attention to the lecture.
		8. I try to ignore anything about teachers' appearance or manner that displeases me and focus my attention on what they have to say.
		9. I listen to teachers' opening comments to learn if they are reviewing previous instruction or providing an overview of the day's lecture.
		10. I listen for teachers to directly state their major thoughts using phrases such as "Now I'm going to discuss...".
		11. When teachers don't directly state thoughts, I use their pauses and repetitions as clues to major thoughts.
		12. I listen for teachers to state the number of details they will give.
		13. I listen for examples and try to understand how they are intended to help me better understand course content.
		14. I watch how teachers use the chalkboard to indicate what they believe is important to know and learn.
		15. I listen for teachers' statements about what is important or difficult to learn.
		16. I watch my teachers' gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements and try to understand what they communicate.
		17. When I am in doubt about something teachers say, I ask questions to help clear up my confusion.
		18. When I ask questions, I do so at the times teachers indicate they want to answer them.

Answer Key: 

Practice 1.2: The Cornell Note-taking System 

     Practice using the Cornell note-taking system by first preparing a few sheets of notebook paper in the way illustrated in Figure 4.3.

1. Create the summary area by drawing a horizontal line 2 inches from the bottom of each page.
2. Create the cue column by drawing a vertical line 2½ inches from the left edge of each page.
Use the 6-by-9-inch area to take class notes and use the due column and summary area.