NOTE TAKING
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Michael's Story
Michael is having problems taking notes in his classes. His lecture notes are very sparse, yet students around him seem to take pages and pages. The reason he doesn't take many notes is that he's never sure what to write down unless the professor writes it on the board. So when the professor writes, Michael copies everything verbatim. Whatever is on the overhead is his notes, no more and no less. He's so busy copying the notes that he really isn't listening and his handwriting is illegible.
Michael attempts to follow the lecture, but it all begins to sound alike. He's not sure what to listen for, and so, after a while, he usually falls asleep, loses his concentration, or finds something to do so the time passes more quickly. When Michael looks at his notes after class, they have so little information they are meaningless and therefore useless for studying. When studying for exams, Michael either tries to read whatever notes he has or completely ignores them. Basically, Michael doesn't know how to use notes even if they had all the information he needed.
Michael has learned the importance of attendance. In fact, he selected the sections for his courses at times that were late enough in the day so oversleeping would not be a problem. Hearing the professor talk about the material is a way for him to learn the information. Michael excels in discussion and recitation classes. He likes to contribute and always has an opinion or point of view to offer. Lectures are hard for him; they seem to provide the opportunity for day dreaming. His grades reflect these class-format preferences; he gets A's and B's in recitation and discussion classes while he feels lucky if he passes lecture courses. So there may be times when he is unprepared for class and hasn't done the assignment, but he always shows up. Michael feels a sense of accomplishment when he attends class. In reality, however, he sleeps through lecture, reads the student newspaper, stares into space during the class, or takes notes that aren't very helpful. When he concentrates he remembers the information that he hears in lecture, but soon after the class is forgotten.
Think about these questions and share your answers!
- What specific strategies might you suggest to Michael in order to improve his note-taking skills?
- What Does Michael need to consider in order to develop an effective note-taking method?
- What note-taking strategies are effective for you in your courses? Why?
- How do you use your notes on an ongoing basis? At exam time?
- Are there differences between courses in the way you take notes? What accounts for the differences if they exist?