Conclusion

The most common teaching method used in college freshman courses is the lecture. Few professors were trained in how to prepare and deliver lectures and hence there is some justification for being critical of the method. However the lecture is here is stay and good students know how to get the most out of it. This chapter focused on ten steps involved in "getting the most" out of lectures:

1.

Read. A good lecturer does not repeat the information written in the text, but s/he does assume that you have at least surveyed the assignment and read it enough to know the terminology.

2.

Ready. Your mind can function best if it has been primed for the task by reviewing related material right before class.

3.

React. The critical aspect of learning from a lecture is active participation. This must entail covert attention divided between hearing the words and processing them; it may also entail overt acts such as asking and answering questions.

4.

Record. Your eventual goal is to process the information in the lecture and the more processing you can do in class, the better. Because writing uses a lot of your limited mental capacity, you should take lots of "mental notes" and only enough written notes to remind you of what was said.

5.

Re-write. As soon as possible after class, while the ideas are still fresh in your mind, you should expand and organize your written notes so that you will be able to reconstruct the information accurately at a later time.

6.

Review. Evidence suggests that experiences are not fully fixed in your mind immediately but require some time without disruption in order to be consolidated. Accordingly, a good tactic is to review your lecture notes shortly before going to bed.

7.

Reduce. A key step in processing information is chunking a lot of information into a single unit. Analyzing, organizing, and condensing lecture notes should be a continuing activity.

8.

Recite. At least half of your study time should be devoted to reciting the information. This may mean word-for-word memorizing of names, dates, and formula, but usually means expressing the ideas in your own words.

9.

Re-review. In keeping with the Principle of Distributed Practice, it is very desirable to review your notes periodically. An especially judicious time to review is immediately before the next lecture; this also constitutes a mental warm-up.

10.

Retrieval. This step refers to preparing so as to be able to recall it on an exam. Knowledge that you can't think of when you need it might as well not have been learned.