Chapter 6: Reading & Note-Taking Skills

Active reading is a three-phase technique you can use to extract the ideas and information you want. They include strategies to use before, while, and after you read. Using these strategies will help you engage with the material more effectively and therefore remember more of what you read.

Phase 1 happens before you read and includes the following steps:
Step 1: Preview. Before you start reading, preview the entire assignment. You don’t have to memorize what you preview to get value from this step.

• Look over the table of contents and flip through the text page by page, if you are starting a new book. If you’re going to read one chapter, flip through the pages of that chapter.
• Read down the chapter headings and subheadings. Like the headlines in a newspaper, these are usually printed in large, bold type. Often, headings are brief summaries themselves.
• Keep an eye out for summary statements. If the assignment is long or complex, read the summary first. Many textbooks have summaries in the introduction or at the end of each chapter.
• Seek out familiar concepts, facts, or ideas when previewing. These items can help increase comprehension by linking new information to previously learned material. Take a few moments to reflect on what you already know about the subject—even if you think you know nothing. This technique prepares your brain to accept new information.
• Look for ideas that spark your imagination or curiosity. Inspect drawings, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, and photographs.

Step 2: Outline. With complex material, you should take the time to understand the structure of what  you are about to read. Outlining actively organizes your thoughts about the assignment and can help make complex information easier to understand.

• Spend some time studying the chapter outline in your textbook, if an outline is provided.
• Sketch a brief outline in the margin of the book or at the beginning of your notes on a separate sheet of paper, if an outline is not provided. Later, as you read and take notes, you can add to your outline. Headings in the text can serve as major and minor entries in your outline.

The amount of time you spend on this outlining step will vary. For some assignments, a 10-second mental outline is all you might need. For other assignments (fiction and poetry, for example), you can skip this step altogether.

Step 3: Question. Before you begin a careful reading, determine what you want from the assignment.

• Write down a list of questions, including any questions that resulted from your preview of the materials.
• Turn chapter headings and subheadings into questions. For example, if a heading is “Transference and Suggestion," you can ask yourself, What are transference and suggestion? How does transference relate to suggestion?
• Make up a quiz as if you were teaching this subject to your classmates. Write specific questions about a concept if you do not understand it. The more detailed your questions, the more powerful this technique becomes. You don’t need to answer every question that you ask. The purpose of making up questions is to get your brain involved in the assignment.
• Take your unanswered questions to class, where they can serve as springboards for class discussion.

Phase 1 of active reading is done before reading, but Phase 2 happens while you read, helping you figure out what you are looking for and setting up some context. This phase includes the following steps:

Step 4: Focus. You have previewed the reading assignment, organized it in your mind or on paper, and formulated questions. Now you are ready to begin reading.
It’s easy to fool yourself about reading. Having an open book in your hand and moving your eyes across a page don’t mean that you are reading effectively. Reading takes mental focus. As you read, be conscious of where you are and what you are doing.

• To begin, get in a position to stay focused. If you observe CEO’s, you’ll find that some of them wear out the front of their chair first. They’re literally on the edge of their seat. Approach your reading assignment in the same way. Sit up. Keep your spine straight. Avoid reading in bed, except for fun.
• Avoid marathon reading sessions. Schedule breaks, and set a reasonable goal for the entire session. Then, reward yourself with an enjoyable activity for 10 or 15 minutes every hour or two.
• For difficult reading, set more limited goals. Read for a haIf-hour and then take a break. Most students find that shorter periods of reading distributed throughout the day and week can be more effective than long sessions.
• Visualize the material. Form mental pictures of the concepts as they are presented. If you read that a voucher system can help control cash disbursements, picture a voucher handing out dollar bills. Using visual imagery in this way can help deepen your understanding of the text while allowing information to be transferred into your long-term memory.
• Read the material out loud, especially if it is complicated. Some of us remember better and understand more quickly when we hear an idea.

Once you have taken the important step of creating your focus and are aware of what you are looking for while reading, you are ready to use Step 5. During this step in Phase 2 of active reading, you use strategies for marking your text to identify the important elements.

