The standard process of listening to and recording lectures at the university involves the teacher writing abstracts on the board, lecturing and recording highlights by students. This approach provides the best memory because it combines visual, auditory, kinesthetic and discrete perception.
Visual perception is activated when students read the theses written on the board. When listening to the teacher’s speech, the audio component is started. A recording with the simultaneous formulation of the main points of the lecture activates the kinesthetic and discrete perception. Memorization can be indirectly affected by the smell prevailing in the audience, tactile sensations and others, which help to remember the essence of the lecture. Sometimes the teacher’s words pop up in my head involuntarily, for example, it is only necessary to meet a smell similar to that which was in the audience. This technique is used to evoke special memories. They focus on the sensations first, and then they awaken the memory.
But the easiest way to memorize and then prepare for exams is, of course, notes. It is much more convenient to read recorded lectures several times than to wake up the night before the exam. Of course, lectures can be downloaded on the Internet at the professional paper writing service, but yours are easier to memorize.
It is difficult and inefficient to write everything down in a row, especially when the teacher likes to think about everything in a row. Therefore, consider the famous methods of taking notes.
Cornell’s method
Cornell’s method of taking notes was created by Professor W. Spider, who worked at Cornell University in the middle of the last century. He was so absorbed in this idea that he wrote a whole book about this method.
You must first mark the page. For convenience, take an A4 sheet or similar notebook for writing. The page is divided by horizontal lines into three parts.
The title and date should be written at the top. At the bottom there is room for several sentences that reflect the essence of the abstract written on this page. The middle part is divided into two columns, and the left will be much narrower than the right. Five or six centimeters is enough for her.
As you listen to the lecture, the student writes it in the right wide column. This is done in the same way as usual. However, we recommend leaving some free space to supplement the information if necessary.
After the lesson, the narrow left column is filled in, where the main ideas, names, dates are presented. Here you can write down the questions that are planned to ask the teacher.
No later than a day, the bottom of the page is filled. To do this, the student will have to re-read a wide column, which further facilitates memorization.
This approach has supplanted other methods of lecturing in America to such an extent that a number of educational institutions have made it mandatory. It encourages re-reading the material, supplementing it, processing it. However, if the student does not read the notes, there will be no benefit from using the Cornell method.
B. Gates’ method of summarizing
It is known that B. Gates makes marks on the computer, does not use special programs, preferring to record everything by hand. For the first time the method of recording B. Gates was described in a blog by entrepreneur R. Howard, who was impressed by what he saw.
The writing sheet was divided into squares. Each block was related to a specific topic. For example, one block stood out for the questions that are planned to be asked after listening to the information, and the other for the basic concepts.
B. Gates usually divided the letter into four blocks, but the student can choose another number convenient for him.
You can see that the methods of summarizing the information of B. Gates and Professor Cornell are similar. They all assume its structuring.
The only difference is the structuring time. The Cornell method involves the processing of information immediately and after 24 hours. B. Gates adhered to the idea of immediate data processing, while impressions and thoughts are fresh.
Other methods of taking notes
These methods of summarizing information for students are the best known, but not the only ones.
- Use of mental maps. Basic information (term, phenomenon, historical event, etc.) is first written in the middle of the letter, and then the related concepts are branched out on all sides. For clarity, it is recommended to use several colors of ink for writing. This technique can be found not only in students but also in adherents of brainstorming.
- The method of propositions. When writing, each application starts on a new line and is numbered. This way it is easy to make a reference to the previously described data, to show the relationship.
- Flow method. The idea was developed by S. Young, who considered lectures not so much passive as active. Therefore, any methods of summarizing should be combined with recording your opinions, comments and assumptions. In order not to lose the thread of the lecturer’s story, it is recommended to turn on the Dictaphone.
- The latest methods of taking notes
Today, traditions are inferior to the achievements of high technology.
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