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)

Listening to Lectures #2

# Concentrate on the words and message, not on the professor's looks, clothes or delivery.

* Poor listeners notice faults in a lecturer's appearance or delivery.
* Effective listeners strive to pick every professor's brain for self-gain.

# When you hear something you're not sure you agree with, react slowly and thoughtfully.

* Poor listeners stop listening to the speaker and start listening to themselves. They either passively reject what is being said or they launch into impassioned rebuttals (to themselves).
* Effective listeners don't jump to conclusions and then disengage. They keep conclusions tentative while getting more information.

Related to this:

# Don't get derailed by emotionally charged "buzz" words that trigger negative responses.

* Poor listeners tune people out on the basis of a few words.
* Effective listeners don't let the emotional baggage of a word hinder them from getting at the substance of a lecture.

This part is about avoiding snap judgments. Particularly when you don't know someone very well, it's easy to focus on something about them that isn't related to what they are actually saying. It's OK to pay attention to appearance, voice, style of talking and so on but don't let that part of it make you stop listening to what is being said.

If something strikes you the wrong way at first, take some time to think it over. It's possible to keep new ideas and knowledge in a "waiting room" part of your brain. You can consider how it MIGHT be true and wait for further information or reasoning, without immediately jumping to a conclusion about whether it is true or false.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. --Aristotle

Listening to Lectures #1

"Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly"
-- Plutarch (46 AD - 120 AD)

By now you have listened to at least some of the first parts of the Homeschool Connections classes. These are designed for high school students. You haven't had a lot of experience with lectures, so I thought I would give you a few pointers about listening and getting things out of classes like these ones.

I'm getting the suggestions from this site: Effective listening in class but I'll put it here in bits and pieces.

The first suggestion:

# Choose to find the subject useful.

* Poor listeners dismiss most lectures as dull and irrelevant. They turn off quickly.
* Effective listeners separate the wheat from the chaff. They choose to listen to discover new knowledge.

# Stay attentive.

* Poor listeners let their minds wander.
* Effective listeners remain focused and actively try to absorb material.

Related to this, from here.

Not concentrating: The average person (yes, this includes professors) can talk at a rate of 120 to 150 words a minute, but the human brain can process from 400 to 800 words a minute (Lucas, 1998). As a result, when listening to a professor ramble on, students have a lot of “spare brain time” left over to concentrate on other things like last Saturday’s date, the latest American Idol winner, or the risqué photo they wish they hadn’t posted on Facebook.

OK, you get the point. You probably have other things besides American Idol to get distracted by. But because of the slower speed of lectures, especially when there aren't a lot of visual materials to keep you focused, it's easy to drift off and start thinking about something else.

This is why we're starting slowly. ... to get you used to the format. The teachers in the courses are all very good, know their material and have experience teaching. So you can trust that the materials are basically sound and worthwhile.