Step 5: Flag answers. As you read, seek out the answers to your questions. You are a detective, watching for every clue. When you do find an answer, flag it so that it stands out on the page.

• Deface your books. Flag answers by highlighting, underlining, writing comments, filling in your outline, or marking up pages in any other way that helps you. Indulge yourself as you never could with your grade school books.
  • Marking up your books offers other benefits. When you read with a highlighter, pen, or pencil in your hand, you involve your kinesthetic senses of touch and motion. Being physical with your books can help build strong neural pathways in your memory. You can mark up a text in many ways. For example
    • Place an asterisk (*) or an exclamation point (i) in the margin next to an especially important sentence or term.
    • Circle key terms and words to look up later in a dictionary.
    • Write short definitions of key terms in the margin.
    • Write a Q in the margin to highlight possible test questions, passages you don’t understand, and questions to ask in class.
    • Write mini—indexes in the margin—that is, the numbers of other pages in the book where the same topic is discussed.
    • Write summaries in your own words.
    • Draw diagrams, pictures, tables, or maps that translate text into visual terms.
    • Number each step in a list or series of related points.
    • In the margins, write notes about the relationships between elements in your reading. For example, note connections between an idea and examples of that idea.
    • If you infer an answer to a question or come up with another idea of your own, write that down as well.
  • Avoid marking up a textbook too soon. Wait until you complete a chapter or section to make sure you know the key points and then mark it up. Sometimes, flagging answers after you read each paragraph works best.
  • Also remember that the purpose of making marks in a text is to call out important concepts or information that you will review later. Flagging key information can save lots of time when you are studying for tests. With this in mind, highlight or underline sparingly—usually less than 10 percent of the text. If you mark up too much on a page, you defeat the purpose: to flag the most important material for review.
• Finally, jot down new questions, and note when you don’t find the answers you are looking for. Ask these questions in class, or see your instructor personally. Demand that your textbooks give you what you want—answers.

At the end of Phase 2, your reading is complete, but to get the most out of what you just read, it’s important to complete the final phase of active reading—Phase 3. This phase happens after you read and includes the following steps:

Step 6: Recite. Talk to yourself about what you’ve read. Or talk to someone else. When you finish a reading assignment, make a speech about it. When you recite, you practice an important aspect of metacognition—synthesis, or combining individual ideas and facts into a meaningful whole.
One way to recite is to look at each underlined point. Note what you marked; then, put the book down and start talking out loud. Explain as much as you can about that particular point. To make this technique more effective, do it in front of a mirror. It might seem silly, but the benefits can be enormous. Reap them at exam time.
A related technique is to stop reading periodically and write a short, free-form summary of what you just read. In one study, this informal “retrieval practice" helped students recall information better than other study techniques did (Karpicke and Blunt 2011).
Classmates are even better than mirrors. Form a group to practice teaching one another what you have read. One of the best ways to learn anything is to teach it to someone else. In addition, talk about your reading whenever you can. Tell friends and family members what you’re learning.
Talking about your reading reinforces a valuable skiII—the ability to summarize. To practice this skill, pick one chapter (or one section of one chapter) from any of your textbooks. State the main topic covered in the chapter. Then, state the main points that the author makes about the topic.

Step 7: Review. Plan to do your first complete review within 24 hours of reading the material. Sound the trumpets! This point is critical: A review within 24 hours moves information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.

Review within one day. If you read it on Wednesday, review it on Thursday. During this review, look over your notes and clear up anything you don’t understand. Recite some of the main points.

This review can be short. You might spend as little as 15 minutes reviewing a difficult two-hour reading assignment. Investing that time now can save you hours later when studying for exams.

Step 8: Review again. This final step can be very short—perhaps only four or five minutes per assignment. Simply go over your notes. Read the highlighted parts of your text. Recite one or two of the more complicated points.
The purpose of these reviews is to keep the neural pathways to the information open and to make them more distinct. That way, the information can be easier to recall. You can accomplish these short reviews anytime, anywhere, if you are prepared.
Sometimes, longer review periods are appropriate. For example, if you found an assignment difficult, consider rereading it. Start over, as if you had never seen the material before. Sometimes, a second reading will provide you with surprising insights.
Decades ago, psychologists identified the primacy—recency effect, which suggests that we most easily remember the first and last items in any presentation (Pineno and Miller 2005). Previewing and reviewing your reading can put this theory to work for you.

