Listening & Note Taking

Question 1

What is listening?

Answer 1

Purposefully focusing on what a speaker is saying with the object of understanding

Question 2

When listening in class, what should you do before the class?

Answer 2

1. Get your mind in the right space
   - the objectives you seek to achieve from the class
   - what information to look for
   - establish why the class is important for you
2. Get yourself in the right space
   - Place yourself in the front row
   - Have eye contact with lecturer
   - Avoid distractions

Question 3

When listening in class, what should you do during the class?

Answer 3

1. Ask questions
2. Take notes diligently (use Cornell method)

Question 4

When listening in class, what should you do after the class?

Answer 4

1. Recite notes
2. Summarize
3. Reflect and review before next class

Question 5

What is the Cornell method of note-taking?

Answer 5

It is a method of note taking developed in the 1950s by a professor at Cornell University.

Question 6

What are the 5 R’s of the Cornell
method?

Answer 6

1. Record
2. Reduce
3. Recite
4. Reflect
5. Review

Question 7

What is Record?

Answer 7

1. Writing down all the meaningful information legibly
2. Use symbols, abbreviations and acronyms

Question 8

What is Reduce? (Recall column)

Answer 8

Once lecture is over identify:
- key points
- main idea
- questions
- important vocabulary

Question 9

What is Recite?

Answer 9

Try to recite all the information in your own words without looking

Question 10

What is Reflect?

Answer 10

• Write a summary of the lesson
• Think about your opinions and ideas as you read

Question 11

What is Review?

Answer 11

• Take time before the next lesson to go through your previous notes
• Skim over main ideas and details

Question 12

What are types of note taking?

Answer 12

1. Outline method
2. Concept map or Mind map
3. Cornell method

Question 13

Why is note taking important?

Answer 13

1. Encoding
2. Facilitates learning
3. Encourages you to think about the content and connect
4. It becomes an external storage
5. Your notes are valuable
6. It helps for later review
7. Useful for additional cognitive processing

Question 14

What are the pros and cons of Outlining method?

Answer 14

Pros:
sequential, excellent study guide

Cons:
requires more thought, may not show relationships

Question 15

What are the pros and cons of Mind maps?

Answer 15

Pros:
Stimulating
Breaks down complex topics

Cons:
May skip important information
Messy
Disorganized

Question 16

What are the pros and cons of Cornell method?

Answer 16

Pros:
Well organized
Reduces editing
Easy to review by turning points to questions

Cons:
Requires diligent attention in class

Question 17

What are some note taking strategies?

Answer 17

• Review notes from previous classes
• Choose a seat away from distractions
• Be an engaged listener
• Avoid translating lecture into first language
• Develop a personal note taking system
• Have a special notebook and a special set of symbols and abbreviations
• Write neatly
• Identify main ideas
• Write down bold info and highlighted info
• Review notes