Listening Note-taking Skills
e.g – for example
i.e. – that is
etc – similar
N.b. – note
Q. – question
Probs. – problems
p./pp – pages
1st – first
Max – maximum
c. – approximately
thro – through
ref. – reference
imp. – important
sit. – situation
eval. – evaluation
anly. – analysis
diff. – difficult
econ. – economy
Key Listening Strategies
Arrows
Using arrows help to identify cause and effect in your notes
Examples:
Listening for signal words help you identify the use of examples for support in a lecture
For example, such as, to exemplify, like, etc…, so on..
Critical thinking ‘inferencing’
By listening to expressions ‘goof up’ and ‘something not fitting into a situation’
You can infer that something didn’t do well.
Topic signals
Listening for topic signals in an introduction will help identify what the lecture will focus on.
“for now let’s just focus on semantics and particularly – slang”
Sequence Markers
Listening for sequence markers such as ‘first’ or ‘second’ help to distinguish details and organise them in your notes.
Identifying summaries
Usually a lecturer will give a summary after discussing complex ideas. This is a time when you can review your notes to check you have understood everything that has been said and add more if necessary.
Critical thinking – thinking of examples
Sometimes lecturers give ideas but don’t offer any examples – this a moment for you to think of some and add them to your notes. This will benefit memorisation.
In a lecture on slang the lecturer indicated there are a lot of slang expressions for like and dislike but doesn’t give any example. Here you add some of your own. ‘Rubbish’ ‘crap’ ‘sick’ ‘awesome’.
Identifying topics thought questions
Sometimes a lecturer may ask questions at the beginning of a lecture. For example, ” do you know anyone who is extremely clever?”. By answering these questions in your mind you are preparing yourself for the lecture, activating the necessary vocabulary and gaining an insight to the outline of the lecture.
Identifying ‘important’ examples
Some examples are really important to note down .Lecturers often give examples that support exactly what they are trying to explain. They make concepts real and easier to understand. For example, the lecturer says that ” a six year old who can play Mozart’s Sonata in G major, would be considered gifted.” This adds support to the point made on a child who is ‘above- average’
Applying own Knowledge
By adding information that you have on the topic in your notes will help you to personalise the notes thus, helping memory.
Reviewing
At the end of a lecture a lecturer will summarise the main ideas again. This is a good time for you to look at you notes, check you have all the main ideas and make any changes. BEWARE – lectures often use different phrases and synonyms to repeat previous ideas. For example, “think creatively” is used in the main body of the lecture and “use their imagination” is used in the summary – these mean the same thing.
Organising ideas
Use bullets, arrows, symbols, numbers or letters. Choose a style that you like and suits your writing. What is most important is that you capture the main ideas, supporting details and show how the ideas relate. Also, you need to organise your notes neatly and logically so you can review them with ease. E.g: a basic structure for organising notes – main idea / supporting idea / supporting idea / less important idea about A / less important idea about B.
Recognising speakers cues
If a lecturer asks ‘are you with me?’ – what do they mean? They are asking if you understand the concept. Speakers often use phrases like this to check understanding or speed. This is a time when if you didn’t get something to ask for clarification.
Recognising new topics
Lecturers often present topics and subtopics. How do you know when they are presenting a topic or subtopic? The language they use gives you a clear indication. E.g: ‘so now let’s move onto the second challenge – propulsion.’ Then ‘there are 3 propulsion options to consider’. Here the lecturer has reinstated the topic ‘challenge’ and then suggested a sub-topic ‘propulsion’.
Summarising
Once you have listened to a lecture it is important to spend a few minutes reviewing your notes and adding any additional information you may recall. It is also good practice to write a short summary of the main points. using your own words to write a summary helps memory and understanding.
Definitions
Often lecturers give definitions of key terms. It is important that you listen for this and try to write down exactly what is said. Even if you don’t get the whole statement the parts you do get will help you re-construct it later. You can always consult a dictionary, a classmate or the speaker to clarify the term.
Guessing
Today it’s possible for ‘savvy’ private organisations to get information on individuals.. What does ‘savvy’ mean? Can you guess from context? If you guessed ‘in the know’ or ‘smart’ = correct. You don’t always have time or opportunity to check a dictionary so guessing skills are an important skill.
Statistics
Lecturers often use statistics to support their lectures. Often statistics are dense and require close listening skills. You need to use abbreviations and symbols to copy information quickly. E,g; 6M cameras / 1:14 / 300x/day/
Critical thinking of point of view
What’s the speakers opinion? Often tone is a good indicator of how someone feel about a subject and how much they are in favour of it. How does this affect the lecture? The point of view may impact your own opinion. Therefore it is important to try to identify the lecturers point of view so you can be objective.
Listening resources / worksheets