F O C U S Challenge? Reaction? Insight? Action Chapter Seven Engaging, Listening, and Note Taking in Class

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1 F O C U S Challenge? Reaction? Insight? Action Chapter Seven Engaging, Listening, and Note Taking in Class Reading Assignments Chapter 7, pages PowerPoint Presentations Chapter 7 FOCUS on Community College Success Resource Center 1. Challenge Quiz Chapter 7 2. iaudio Chapter Summaries Chapter 7 3. Your Type Is Showing Chapter 7 Assignments 1. Note-Taking Assignment 2. Career Notebook Part II Discussion Board Postings 1. Rachel White 2. Note-taking Strategies Web Links Review: Concentration Some Basic Guidelines; Control the Study Environment; Note Taking The Cornell System; Note-Taking and In-Class Skills; Study Environment Analysis: SQ3R Challenge Case - Rachel White Chapter 7 begins with Rachel White s case on pages Read Rachel s story then review the REACTION What Do YOU Think? questions. Does Rachel s story relate to your own experience in some way? Get Engaged in Class Think for a moment about your most favorite class and ask yourself these questions What was the class like? What did you do in class? Did you ask questions? Did you work in groups? Was the course material interesting? How much information do you remember about that class? Is it more than most classes? Once you figure out what made that class stand out, you may come up with ideas of how to adapt to other class environments to increase your learning. One of the first and most important things you can do to become engaged in class is to do the reading prior to the class meeting. On page 154 of your text, Staley lists 10 suggestions dare to prepare. Refer back to your text for more information on each point. 1. Look Ahead Stay on task and ahead of the game with your class syllabus

2 2. Do the assigned reading Use the Nike slogan just do it. Reading your assignments prior to class is crucial! 3. Show up physically Does class go on when you are not there? Yes, it does! And, when you are not there to hear, see, and participate you lose valuable information and collaboration that could impact your grade. 4. Show up mentally 5. Choose your seat strategically Be sure to read Staley s comments on this point! 6. Bring your tools your instructors pay attention to who has their materials for class. And many times you could lose points toward your grade when you don t have your materials. 7. Don t sit by your best friend 8. Posture counts! 9. Maintain your health 10. FOCUS! Follow the Rules of Engagement Interrupting class discussions, side conversations, and making noises in class is very disturbing to other students and the instructor. It is really about denying other students the right to learn. In a sense, it s like stealing their money. It is very important to be respectful of your classmates. Coming in late is also a class disruption. It is not only important to be on time at school but also in the workplace. Think back to Chapter 4, being on time or better yet early is an important life skill. Being punctual makes a good impression on your instructor and employer. Also, being late could cost you points to your grade or even your job. Be sure to check your class syllabus for your instructor s policy about arriving late to class. Plan your work and work your plan! Use your planners daily! Write your assignments down in the planner and make it a habit to mark items off as they are completed. In college, trying to keep everything in your head is just too much. On page 156 of your text, Staley lists suggested rules on how to behave in class. 1. Be aware that gab is not a gift 2. Control your hunger 3. Turn off your cell phone, please! 4. Better late than never? 5. Actively choose to engage, not disengage Listening with FOCUS Finding your best way to listen in class is very important. Think back to the theme of your last two lectures. How did you remember what that lecture was about? Did you associate something you already knew or had experienced with what was being said? Were you prepared for class? Have you ever attended a class or conference and took a lot of notes only to come home and not be able to read or understand what you wrote? Simply writing legibly, having enough paper, and taking time after class to clean up your notes will help you to remember important points. Staley lists techniques on pages of your text for improving your listening skills in the classroom. Calm yourself Be open? Don t make snap judgments

3 ? Assume responsibility? Watch for gestures that communicate Here comes something important? Listen for speech patterns that subtly communicate Make sure you include this in your notes? Uncover general themes or road maps for each lecture? Appreciate your instructor s prep time Did you read on page 159 that instructors speak 2,500 5,000 words during a 50 minute lecture? Multiply those numbers by the number of classes you are taking each week. WOW that's a lot of words! How do you catch in your notes everything you need? Think about a sand bucket with a sieve on top. If you scooped sand from the beach and placed it in the sieve, the sand would sift through to the bucket while the shells and other sea treasures would remain on top. Visualize the shells and sea treasures as the main points of the lecture. You want to keep the shells, but you don t necessarily have to keep each grain of sand. Same thing with a lecture, you want to write in your notes the main points but not all of the filler information. Another tool to use is found on the FOCUS Resource site : IPOD downloads of chapter summaries. Identify Lecture Styles So You Can Modify Listening Styles This section has great information that will assist you in adapting your learning style to different lecture styles. On page 161 review the lecture styles listed.? The Rapid-Fire Lecturer? The Slow-Go Lecturer? The All-Over the-map Lecturer? The Content-Intensive Lecturer? The Review-the-Text Lecturer? The Go-Beyond-the-Text Lecturer? The Active-Learning Lecturer Have you ever heard there is no such thing as a bad question? Or if you have the question, someone else may too? Review the points Staley makes on page 165 on the importance of asking questions when you don t understand. 1. Remember that you re not in this alone 2. Ask academically relevant questions when the time is right 3. Save personally relevant questions for later 4. Build on others questions Taking Lecture Notes: Different Strokes for Different Folks Good note-taking goes along with good listening. Note-taking uses all four VARK categories. Visual you see your instructor and the screen, if overheads or PowerPoint slides are being used Aural you listen to the lecture Read/Write you write what you see and hear so that you can read it later to review Kinesthetic the physical act of writing opens up a pathway to the brain Staley, p167 Two students in the same class, listening to the same lecture, will more than likely write down different notes. Detailed oriented students will have many pages and points. Aural students

