GI $
LEARNING FROM LECTURES 233Key Points- Taking good notes and remembering what was written also
involves activities in three important stages—before, during, and
after the lecture. - Use an indenting form for writing notes. Start main points at the
margin and indent secondary ideas and supporting details. - Be alert for signals that indicate the importance of information.
- Think about notes as answers to questions.
- Write mirror questions (in complete sentences) that the notes
answer in the lefthand column of the note paper. - Use lower and higher level questions.
- Once a question has been identified, return to the lecture-note text
and underline a key term or phrase that triggers an answer to the
question. - Write a summary question(s) that reflects the theme or main ideas
of the total lecture. - Use mirror and summary questions to prepare for exams.
Follow–up Activities- Use the Self-management Process to Become a Better Note Taker
Complete the following self-study during a period of 2 to 3 weeks.
Your report should include each of the following processes and
should be approximately five to eight typed pages in length. See
Appendix A for detailed information on how to conduct a self-
management study.Self-observation and evaluation. How effective is my note-
taking strategy? Do I need to change the way I take notes?
If yes, what problem(s) do I encounter? What are the symp-
toms of my problem (i.e., when, where and how often does
my problem occur)? How much of an impact does this
problem have on my academic performance? What factors
(e.g., beliefs, perceptions, feelings, physiological responses,
or behaviors) contribute to this problem(s)? What do I need
to change to reduce or eliminate my problem(s)?Goal setting and strategic planning. What are my goals? What
strategies will I implement to improve my note taking? When
will I use these strategies? How will I record my progress?Strategy implementation and monitoring. What strategies
did I use to improve my note taking? When did I use these