Listening to Lectures #3

This is the final lesson in this series for the time being. Here are some more things to remember when you are listening to a lecture. The first ones are taken from here.

Identify the "big ideas," those fundamental concepts to which everything else in the lecture is related.
* Effective listeners look for foundational concepts. They grab key ideas and use them as anchor points for the entire lecture.

Understand and use the differential between the speed of speaking and the speed of thinking. We think at about 400 words per minute. That's four times faster than most speakers can talk.

* Effective listeners use the thinking/speaking differential in three ways:

1. Riding the crest of the wave by trying to anticipate the next point of the lecture.
2. Evaluating what the lecturer is using for supporting evidence.
3. Periodically summarizing the lecture to themselves.

These points are similar:

What to Do (from here)

# Focus listening:

Students need to become “focused listeners,” meaning those who make a conscious effort to listen for the professor’s main points and the evidence he or she presents in support of those points.

# Listen for cues:

If an instructor says, "This is important," "Pay attention to this," or "Remember this," that means the chances are great that the information will be needed for a test.

# Ask questions:

If a student doesn't understand something, he or she should not hesitate to ask for clarification. Contrary to popular belief, professors are not mind-readers and, therefore, do not instinctively know if or when a student is totally lost, dumbfounded, or confused..

(You are obviously listening to recorded lectures but it's still important to ask questions to yourself -- or ask me. Knowing what you don't know yet is an important learning skill)