Listening with total concentration is a must for taking notes during a lecture. The majority of students at college and university often face difficulty in taking notes of important points while listening to the lecture. In this modern era of technology, several students record lectures on their smartphones. However, you must go through the action of writing and noting the important points and sections of a topic. When you write the necessary information while listening to the lecture carefully in the classroom, your mind will be active and awakened to learn and remember this information. Here are some of the suggestions to guide you in writing better lecture notes. These suggestions will help you to note the most basic and important points during the lecture.
Preparation of lecture notes
Before the lecture, read the topic carefully and mark the important points or write them separate in a copy. So that you can focus on the central points during the lecture in class. Also, read carefully the notes of the previous lecture. It will make the learning process faster and better.
Search online stuff on the lecture outline. Use a pen or pencil while writing notes in a notebook. New research has found that the brain becomes more active by writing by hand and also finds time to learn and remember the information. Your concentration must be on what the teachers are saying in the classroom. The fear of missing some information in the classroom can be avoided by recording the lecture during the class but you should not be totally dependent on it.
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Choose such a seat in the classroom from where you can listen to the lecture in clear words and remain focused. If possible, use colored pencils and decorate different topics with different colors.
Write the names of the topic and lecturer on the white paper with the date, time, and duration of the lecture. You must remain focused from the first word to the last and note any difficult term, or expression. If the lecture consists of more than one page, number them with a page number.
Different topics must be noted in separate notebooks and bring them to the university as per the schedule
.Method of taking lecture notes can be different. Difficult terms or expressions can be written in circles or for every difficult term, a flashcard can be prepared. You can also mark with stars to prepare bullets. Remember underlining and marking your syllabus books show your craz for study.
Give a complete shape to your notes
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Write the important points only instead of writing the whole lecture. You must be a good listener to listen to the lecture with concentration. It means listening to each and every word of the lecture with great concentration instead of recording the lecture and deriving the basic information. For example, if you want to know about foreign policy of Roosevelt, write its prominent pros and cons. Active participation during the lecture broadens the horizon of your mind.
Listen to the lecture from the beginning. When you listen to the lecture from the beginning, new words and visions and questions about them will be coming to your mind. Write those questions in proper order. Write words, equations, and quotations in a notebook written on the board. Prepare a questionnaire with the important nodes like what, when, how, why, who, and where and for answers consult your syllabus books, lecturer, professor, class fellows or magazines, and news.
Make your method by yourself. Words can be written in shorts. Shorthand can be useful. Shorthand is the best art for taking good notes. In the world of news that journalist is successful who knows the art of shorthand. Certain pictures, symbols, and emojis introduce us to the psychology of words. The short forms and abbreviations make the speed of writing faster than usual. IR (international relations), stars, small pictures, cartoons, and emojis can be substituted for words and brief expressions.
Write clear, clean, and neat. Don't write difficult confusing lecture notes. It will be difficult to revise your notes later and it will waste your precious time. Keep appropriate space between the lines.
Be determined at the beginning of the lecture to ask questions from the teacher. Hence you will naturally listen to the lecture with great interest. Write down the questions that arise in your mind. You must be confident, keen, and critical while listening to the lectures of your teachers.
Review your notes
Review your notes as soon as possible because, within 24 hours, 80% of the information disappears from the mind. Also, keep your concentration on the new information. Review the lecture again and again until you get familiar with the words. Highlight the important sections and correct the mistakes. If you have missed the lecture, take notes from your class fellows to complete it. Avoid ready-made notes. Don't depend on others for your studies. Make your own way instead.
Use Cornell Method for taking notes
According to Cornell Method, you divide the paper into three parts to take notes. In two parts, the small one and the big one, draw a line from the top to the bottom, and at the bottom of the paper draw a straight line. Note important imaginations in the small part, lecture in the bigger one, and write the summary of the lecture in a straight line to make ready and quick notes for yourself.
Flashcards can also be used for notes on different topics. A separate card can be used for each of the words and you can become a calligrapher.