Lecture Help (A&P)

[my4helpers]

Can anyone give me any tips on taking notes in class? My instructor does not use any overhead slides, but just talks through the whole class. I try and write everything, but it gets hard. This A&P class is 3.5 hours long. Half is lecture and the other half is lab. In lab when we are not looking through microscopes he will do another lecture in lab. I simply cannot keep up. At the last class I recorded his lectures, but it's really hard to come home and waste another 3.5 hours listening again when I could be studying. Our first test is in two weeks. So far we have only had two classes and I feel so behind and I need to tackle this problem before it gets too late.

[Coriander, BSN, RN]

What do you think about perhaps writing down the main subject matter and then taking subnotes under that? Write down major points, or things that you might want to look up later (draw a star next to those)... if you try to write everything in a 3.5 hour class you'll go nuts. I've tried. :)

[Saysfaa]

I agree, don't try to write everything he says. Single words or a couple of words can stand in for whole sentences. Use arrows or underlining or circling or indenting (or combinations of all those) to indicate the relationships between the words.

Abbreviate extensively, write just enough that you can understand it that evening when you go over your notes, at that time fill in what the notes helped you remember but which you didn't really say in your notes. Abbreviate parts of words like a dash for ing or tn for tion, also make special abreviations depending on your topic. If you are on nerves you might have p for periphery and c for central but if you are on cells c is for cell. I use * for important, the more stars the more important. He might not say "important", but he might say "You need to know this" or "You cannot understand how a cell reproduces without understanding the role of centrioles". The last, in my notes, would be... **centrioles > c repro

U can drp lots vwls & stll undrstnd enough

Stick figure pictures can stand in for many words.

Write page numbers rather than what the page says, if your prof refers to the book.

Do your homework... that is prepare for the class before you go to it. That way you know about what he is going to say and/or can remember it rather than get a first exposure to it. Sometimes that lets you use notes for prioritizing info rather than getting it down. Also, you don't waste time writing what is already written in the book (well, at least somewhat or sometimes).

Join forces with someone else in the class who also takes notes. You can learn from seeing how others do it, as well as fill in each others gaps and catch each others mistakes.

[itsmejuli]

If your prof follows the book then you can write short notes with page numbers in the margin. I also like to highlight specific points in the book, just be careful not to mark up the book too much.

Way back before the time of Power Point, I had a professor who solely lectured...he didn't even follow the textbook. I recorded the lecture then went home and transcribed it into notes. Sure it took some time but I did get an A in the class. In fact, looking back, I had 3 biology type classes like that and I got A's in all of them.

Remember that when you are transcribing a lecture into notes that you are in fact studying and learning.

[my4helpers]

itsmejuli, that is basically how he teaches, he just lectures. we do not follow in the book at all and he does not refer to any specific page numbers. he might say something like (whatever he is talking about) this goes in greater depth in the book, but we will just touch base. from what i was told from another student, he does not use the book at all. to be honest i am impressed with him that he can memorize these whole lectures! i guess my problem is that i don't recognize what is/isn't important to write down. when i sit to study i feel so incomplete like i am missing something. last semester i took biology and we used slides. student began to complain that the instructor was moving way too fast. so he started putting his notes online, we would print them, and then bring them to class. after class i would take each slide and put them on index cards and memorize every card. our exams would be over 4 chapters at a time and for each chapter i had about 60 index cards to memorize. other students couldn't believe that not only did i memorize everything, but i also have 4 children to take care of. it was not easy, but i felt totally prepared when exam time rolled around and i got an a so it was worth it! like i said i sit down with my notes and i just feel so incomplete! it would be so nice if he did use the book, but from what i hear and am seeing he does not. in fact, it doesn't even appear that many students bought the book since he does not even use it.

[JAYBRI811]

You can just read ahead and make your own notes before class and write down what you missed.

[dtsh26]

Here's what ya gotta do.

Use the questions at the end of the chapter as your study guide. Or use the chapter summary (pay attention to the headings) and create your own questions to most importantly understand and then study the material in the subheadings.

Next check different websites, there are tons of websites to help with this course including those by professors of other schools and your book usually has its own companion website (read the section for students at the beginning of your book to find this information). Here is a website that I frequent a lot because it helped me understand proximal/distal http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/esp/2002_general/Esp/default.htm another one is www.getbodysmart.com

Also, do all the questions at the end of each lab section but make sure you understand and not just memorize, if you can't find the answers to the questions in your lab book look up each question online.

Don't forget to listen to key words from your professor like "this is important" or notice if he repeats a concept too. If you can record the class using your ipod, recorder, etc. then do so.

It also wouldn't hurt to simply ask him what he thinks are the important aspects to learn in the course.

If you need more help let me know.

Dee

[Assailants]

I didn't want to read all of those lol...so long, but I skimmed it and I don't think anyone mentioned recording your lectures. A lot of people in my pre-reqs recorded the lectures and listened to them when they were working out, driving, etc. and they would add notes they missed.

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

If you can record him, it can serve as an adjunct to a more cursory note taking. Review your notes later while listening and then you are, for all intents and purposes, studying.