Successful readers monitor their understanding of reading material. They do not see confusion as a mistake or a personal shortcoming. Instead, they take it as a cue to change reading strategies and process ideas at a deeper level.
Read it again. Somehow, students get the idea that reading means opening a book and dutifully slogging through the text—Iine by line, page by page—moving in a straight line from the first word to the last. Feel free to shake up your routine. Make several passes through tough reading material. During a preview, for example, just scan the text to look for key words and highlighted material. Next, skim the entire chapter or article again, spending a little more time and taking in more than you did during your preview. Finally, read in more depth.
Read it out loud. Make noise. Read a passage out loud several times, each time using a different inflection and emphasizing a different part of the sentence. Be creative. Imagine that you are the author talking.

Use another text. Find a similar text in the library. Sometimes a concept is easier to understand if it is expressed another way. Children’s books—especially children’s encyclopedias—can provide useful overviews of baffling subjects.
Talk to someone who can help. Admit when you are stuck. Then, bring questions about reading assignments to classmates and members of your study group. Also, make an appointment with your instructor. Most teachers welcome the opportunity to work individually with students. Be specific about your confusion. Point out the paragraph that you found toughest to understand.

One way to understand note taking is to realize that taking notes is just one part of the process. Effective note taking consists of three parts: observing, recording, and reviewing. 

1. Observe an event. This part can be a statement by an instructor, a lab experiment, a slide show of an artist’s works, or a chapter of required reading. 

2. Record your observations of that event. This part means take notes. 

3. Review what you have recorded. Memorize, reflect, apply, and rehearse what you’re learning. This part lifts ideas off the page and turns them into a working part of your mind. 

Each part of the note-taking process is essential, and each depends on the other. Your observations determine what you record. What you record determines what you review. And the quality of your review can determine how effective your next observations will be. If you review your notes on the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, for example, the next day’s lecture on the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 will make more sense. 

Legible and speedy handwriting is also useful in taking notes. Knowledge of outlining is handy too. A nifty pen, a new notebook, and a laptop computer are all great note-taking devices. 

But they’re all worthless—unless you participate as an energetic observer in class and regularly review your notes after class. If you take those two steps, you can turn even the most disorganized chicken scratches into a powerful tool. 

This is a well-researched aspect of student success in higher education. Study after study points to the benefits of taking notes. The value is added in two ways. First, you gather a set of materials that refreshes your memory and helps you prepare for tests. Second, you are prompted to listen effectively during class.  

You translate new ideas into your own words and images. You impose a personal and meaningful structure on what you see, read, and hear. You move from passive observer to active participant (Brazeau 2006). It’s not that you take notes so that you can learn from them later. Instead, you learn while taking notes. 

Computer technology takes traditional note taking to a whole new level. You can capture key notes with word processing, outlining, database, and publishing software. Your notes become living documents that you can search, bookmark, tag, and archive like other digital files. 

Sometimes, note-taking looks like a passive affair, especially in large lecture classes. One person at the front of the room does most of the talking. Everyone else is seated and silent, taking notes. The lecturer seems to be doing all of the work. 

Don’t be deceived. Look more closely. You’ll see some students taking notes in a way that radiates energy. They’re awake and alert, poised on the edge of their seats. They’re writing—a physical activity that expresses mental engagement. These students listen for levels of ideas and information, make choices about what to record, and compile materials to review. 

In higher education, you might spend hundreds of hours taking notes. Making them more effective is a direct investment in your success. 

Think of your notes as a textbook that you create—one that’s more current and more in tune with your learning preferences than any textbook you could buy. 

Sherlock Holmes, a fictional master detective and student of the obvious, could track down a villain by observing the fold of his scarf and the mud on his shoes. In real life, a doctor can save a life by observing a mole—one a patient has always had—that undergoes a rapid change. 

