REFLECTION AFTER THE LECTURE

Why do you look into a mirror more than once? What do you see that you haven’t seen before? You have the same face—the same configuration of eyes, nose, mouth. What’s different each time you look? Is there more sparkle in your eyes? Less color in your cheeks? A wrinkle on your brow? When you reflect, you look back on something. Sometimes, on tak- ing a second look, you realize something you hadn’t noticed before. Reflecting also helps you remember what happened. The same way you look into a mirror to make sure the part in your hair is straight, or your tie knot is tidy, you think back on a lecture to see if everything is in order in your mind, that all the information falls into place.

Start by considering the questions you wrote (or recorded) before the lecture began. Were any of them answered during the lecture? How did your anticipation of the lecture, based on its title, compare with what was actually said? If you’re left with questions, try to find the answers by reflecting on what you learned, or by speaking with the professor.

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Things make sense to you, or “stick” with you, when you’re an involved learner. You’re able to connect what’s new to what you already know. You find that your questions now have answers. Pictures come to mind and the order of events is clearer than before.

Now, while it’s still fresh in your mind, you need to put together a complete picture of what you heard in the lecture. You need to make a summary for yourself. In this case, the summary is a condensed version of the whole lecture. You can go about this in a variety of ways. You can write it in your notebook, draw a cartoon about it, or speak your thoughts into a recorder. Any of these methods lets you refer back for a quick review and helps you remember key ideas.

The summary can be a couple of sentences for starters. Add on to it as more thoughts come to mind. You might want to have two summaries: a short one to remind you of what happened, which you can write in the

top margin of your notebook or on the label of your audiotape; and a longer one that includes any details that come to mind. Your notes, after all, may be several pages in no particular order. Now is the time to make sense of them. To help you with this, you may want to review Chapter 11, “Remembering What You’ve Learned.”

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The more you go back to your notes, adding on to them any connections or questions and answers that come to mind, the greater chance you’ll have of remembering the material. Re-writing notes can help you put them in an order that makes more sense to you. If you learn better by images, re-writing can help you connect your images more clearly. If you learn better by order, re-writing, perhaps in an outline form, can assist you in understanding—and remembering—more of what you’ve heard. Taking notes from your audiotape as you re-listen can help you focus on what you’re hearing. The more you listen, writing down additional questions and ideas as they come to mind, the more you’ll get out of your tape. Treat your taped lecture the same way you would treat a favorite album: listen to it over and over again.

Since everyone learns differently, keep reminding yourself of what works for you. You will be more likely to repeat your success in getting a lot out of the lecture if you also figure out and write down why it was a success.

IN

SHORT

Before a lecture begins, pre-read by anticipating what it will be about. During the lecture, write questions as they come to mind. Then ask them of the lecturer. Use your learning style—take notes if you learn best by seeing, focus on listening if you learn best by hearing. After the lecture, write a summary of what it was about and its value to you.

Practice Tips

Listen to a Radio Talk Show. Check radio listings in your newspaper

to find a program that interests you. Get ready by writing out what you expect the program to be about. Then write down questions you expect the program to answer.

• If you learn best by hearing: Focus on hearing the program. As soon as it’s over, write down or draw a comic strip of what it was about.

• If you learn best by seeing: Take notes or draw as you listen. If other questions come to mind, write them down. Write or draw a summary of the talk.

Include in your reflections:

• Which of your questions were answered? • What helped you focus on the talk? • What helped you write your reflections?

Try It in a Phone Conversation. The next time you’re talking on the

telephone, write down what the other person is saying. How did that help you remember later on what the person said?

GETTING THE

MOST FROM

CLASS

PARTICIPATION

A lot happens in class participation. You have to be on your toes—listening to the lecture and to other students, putting together what you hear with what you know about the subject, and getting ready to volunteer or be called upon to speak. It sounds like a lot of work, but getting involved is actually quite enjoyable and stimulating. The more active you are in class discussion, the more you’ll feel a part of the class and the more you’ll get out of it.

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ome teachers simply lecture for the whole

class period, every class period. Other teachers, though, like to use class participation for all or part of their instruction. Many students don’t like class participation, either because they’d rather hear what the teacher has to say than what their fellow students think, or because they just don’t want to speak in class.

(To get the most from this chapter, you may wish to review Chapter 3, “Looking and Listening,” Chapter 9, “Getting Involved,” and Chapter 12, “Getting the Most from a Lecture.”)

Getting Around Shyness

Janine enjoyed the lectures in her nursing class. She just didn’t want to be called on or pressured to volunteer. She’d cringe just before the student comment period that ended every class. She tried to slide down in her seat so she wouldn’t be called on. She kept her eyes on her notebook. Her instructor saw what was hap- pening and finally asked Janine to stay after class for a few min- utes one day. She explained to Janine that she had set up the class so that students would get more out of it by actively taking part, and Janine wasn’t taking advantage of that opportunity. Janine wasn’t surprised to hear the teacher’s comments; she knew she had to get over her shyness if she wanted to get the most out of the course.

Classes where professors encourage students to engage in discus- sion have many advantages over straight lecture courses. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t like class participation, consider the fol- lowing benefits that don’t come with a lecture course. A class in which you speak as well as listen is more active than a class in which you just listen. When you learn by doing, you are really learning. When you’re

involved, you’re having a different experience than if you’re just sitting

there. You’re more apt to pay attention, remember, and get real mean- ing out of the class. In fact, being involved can even make you excited about what you’re studying!