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Learning From Lectures
Suppose immediately after the com-
pletion of a lecture, you were asked
to explain the major ideas pre-
sented by the instructor. How often
could you adequately respond to
the request? Could you provide the
information for all classes or some
of your classes? Would you have to
refer to your notes? If so, would
your notes provide all the informa-
tion you need?
Much of the information learned
about a subject in college is pre-
sented in lecture form. Remember
the discussion of the information-
processing system in chapter 2.
Because human memory fades
quickly, it is important that you
learn how to record major ideas
and supporting details. Also, unless
your notes are organized, it will be
difficult to understand what you
recorded weeks after you first took
the notes. The most frustrating
experience is to look at your notes
and ask yourself: What does this
mean?
One of the major differences
between learning from texts and lec-
tures is that in reading you can
control the flow of information. If
you do not understand something,
you can reread it, take notes, or
put down the text and return to it
at another time. However, in lec-
tures, the pace is controlled by the217