Keen observers see facts and relationships. They know ways to focus their attention on the details and then tap their creative energy to discover patterns.  

To sharpen your classroom observation skills, experiment with the following techniques: 

Complete outside assignments. The more familiar you are with a subject, the more easily you can absorb important information during class lectures. Instructors usually assume that students complete assignments, and they construct their lectures accordingly. 

Sit front and center. Students who get as close as possible to the front and center of the classroom often do better on tests for several reasons. The closer you sit to the lecturer, the harder it is to fall asleep. The closer you sit to the front, the fewer interesting or distracting classmates are situated between you and the instructor. Material on the board is easier to read from up front. Also, the instructor can see you more easily when you have a question. 

Sitting close to the front is a way to commit yourself to getting what you want out of school. One reason students gravitate to the back of the classroom is that they think the instructor is less likely to call on them. Sitting in back can signal a lack of commitment. When you sit up front, you are declaring your willingness to take a risk and participate. 

Conduct a short pre-class review. Arrive early, and then put your brain in gear by reviewing your notes from the previous class. Scan your reading assignment. Look at the sections you have underlined or highlighted. Review assigned problems and exercises. Note questions you intend to ask. 

NOTE TAKING: OBSERVE- BE ATTENTIVE IN CLASS

Part of preparing to take notes is being observant about your own responses and reactions to what is going on in class. For example, sometimes your mind may wander, you might hear the instructor say something you disagree with, or you may feel sleepy during a lecture. These can be huge distractions to you while you listen. However, how you react when these situations happen will make all the difference in your ability to remain attentive in class.  

Accept your wandering mind. Don’t fight daydreaming. When you notice your mind wandering during class, look at it as an opportunity to refocus your attention. If thermodynamics is losing out to beach parties, let go of the beach. 

Be with the instructor. In your mind, put yourself right up front with the instructor. Imagine that you and the instructor are the only ones in the room and that the lecture is a personal conversation between the two of you. Pay attention to the instructor’s body language and facial expressions. Look the instructor in the eye. 

Remember that the power of this suggestion is immediately reduced by digital distractions—Internet surfing, e-mail checking, text messaging, or reading social media feeds. Taking notes is a way to stay focused. The physical act of taking notes signals your mind to stay in the same room as the instructor. 

Postpone debate. When you hear something you disagree with, note your disagreement and let it go. Don’t allow your internal dialogue to drown out subsequent material. If your disagreement is persistent and strong, make note of it and then move on. Internal debate can prevent you from absorbing new information. It’s okay to absorb information you don’t agree with. Just absorb it with the mental tag My instructor says … and I don’t agree with it. 

Let go of judgments about lecture styles. Human beings are judgment machines. We evaluate everything, especially other people. If another person’s eyebrows are too close together (or too far apart), if she walks a certain way or speaks with an unusual accent, we instantly make up a story about her. We do this so quickly that the process is usually not a conscious one. 

Don’t let your attitude about an instructor’s lecture style, habits, or appearance get in the way of your education. You can decrease the power of your judgments if you pay attention to them and let them go. 

You can even let go of judgments about rambling, unorganized lectures. Turn them to your advantage. Take the initiative and organize the material yourself. While taking notes, separate the key points from the examples and supporting evidence. Note the places where you got confused, and make a list of questions to ask. 

Participate in class activities. Ask questions. Volunteer for demonstrations. Join in-class discussions. Be willing to take a risk or look foolish, if that’s what it takes for you to learn. Chances are, the question you think is dumb is also on the minds of several of your classmates. 

Relate the class to your goals. If you have trouble staying awake in a particular class, write at the top of your notes how that class relates to a specific goal. Identify the reward or payoff for reaching that goal. 

Think critically about what you hear. This suggestion might seem contrary to the postpone debate technique. It’s not. You might choose not to think critically about the instructor’s ideas during the lecture. That’s fine. Do it later, as you review and edit your notes. This is the time to list questions or write down your agreements and disagreements. 

The format and structure of your notes are more important than how fast you write or how elegant your handwriting is. You want to use the method that works best for you so that they make sense when you go back and review them.

