Learning to take notes from lectures...

[Heather in VA]

I should state up front that I absolutely can not do this. I am not an auditory person and all through school unless I could see it - I was doomed LOL. But I want my kids to know how to do this. My rising 10th grader is going to use her first Great Courses lecture series next year and I want her to take notes on the lectures. I don't want it to be so overwhelming that she despises the lectures or that she misses the point of the lectures because she's so caught up in trying to take notes. How do I teach her how to do this when I haven't the first clue? 

 

Help!

 

[PeterPan]

IEW Advanced Communication series

 

There are other methods obviously. (Cornell, etc.)  Also see the thread I had recently on typing vs. writing notes.  Pudewa's is a little unique, so I'm excited to have dd watch the videos this summer.  

 

I think it's also reasonable to determine how much you want them to do with the TC courses.  With the nutrition course we've been watching for part of her health credit, I basically just asked for a response log (what surprised you, what question did it make you ask?).  For the US History I hope to have her watch next year, I'll encourage her to do the Pudewa style notes. 

I should state up front that I absolutely can not do this. I am not an auditory person and all through school unless I could see it - I was doomed LOL. But I want my kids to know how to do this. My rising 10th grader is going to use her first Great Courses lecture series next year and I want her to take notes on the lectures. I don't want it to be so overwhelming that she despises the lectures or that she misses the point of the lectures because she's so caught up in trying to take notes. How do I teach her how to do this when I haven't the first clue? 

 

Help!

 

It is certainly a skill that can be learned, and honed with practice.  I might start having her practice by trying to outline TC lectures that aren't her "real" classes, so she's not freaked out about being measured on two things at once.  Most of the Great Courses come with an printed outline in the box, her goal should be to try to reproduce that outline from just listening to the lecture.

 

To start, a good lecturer will drop a lot of clues about the outline of the lecture, and it is important to pay attention to these clues, some of which may be non-verbal.  Introductions and conclusion are often key to generating the "big picture" of the structure of the lecture, and good speakers often use lists, both in intros, and in later parts of the talk.  If the speaker is giving their summary, and "telling you what they told you", it is a good time to review your notes, and make sure that your notes match up with the summary.  If not, then that is a good time to ask a question, or rewind the DVD.

 

So,a lecture might start out with "Today I want to talk about Columbus' voyage of discovery.  There are three main reasons he decided to sail West".  Immediately, the student should know that the whole lecture is divided into three major sections, which she can then fill in later, with a sub-outline under each point.

 

Often, the speaker will have a long pause between sections, and even if there wasn't a list of what was coming, that's a big clue than a new section is beginning, or the current digression is finishing.

 

Sometimes, it helps to rewrite the notes in a more pretty, structured format after the lecture.  If you are preparing her to take notes for college classes, I would either rewrite the notes as soon as possible after class, and certainly before the next office hours, recitation, or time for one-on-one questions, so she can bring her notes with her to help clarify any unclear points.

 

The trick is being confident enough to write all the important stuff down, without missing anything that is being said because you are trying to catch up.  Practice makes perfect.  Good luck!

[Heather in VA]

 

 

There are other methods obviously. (Cornell, etc.)  Also see the thread I had recently on typing vs. writing notes.  Pudewa's is a little unique, so I'm excited to have dd watch the videos this summer.  

 

 

 

I haven't looked for the thread yet but just FYI - do not let your kids assume they will be able to type notes for lectures. At L's school they are not allowed to bring their computers to class and she's not the only school I've heard that from. (assuming the computer isn't needed for the course itself)

[Heather in VA]

It is certainly a skill that can be learned, and honed with practice.  I might start having her practice by trying to outline TC lectures that aren't her "real" classes, so she's not freaked out about being measured on two things at once.  Most of the Great Courses come with an printed outline in the box, her goal should be to try to reproduce that outline from just listening to the lecture.

 

To start, a good lecturer will drop a lot of clues about the outline of the lecture, and it is important to pay attention to these clues, some of which may be non-verbal.  Introductions and conclusion are often key to generating the "big picture" of the structure of the lecture, and good speakers often use lists, both in intros, and in later parts of the talk.  If the speaker is giving their summary, and "telling you what they told you", it is a good time to review your notes, and make sure that your notes match up with the summary.  If not, then that is a good time to ask a question, or rewind the DVD.

