Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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LEARNING FROM LECTURES 221

My note-taking strategies were very poor in high school. I would

write down everything that the teacher said and that the teacher wrote

on the board. I thought that if I got everything written down on my

the notes were about. At least I wrote all the information down! My

notes were very disorganized, and I had no idea of the main purpose

meaning of the information I wrote.

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In high school, my notes were very confusing to me. I would just

write down whatever I felt like at the time. My notes had very little

structure to them. They would consist of very fragmented thoughts.

When trying to review them for tests, I had a very hard time trying

date my notes to know when a particular topic was discussed in class.

At the time when I was in high school, I thought that my notes were

paper, it would be easier for me to study, even if I did not know what

or idea of my notes. Everything appeared to be thrown together, and

it was very difficult to return to my notes, because I didn’t know

where to find certain things, and sometimes I really didn’t know the

to figure out what went on in that particular lecture. I wouldn’t even

just fine. I now look back on them, and they didn’t do the job.

HOW CAN I TAKE BETTER NOTES?

There is more to taking notes than recording ideas in a notebook.

Like reading textbooks, taking good notes and remembering what was

written also involves activities in three important stages—before, dur-

ing, and after the lecture.

Before the Lecture

1. Complete Assigned Readings Before Class. If you read textbook assign-
   ments related to the lecture, you will learn more from the lecture for
   the following reasons (Ormrod, 1995): First, you will be able to direct
   your attention appropriately. One of the most important tasks in a lec-
   ture is to determine the main ideas. If you have already read the text-
   book, you will have a better idea of what is important than will
   another student who knows nothing or very little about the topic. Sec-
   ond, you are more likely to engage in meaningful rather than rote
   learning. That is to say, you will be better able to make sense of the
   lecture. Third, you will be able to organize the information, because
   you will have a framework for understanding the material. Fourth, you