Use key words. An easy way to sort the extraneous material from the important points is to take notes using key words. Key words or phrases contain the essence of communication. They include the following: 

• Concepts, technical terms, names, and numbers 
• Linking words, including words that describe action, relationship, and degree (for example, most, least, and faster) 

Key words evoke images and associations with other words and ideas. They trigger your memory. That characteristic makes them powerful review tools. One key word can initiate the recall of a whole cluster of ideas. A few key words can form a chain from which you can reconstruct an entire lecture. 

Use pictures and diagrams. Make relationships visual. Copy all diagrams from the board, and invent your own. A drawing of a piano falling on someone who is looking up, for example, might be used to demonstrate the relationship of receptor neurons to effector neurons. Label the eyes receptor and the feet effector. This picture implies that the sight of the piano must be translated into a motor response. By connecting the explanation of the process with the unusual picture of the piano falling, you can link the elements of the process together. 

Write notes in paragraphs. When it is difficult to follow the organization of a lecture or put information into outline form, create a series of informal paragraphs. These paragraphs should contain few complete sentences. Reserve complete sentences for precise definitions, direct quotations, and important points that the instructor emphasizes by repetition or other signals—such as the phrase "this is an important point."

Copy material from the board or PowerPoint presentation. Record key formulas, diagrams, and problems that the teacher presents on the board or in a PowerPoint presentation. Copy dates, numbers, names, places, and other facts. You can even use your own signal or code to flag important material. 

Use a three-ring binder. Three-ring binders have several advantages over other kinds of notebooks. First, pages can be removed and spread out when you review. This way, you can get the whole picture of a lecture. Second, the three-ring binder allows you to insert handouts right into your notes. Third, you can insert your own out-of-class notes in the correct order. 

Use only one side of a piece of paper. When you use one side of a page, you can review and organize all of your notes by spreading them out side by side. Most students find the benefit well worth the cost of the paper. Perhaps you’re concerned about the environmental impact of consuming more paper. If so, you can use the blank side of old notes and use recycled paper. 

Keep your own thoughts separate. For the most part, avoid making editorial comments in your lecture notes. The danger is that when you return to your notes, you might mistake your own ideas for those of the instructor. If you want to make a comment, clearly label it as your own. 

Use an I’m lost signal. No matter how attentive and alert you are, you might get lost and confused in a lecture. If it is inappropriate to ask a question, record in your notes that you were lost. Invent your own signal—for example, a circled question mark. When you write down your code for I’m lost, leave space for the explanation or clarification that you will get later. The space will also be a signal that you missed something. Later, you can speak to your instructor or ask to see a fellow student’s notes.

Label, number, and date all notes. Develop the habit of labeling and dating your notes at the beginning of each class. Number the page, too. Sometimes, the sequence of material in a lecture is important. Write your name and phone number in each notebook in case you lose it. 

Use standard abbreviations. Be consistent with your abbreviations. If you make up your own abbreviations or symbols, write a key explaining them in your notes. Avoid vague abbreviations. When you use an abbreviation such as comm. for committee, you run the risk of not being able to remember whether you meant committee, commission, common, or commit. 

Leave blank space. Notes tightly crammed into every corner of the page are hard to read and difficult to use for review. Give your eyes a break by leaving plenty of space. 

Later, when you review, you can use the blank spaces in your notes to clarify points, write questions, or add other material. 

Take notes in different colors. You can use colors as highly visible organizers. For example, you can signal important points with red. Or use one color of ink for notes about the text and another color for lecture notes. 

When choosing an effective note-taking strategy, you might find that one method works best in your math class and another works best in your history class. Experiment with them and use what works best for you.

Think of reviewing as an integral part of note-taking rather than an added task. To make new information useful, encode it in a way that connects it to your long-term memory. The key is reviewing. 

Review within 24 hours. The sooner you review your notes, the better, especially if the content is difficult. In fact, you can start reviewing during class. When your instructor pauses to set up the overhead display or erase the board, scan your notes. Dot the i’s, cross the t’s, and write out unclear abbreviations. Another way to use this technique is to get to your next class as quickly as you can. Then use the four or five minutes before the lecture begins to review the notes you just took in the previous class. If you do not get to your notes immediately after class, you can still benefit by reviewing them later in the day. A review right before you go to sleep can also be valuable. 