 

So,a lecture might start out with "Today I want to talk about Columbus' voyage of discovery.  There are three main reasons he decided to sail West".  Immediately, the student should know that the whole lecture is divided into three major sections, which she can then fill in later, with a sub-outline under each point.

 

Often, the speaker will have a long pause between sections, and even if there wasn't a list of what was coming, that's a big clue than a new section is beginning, or the current digression is finishing.

 

Sometimes, it helps to rewrite the notes in a more pretty, structured format after the lecture.  If you are preparing her to take notes for college classes, I would either rewrite the notes as soon as possible after class, and certainly before the next office hours, recitation, or time for one-on-one questions, so she can bring her notes with her to help clarify any unclear points.

 

The trick is being confident enough to write all the important stuff down, without missing anything that is being said because you are trying to catch up.  Practice makes perfect.  Good luck!

 

 

Thanks this is really good. I'm going to show it to DD. It's quite possible she'll pick this up just with some tips like this and some practice. It's a skill that scares me because I am so deficient in my auditory skills. I like the idea of using the TC guide as a measuring guide. It certainly will help me at least :-).

[Jamee]

I haven't looked for the thread yet but just FYI - do not let your kids assume they will be able to type notes for lectures. At L's school they are not allowed to bring their computers to class and she's not the only school I've heard that from. (assuming the computer isn't needed for the course itself)

 

Hadn't given that much thought, as our local HS is paperless, and all the kids are assigned laptops.  Go figure.

 

I think the Great Courses are a good start for learning to take notes.  I'm curious about the IEW system now. This is an area that I need to work on with my boys.

[Donna]

I started with dd watching me take notes in outline format from more simple style lectures doing middle school science with PLATO. Then once she had an idea of how to do it, she and I took notes together with one of us writing and the other pointing out what should be written…taking turns in each role.

 

She is using Thinkwell high school biology now and taking notes on her own and she likes that the program highlights important information on the screen to help her. With the Teaching Company lectures we use for history, she does most of the note taking but we watch lectures together and stop the DVD if she feels she is getting behind. She is getting better and better at getting all the important information without stopping the DVD but it does take practice.

 

I always re-wrote my outlines after class as a way to study in college.

[tvaleri]

We have used IEW for several years. Even so, I assumed my kids could take notes. Who can't, right? Every skill need practice So, I have my boys (9th & 11th grade) summarize current events weekly and visit www.Ted.com to summarize a lecture a few times a month. Ted Talks have been very enjoyable and informative for them =)

 

HTH,

Teresa

[PeterPan]

I haven't looked for the thread yet but just FYI - do not let your kids assume they will be able to type notes for lectures. At L's school they are not allowed to bring their computers to class and she's not the only school I've heard that from. (assuming the computer isn't needed for the course itself)

Hmm, that's curious.  Anyways, the jist of the thread was that in general typing notes doesn't result in as good a retention as handwritten.  There were a variety of scenarios and nuances, but that was the jist. Any tips on taking lecture notes using a laptop? iPad?

[1Togo]

Years ago, when I looked at types of note taking methods and talked to other families about what they did, I ended up with the following:

 

1. Outlining

 

2. Cornell

 

3. Mind mapping

 

We settled on Cornell because outlining was more difficult to do in a fast-paced lecture and not as flexible; i.e. if the lecturer wants to add in an idea about an earlier topic, the outline is already set.  Mind mapping was too scattered for our linear thinkers.  In addition, one of our more artistic types got too involved in the visual aspect of mind mapping.  :crying:

 

I have written about Cornell in other posts, but the following is what we do:

 

1.  Fold a piece of notebook paper in half

2.  On the left side of the paper, write the main idea; i.e. this would be the Roman numeral in an outline

3.  On the right side of the paper, write the support for the main idea

4.  Use phrases for the notes.  Do not  write complete sentences.

5.  Class and date in the upper right corner

 

So, the student writes the first main idea of the lecturer on the left and then moves to right to write everything the lecturer says about that idea.  Then, he moves to left again for the next main idea, etc. etc.  We practice with sermons and TC lectures. 

 

This method is simple, flexible, and thorough.  When studying, the student says the left side term/idea/concept aloud and then  tries to remember what he can about it.