4 may be so engrossed in listening to the lecture that they write down very little and are at a loss at study time. We will review 5 note-taking styles. You may decide one is the best for you or using a combination of 2 or 3 styles. The important thing is to determine which style or styles is best for you and begin to master it. Consistency in your note taking should lead to successful grades. 7 Note-taking Styles 1. Summary Method 2. Outline Method 3. Cornell System Method 4. Mind Map (concept map) Method 5. Fishbone Method 6. PowerPoint Miniatures 7. Parallel Note-Taking Summary Method This is an excellent method to use when rewriting your notes. I like to call this method the Blockbuster method. When you visit Blockbuster and you are not sure what movie to see, what do you do? You read the summaries of the movie found on the back of the movie box. A summary does not include details a summary is an overview of the topic. Outline Method This is a method for the person who likes structure and organization. I like to refer this method to the old Jackson 5 hit A B C easy as You have gone through school using this organization method. Outline example 4 C s I. Commit a. go to class b. be on time II. Concentrate a. sit up front b. avoid noise III. Capture IV. Connect Cornell System Method Review to Figure 7.1on page 169 in your text. Keep the 2 inch column open on the left side of your paper for your own notes with lecture notes in the center is an excellent way to capture information. Use the left column to question something that is confusing, to add a mnemonic/acronym, to make a note that reminded you of something, reference your book, or make a test question note. Using the Cornell method in your math class is an excellent way to add words to math. Example using Cornell with math 4x + 3 = 27 Subtract both sides by 3 4x = 27 3 Remember what you 4x + 0 = 24 do to one side you must do to the other side Divide both sides by 4 4x/ 4 = 24 /4

5 X = 6 Check your work 4(6) + 3 = 27 Substitute your answer 27 = 27 Mind Map (concept map) Review Figure 7.2on page 169 in your text. Figure 7.2 is an example of using the Mind Map/ Concept Map. For those of you who are visual learners, you may find the concept map method appealing. I have students who find great use with this method in their English class when brainstorming a topic or organizing a paper as well as in their Biology class in organizing systems, body parts, etc. Fishbone Fishbone or T diagram. This method is good for vocabulary or contrast and comparison. Imagine what a fishbone looks like. You use the left side as a link or comparison to the right side. Example of Fishbone: English numbers to Spanish number One Uno Two Dos English Spanish Three Tres PowerPoint Miniatures Four Cuatro See Figure 7.3 on page 170 of your text. Many instructors may give you copies of their PowerPoint slides used in Five Cinco lectures. You have PowerPoints that go along with each chapter of this text. The biggest thing to remember is that the PowerPoints should be a guide for the lecture, but you should still take notes, read the text, and use any other supporting information. If your instructor gives you a copy of the PowerPoints ahead of the lecture, make notes that go along with each slide. Parallel Note-Taking The lecture notes for this class are a great example of parallel note-taking. Hopefully you are using these notes as a guide to go along with the text and other supplemental/supporting information. MASTER NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES (Santrock and Halonen)? Clearly identify the Class - At the beginning of class each day, write the class name and date. This will help to keep your notes organized. Also, at the beginning of a new test series write in big letters at the top of the page BEGIN TEST #? Reduce Key Ideas Rewrite your notes at the end of each class meeting to make them clearer and more concise. Take Notes from all Relevant Input Relevant input could mean other students, videos, websites, guest speakers, anything that is referenced in the class.? Don t Erase Mistakes Let me stress this DON T ERASE MISTAKES. How many of you are very particular about how your notes look you want them to be neat and pretty? During the lecture is not the time to worry about neatness. While you take time to correct a mistake in your notes, your instructor is moving on to something else you are missing. Just draw a line through the mistake and stay with the lecture. If you have to have the pretty notes, take time after class to rewrite them. Rewriting your notes is an excellent way to review and learn the material from the lecture.? Use Abbreviations In the day of and instant messaging all kinds of abbreviations are being used. Word of caution make sure when you return to your notes that you

6 understand what the abbreviation was for. One you may want to add to your list is TQ for test question. This is a good, quick way to note a possible test question while you are taking notes.? Review Your Notes Often Take minutes each day to review your lecture notes. This way if you took something down in a confusing manner, it will be easier to remember what you meant to write while the lecture is fresh on your mind.? Tape Lectures Selectively Selectively is the key word. If you tape every lecture, this means you are doubling your class time. It would be more effective to develop a note-taking style that allows you to pay attention to the lecture as well as take good notes.? Organize Your Materials for Easy Retrieval Keep a notebook or binder for each class. Within in this binder, keep all notes and handouts. Be sure to date your handouts and mark the test period. Example: 09/17/09 Test 2? Request Feedback About Your Notes find a study buddy in your class. Review your notes with the study buddy. They may have recorded something in their notes that you missed.? Evaluate Your Note-Taking Strategy after the first test you will be able to gage if you are taking sufficient notes. If not, change your strategy to be prepared for the next test.