Think of the day’s unreviewed notes as leaky faucets, constantly dripping and losing precious information until you shut them off with a quick review. Remember, it’s possible to forget most of the material within 24 hours—unless you review. 

Edit your notes. During your first review, fix words that are illegible. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear to you later. Make sure you can read everything. If you can’t read something or don’t understand something you can read, mark it and make a note to ask your instructor or another student about it. Check to see that your notes are labeled with the date and class and that the pages are numbered. 

Fill in key words. As you review your notes, focus on extracting important concepts. Using the key word principles described earlier in this module, go through your notes and make a list of key words or phrases. These key words will speed up the review process later. Also experiment with the Cornell method for taking notes, which centers on organizing your notes on the basis of key words. 

Use your key words as cues to recite. Cover your notes with a blank sheet of paper so that you can see only the key words in the left-side margin. Take each key word in order, and recite as much as you can about the point. Then, uncover your notes and look for any important points you missed. 

Conduct short weekly review periods. Once a week, review all of your notes again. These review sessions don’t need to take a lot of time. Even a 20-minute weekly review period is valuable. Some students find that a weekend review—say, on Sunday afternoon—helps them stay in continuous touch with the material. Scheduling regular review sessions on your calendar helps develop the habit. 

Consider typing your notes. Some students type up their handwritten notes on the computer. The argument for doing so is threefold. First, typed notes are easier to read. Second, they take up less space. Third, the process of typing them forces you to review the material. 

Create summaries. Mind mapping is an excellent way to summarize large sections of your course notes or reading assignments. Create one map that shows all the main topics you want to remember. Then create another map about each main topic. After drawing your maps, look at your original notes, and fill in anything you missed. This system is fun and quick. 

You may not always take classes in a formal classroom setting. Many classes are now offered online. The following suggestions will help with taking notes and keeping track of information in online courses.  

Do a trial run with technology. Verify your access to course web sites, including online tutorials, PowerPoint presentations, readings, quizzes, tests, assignments, bulletin boards, and chatrooms. Ask your instructors for the website addresses (URLs), e-mail addresses, and passwords. Work out any bugs when you start the course and well before that first assignment is due. 

Develop a contingency plan. Murphy’s Law of computer crashes states that technology tends to break down at the moment of greatest inconvenience. You might not believe this piece of folklore, but it’s still wise to prepare for it: 

• Find a “technology buddy” in each of your classes—someone who can contact the instructor if you lose Internet access or experience other computer problems. 
• Every day, back up the files created for your courses.
• Keep extra printer supplies—paper, toner, and ink—on hand at all times. Don’t run out of necessary supplies on the day a paper is due. 

Take notes on course material. You can print out anything that appears on a computer screen. This includes online course materials—articles, books, manuscripts, e-mail messages, chatroom sessions, and more. 

The potential problem is that you might skip the note-taking process altogether. (I can just print out everything!) You would then miss the chance to internalize a new idea by restating it in your own words— a principal benefit of note-taking. Result: Material passes from computer to printer without ever intersecting with your brain. To prevent this problem, take notes on your online course material. 

Ask for help. If you feel confused about anything you’re learning online, ask for help right away. This is especially important when you don’t see the instructor face-to-face in class. Some students simply drop online courses rather than seek help. E-mail or call the instructor before you make that choice. If the instructor is on campus, you might be able to arrange for a meeting during office hours. 

Manage time and tasks carefully. Courses that take place mostly or totally online can become invisible in your weekly academic schedule. This reinforces the temptation to put off dealing with these courses until late in the term.      

Avoid this mistake! Consider the real possibility that an online course can take more time than a traditional, face-to-face lecture class. 

