Slaying the Lecture Dragon: Some Techniques for Successful Note Taking

You awake to the jarring sound of your alarm. You spring out of bed-well-you roll out of bed. You suck on your toothbrush while you put on your pants. Suddenly, sometime between finding a pair of clean socks and snatching up you book bag, you realize your nine o’clock is a lecture course, hosted by a professor who truly believes every student should swoon at their every word.

He or she barely writes a word. You wonder why they were ever given a lecture hall with a blackboard at all. Whether it is an aversion to chalk dust or a reluctance to turn their back to a room full of wide-eyed college students, they refuse to highlight any notes for anyone to copy down.

Of course, your first thought is to simply write when everyone else does. Yet, this is a rather hit-or-miss policy, especially if you’re a freshman in a room full of other freshman. In fact, many upper-classmen still struggle with the same issues with note taking. What do you write? What is worthy of a note? How do you separate pertinent information from nonsensical babble? How do I take notes and listen to the lecture at the same time?

These will likely be just some of the questions you will ask yourself a split-second before you miss something important, and may very likely find on your next quiz or exam. So what are some good tips for mastering the art of note taking? Well, let me try to be of some service to your weary heart.

Take the Hint

Professors will rarely say, “Hey, I think you should write this down, it will be on your next test.”

Amidst their ceaseless chatter, professors will often give physical or verbal cues so that you know to write something down. Their speech will often slow down when offering information to be remembered. Most instructors will use hand gestures as well, to put emphasis on something noteworthy. Many times, they may pause after giving you vital information to allow for slower writers to catch up, or follow with the phrase, “Any questions?” Unless they do write something on the blackboard, professors will more than likely be facing the class when offering important information so that what they are saying is more audible to students in the back rows.

It is difficult to explain what should or should not be transcribed since every professor has their own lecturing style. It is necessary to get to know the common cues each professor has. Paying attention to these types of clues is a good way to understand what a professor expects or wants you to know.

Using the Keyword

Maybe now you find you have a professor who speaks in a monotone and possesses no body language or verbal cues whatsoever. In fact, as the class progresses, he or she begins to resemble a simple organism rather than a breathing human being. They talk without end or pause, stopping merely to draw another sip from their rapidly chilling mocha latte propped up on their lectern. Perhaps, amidst their ceaseless rambling, they believe they are offering students ample practice to be a future courtroom stenographer.

Whatever the case may be, it becomes difficult to take notes and listen to the lecture at the same time. Well, don’t fret. There is a technique to help counteract professors with diarrhea of the mouth, particularly those who feel it is inconvenient to respond to requests of students to repeat themselves.

Instead of attempting to write down every word, which can be as daunting as it is useless, pay close attention to keywords or phrases you can pluck out and quickly jot down. This is an extension of the forgotten art of short-hand. Short bits of information gathered can be re-interpreted or further researched later on. Using abbreviations can also be helpful here. However, it will be necessary to follow-up on this brand of note taking. You may find this to be more helpful since your further research can be done at your own pace.

This technique is often helpful for generating questions for terms or ideas you still do not understand well. If you do have a professor who likes to ramble on, be certain to try to ask your questions before the lecture begins. Asking during a lecture may result similarly to trying to stop a roaring freight train with your bare hands.

Find a Friend

It is never a bad idea to have a friend or fellow student you can communicate with outside of class. Compare notes, ideas, and concepts covered in class. There is a strong likelihood one of your classmates may have caught on to something you didn’t and vice versa. This will help create complete and concise notes for you to study and reference.

It may also be a good idea to seek out students who have taken this particular professor in the past. Although they may have used their past notes for cannon fodder, professors in general are creatures of habit. Lectures and exams for that matter will often change only minimally from semester to semester. If they have any past exams, these may become worthwhile study tools, especially if they received a decent grade. Is this cheating? Well, your professor may think so, but if they choose to give the same exact exams every semester it is hardly your fault.

Pre-Prepared Questions

Do not be afraid to admit to yourself you do not understand something. The sign of a good thinker and an even better student is one who knows they do not know everything. Never be afraid to prepare a list of questions you might want answered.

You may not get to ask them out loud, but filling in information to questions already pondered will free up vital concentration to new concepts being covered and will also aid in comprehension. This is why in many textbooks you may find questions are presented before the section. This technique will help kick-start the cognitive process and assist greatly in further understanding.

Never fear. You can slay the Lecture Dragon. With proper amounts of preparation and technique, there is nothing you cannot accomplish. So brew up some joe and get to work, you will thank yourself later. An old football coach once told me “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” As true in life as it is on the field.