The key to you for a successful class will depend in most
part by how good you are in listening, questioning, note
taking and studying and most important, test taking. My
Objective is to give students these basic skills to help the
dedicated student become successful in their learning
experience.
Introduction
Effort
The key to you for a successful class will depend in most part by how good you are in
listening, questioning, note taking and studying and most important, test taking. My Objective is
to give students these basic skills to help the dedicated student become successful in their
learning experience.
People learn best when they are ready to learn! Are you ready?
As a student you will play the biggest part in your education. If you do your part and your
Instructor does his part you will be successful. The instructor will give information in many
ways; this is to make sure that all learners in the class can understand the main concepts and
ideas needed by his students. He will ask questions to check you understanding and he will
encourage your participation in the lesson. Your job as a Student is to listen to your Instructors
ideas and information during his lesson. Discuss these ideas and share your own thinking and
views with the class and your instructor.
It is vital that no matter what level of education you
bring into the course, you should always keep an open mind
and try to get something new out of the lesson. There will
be times that the information your instructor is given will be
very basic for those students with a lesser understanding of
the subject. Try not to get frustrated, or bored because the
lesson in your opinion is dragging on. Instead you should
raise your hand and tell the class some of your experiences in this area that will support what the
instructor has just covered. Your instructor is looking for this type of interaction.
Lesson Preparation
Before Lecture:
Pre- read all assigned material so that you can follow the lecture. This will also help with
procrastination! It is more difficult to get motivated to read if you wait until after the
lecture is over. Also, reading beforehand will help you take more to the point notes. This
will also help you understand an Instructor who has an accent or a fast talking Instructor.
When pre-reading pay attention to the lesson objectives they
are after all, what your instructor will test you on. Think
about it, If you are told that after a lesson you will be able to
… “for example … perform a task” you can rest assured that
there WILL BE an evaluation test question on that objective.
Before a lesson I ask all my students to find the pages of the
lesson that discuss each of the objective and write the page
number next to that objective, This helps students who over
study for tests or study the wrong information for the test. I
have seen an immense change in my students test score when
they apply this strategy.
Always Review notes from previous lectures. In the
automotive field we always build up on previous lectures.
Use the learning center on line at www.utialumni.org Take notes and bring them to class.
Once in class, you can take your notes from the slide show presentation and the instructor
lead discussion.
Listening
Listening is a skill, which must be developed. The responsibility for interest and
understanding lies with you, not with the speaker. Learning is up to the learner.
If you can't hear, arrange things so you can. Move away from sources of noise (student
or mechanical). Sit where you can see the speaker easily, and where other distractions are at a
minimum. Look for the main idea or ideas of the presentation.
Maintain eye contact with the instructor and Focus on content, not how the instructor is
delivering the information. Stay active by asking yourself questions. Here are some questions
you can ask yourself as you listen. What key point is the Instructor making? How does this fit
with what I know from previous lectures? How is this lecture organized?
“Positive thinking gets Positive results”
thank you for reading.
Note Taking
Note Taking
Having good class notes will help you to be better prepared for tests and you
Instructors discussion. Caution: don't use the online availability of information as an
excuse to skip class! You need the "full story" and the examples given in class if you are
going to understand the notes well enough to answer test questions. There are many
types of note taking strategies to choose from, you can go online or go to the local library
to research the best way for your learning style.
During Lecture:
• Come early and sit in front. You're less likely to "zone out" or fall asleep when you are
closer to the Instructor.
• Bring your Course book to class it will give you another source of information being given
in class. This can also help you stay focused because it gives you more to do (you can
consult the text as the lecture proceeds).
• Keep your attention focused on what your teacher is saying. Do not let your fellow
students take your attention away from what the instructor is saying.
• Listen for cues that tell you that what your teacher is about to say is important to write in
your notes. Ask reflective questions when you‟re not sure of what was being discussed.
Examples of cue statements are “The most
important
Point…” and “Remember that . . . “Be sure to include
in your notes,
Information your Instructor repeats and also has
you repeat. Also note any additional things he
writes on the whiteboard. Write quickly so that
you can include all the important information in
your notes. Do this by writing abbreviated words
such as med for medicine, using symbols such as
% for percent, and writing short sentences. Place
a “?” Next to information whose meaning you are not sure.
• Think about how to write your notes so that when you study for an exam you will be able
to quiz yourself off your notes.
• Write the date at the top.
• Use abbreviations and omit unnecessary words.
• Listen for cues, such as organizing statements “the first step” and transition words like
“This can be applied to”.
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• Record legibly, including both what the Instructor says and what are written on the board.
• Include examples in your notes, as these will help you both understand and remember the
material. Also, The Instructor often uses the very same examples in their test questions.
• Don‟t rely on recording a lecture or reading someone else's notes.
• If you miss something because the lecture is moving too quickly or because you've "zoned
out," skip a few lines and make a note that you missed something. After class, get the
info from a classmate, the book, or the Instructor. (Ask instructor to slow down. Try not
interrupting the class because you fell behind)
• At the end of the lecture, if not before, ask questions. Also, linger and listen in to the
questions asked by other students. The Instructors answer is often extremely helpful!
After Lecture:
• As soon as possible after class, spend 10 to 20 minutes going over your notes. Clarify,
summarize, and if you used shorthand rewrite the notes out in long hand before you
forget what your abbreviations and shorthand characters where. Think about the major
concepts you learned. Retention improves significantly with immediate reinforcement.
Put your new knowledge to work as soon as possible to help move it from your shortterm
memory to your long-term memory.
Learning Log
One method to put the new knowledge to work is what‟s called a Learning Log. A learning
log is nothing more than a log of what you learned that day. The student after a lesson
writing down in a log what they have learned, what they feel was easy or hard in that
days lesson and how they can apply this new information in there day to day work
environment.
• Review your notes and Log frequently, both alone and with a study group.
• Compare your notes to another student's in order to pick up ideas about how to make your
notes more useful to you.
• You might want to add notes from your textbook so that you will have a single source to
study from when the test approaches. Use a different color of ink so that you will know
what came from lecture and what came from the book.
• If you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read it. Try something else!
Consult with the Instructor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, and or a study
group.
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