One key to keeping up with the course is frequent contact and careful time management: 

• Early in the term, create a detailed schedule for online courses. In your calendar, list a due date for each assignment. Break big assignments into smaller steps, and schedule a due date for each step. 
• Schedule times in your calendar to complete online course work. Give these scheduled sessions the same priority as regular classroom meetings. At these times, check for online announcements relating to assignments, tests, and other course events. Check for course-related e-mails daily. 
• If the class includes discussion forums, check those daily as well. Look for new posts and add your replies. The point of these tools is to create a lively conversation that starts early and continues throughout the term. 
• When you receive an online assignment, e-mail any questions immediately. If you want to meet with an instructor in person, request an appointment several days in advance. 
• Give online instructors plenty of time to respond. They are not always online. Many online instructors have traditional courses to teach, along with administration and research duties. 
• Download or print out online course materials as soon as they’re posted on the class website. These materials might not be available later in the term. 

Focus your attention. Some students are used to visiting websites while watching TV, listening to music, or browsing their social media feed. When applied to online learning, these habits can reduce your learning and imperil your grades. To succeed with online learning technology, turn off the distractions. Whenever you go online, stay in charge of your attention. 

Instructors are different in their communication style. Sometimes, instructors talk very quickly, and it may seem difficult to take notes.  

The following strategies can help you take notes when your instructor talks quickly:  

Take more time to prepare for class. Familiarity with a subject increases your ability to pick up on key points. If an instructor lectures quickly or is difficult to understand, conduct a thorough preview of the material to be covered. 

Be willing to make choices. Focus your attention on key points. Instead of trying to write everything down, choose what you think is important. Occasionally, you will make a less-than-perfect choice or even neglect an important point. Worse things could happen. Stay with the lecture, write down key words, and revise your notes immediately after class. 

Exchange photocopies of notes with classmates. Your classmates might write down something you missed. At the same time, your notes might help them. Exchanging photocopies can fill in the gaps. 

Leave large empty spaces in your notes. Leave plenty of room for filling in information you missed. Use a symbol that signals you’ve missed something so that you can remember to come back to it. 

See the instructor after class. Take your class notes with you, and show the instructor what you missed. 

Use an audio recorder. Recording a lecture gives you a chance to hear it again whenever you choose. Some audio-recording software allows you to vary the speed of the recording. With this feature, you can perform magic and actually slow down the instructor’s speech. 

Before class, take notes on your reading assignment. You can take detailed notes on the text before class. Leave plenty of blank space. Take these notes with you to class, and simply add your lecture notes to them. 

Go to the lecture again. Many classes are taught in multiple sections. That gives you the chance to hear a lecture at least twice—once in your regular class and again in another section of the class. 

Ask questions—even if you’re totally lost. Many instructors allow a question session. This is the time to ask about the points you missed. 

At times, you might feel so lost that you can’t even formulate a question. That’s okay. One option is to report this fact to the instructor. She can often guide you to a clear question. Another option is to ask a related question. Doing so might lead you to the question you really want to ask. 

Ask the instructor to slow down. This solution is the most obvious. If asking the instructor to slow down doesn’t work, ask her to repeat what you missed. 

SOURCES

• OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning. Provided by: CEngage. Available at: https://oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com/media/editor/179572/CengageOpenNow_CollegeSuccessNarrative.pdf License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
• College Success. Provided by: The University of Minnesota Libraries. Available at: https://open.lib.umn.edu/collegesuccess/. License Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
• Brazeau, Gayle A. “Handouts in the classroom: Is note taking a lost skill?” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 70, 2 (2006): 38. 

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• Active Listening in the Classroom” from Effective Learning Strategies at Austin Community College. Authored by: Heather Syrett. Provided by: Austin Community College.  Available at: https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/8434. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

  “Personal Learning Preferences” from Effective Learning Strategies at Austin Community College. Authored by: Laura Lucas. Provided by: Austin Community College.  Available at: https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/8434. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

  “Theories of Learning” from Effective Learning Strategies at Austin Community College. Authored by: Laura Lucas. Provided by: Austin Community College.  Available at: https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/8434. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

• The Learning Cycle and Learning Styles (Monroe Community College). Provided by: Lumen Learning Located at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/collegesuccess2x30master/chapter/participating-inclass/. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.