Note-taking and Comprehension
This workshop will examine:
Characteristics of and challenges to effective listening
How to improve the “pre-class and “in-class experience”
Note-taking systems
Organizational tools for class notes
Basic tips for better class notes
Making More of Your Classroom Experience
Active listening and effective note-taking
are crucial skills for academic success.
1. When you are in class do you sit upright and lean forward?
2. Do you go with the flow of the lecture or do you ask questions (if you ask questions, try to
guess in advance what the instructor is going to say next).
3. Do you regard each lecture as a separate event or do you ask yourself how the material
relates to previous information?
4. When you take notes, do you reproduce what the instructor says as closely as possible or try
to interpret and summarize the ideas behind the instructor’s words?
5. Do you make contact with the instructor and take advantage of office hours?
Listening (and taking notes) in college lectures is harder than
it looks. You have to be able to do something to actively
process it in some way. David Barken, listening expert said,
“Easy listening exists only on the radio.” And that’s
particularly true for college courses.
What kind of listener are you?
NO
Hearing is physiological. We can hear something,
yet not really listen.
Listening involves thinking, processing, seeking to understand,
analyzing and being cognitively involved. When you are
listening, you are engaged and your goal is to comprehend.
Are hearing and listening the same thing?
“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”
— Ernest Hemingway
Effective Listeners Ineffective Listeners
Actively look for something of
interest
Focus on content, not style
Listen for main ideas & their
organization
Vary note-taking tools
according to content
Work hard; maintain active body
posture
Tune out mentally
Judge the delivery
Do not vary tools based on
content.
Are passive mentally; give up
easily
Listen for facts rather than
main ideas and organization
vs.
Obstacles to Listening
windows/doors
other class members
seating choice
temperature
uncomfortable clothes
noises
So, “who cares?!”
“I’m never going to remember all of this.”
“I should have never taken this class.”
“I wonder what I will do after this class…”
“What a stupid question!”
“I wish I weren’t here.” External Distractions
Internal Distractions
speaker’s delivery (mannerisms/opinions)
speaking rate vs. listening rate
worries (the opposite of worrying is solving)
negative self-talk
Negative Mental Dialog
Limit Distractions!
Get rid of negative thoughts!
How to Improve Listening
• Limit distractions and negative thoughts
• Prepare to listen
• Use positive mental dialogue
• Communicate with your instructor
• Keep up with your instructor
An intelligent person is someone who
listens with understanding.
—M. Bradley
When you talk, you repeat what
you already know; when you
listen, you often learn something.
— Jared Sparks
Pre-Class Preparation
Complete homework
Preview that day’s content
– read or survey chapter
– create a chapter map
–SQ3R
survey, question, read, recite, review
Review the last day’s content
.
Prepare to listen
The more you do to “know” a subject before a
A purpose gives you a reason to listen. Your
purpose could come from your pre-class
preparation. It could also be a question you want
answered or other information. It gives you
something to listen for. This helps you stay alert
and active. (What? You’re not interested in the
class? You’re probably paying a lot to be in the
class. Try to create a purpose to help you develop
greater interest in it.)
