Lecture Skills

Academic Skills

Lecture Skills
Getting the Most Out of Lectures
Preparation
During the Lecture
After the Lecture

10 Bad Listening Habits

Good Lecture Notes
Vocabulary
Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
Lectures are used for two main purposes:
1.To give an overview of a subject this
means that you will need to fill in the
details
2.To give detailed info on a topic which may
mean you need to fill in the background
Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
Preparation
Do seminars prepare you for lectures or
vice versa?
Will you get a chance to discuss

lectures?
Is any reading expected of you?
Are the slides/notes available to you?
Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
Listening during lectures:
Take notes but not so many that
you cant keep up with whats being
said
Look out for structure
Look out for verbal signposts
Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
More than just language...
Tone of voice, stress, hesitation &
uncertainty
If a speaker stresses a point, they
want you to take note
Look out for signal words and
phrases in other words; it could
be argued, may etc.
Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
Using handouts:
Highlight key words
Add notes in the margin
Add colour to highlight/categorise

Lecture Skills

Getting the Most Out

of Lectures
After lectures:
Ask questions
Clarify in seminars and classes
Review look over your notes whilst
the lecture is still fresh in your mind
Keep all your lecture notes in an
orderly and organised fashion
Lecture Skills

10 Bad Listening
Habits
Calling the subject dull
Criticising the speaker
Getting overexcited
Listening only for facts
Always sticking to the same pattern
Lecture Skills

10 Bad Listening
Habits
Faking attention
Tolerating distraction
Choosing only whats easy
Letting emotions get in the way
Wasting the differential between
speech and thought speed
Lecture Skills

Good Lecture Notes

True or false?
Lecture notes must be legible and
include a title and a date
Good notes are well spaced out and
make use of lists
Good notes contain all sentences in full
Good notes should always be written in
one colour (preferably black)
Lecture Skills

Good Lecture Notes

To preserve information but also to
learn it as you go
If you listen without taking notes you
will remember less than 20%
Also essential professional skill

Lecture Skills

Mind Maps
Making notes
Planning essay answers
Revising
Brainstorming

Lecture Skills

Mind Maps
Take
note
s

Spot
structur
e
During
Lectures

Preparatio
n
Lecture
Skills

More
than
lang.

Review
After
Lectures

Organise your
notes!
Ask

Clarify
Lecture Skills

Cornell Method
Leave large margin

Use large leaf notebook

Summary column
illustrative ones

Capture general ideas not particular,

Key words

down key
column.

Leave blank lines to show end of topics

After the lecture, go over your notes and jot
words or ideas in the summary

Lecture Skills

Organising Your Notes

Different colour files for each
course/subject
Store lecture notes in chronological order
Store all materials from a lecture or class
together
Type up notes on computer and store in
separate files
Lecture Skills

Vocabulary
Receptive words you have an idea
about but arent sure how to use
Productive word you know well and
can use in your own speech/writing

Lecture Skills

Vocabulary

Implicit/explicit
Prose
Overt
Dynamic
Constructive
Differential
Passive
Lecture Skills