University:
University of Edinburgh
Course:
ENAI07013 | Academic English for Visiting Students 2 (AEVS 2)
Academic year:

2017
Views:

116

Pages:

42
Author:

walifunga2uuk

Lecture listening and note-taking: developing an efficient approach 28 September 2017 Aims 1) Raise awareness of and practise: • note-taking techniques • lecture listening strategies 2) Highlight sources of further help and practice Based on material from Study Listening by Tony Lynch (Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition 2004) Difficulties in lectures Have you ever had difficulty listening to lectures in your own / a foreign language? Difficulties in lectures With a partner, list the things which might make it difficult to hear or understand what a lecturer is saying. Use the four headings below: • Physical setting • Speaker • Subject • Language • Physical setting size / acoustics of room noise from outside / inside • Speaker accent poor delivery (e.g. too quiet, boring intonation) speed of speaking – lack of adequate pauses lecturing style (scripted / based on brief notes) jokes • Subject unfamiliarity lack of interest / relevance complexity / abstractness • Language colloquial English technical vocabulary / familiar vocabulary used in an unfamiliar way foreign words and phrases (sine qua non, de rigueur) Note-taking in lectures The listener has to decide… • Step 1 what is being said • Step 2 what it means (how it relates to what has been said) • Step 3 whether it is important and whether to note it down • Step 4 how to write it in note form Note-taking in lectures Q: which step is the most important? • Step 1 what is being said • Step 2 what it means (how it relates to what has been said) • Step 3 whether it is important and whether to note it down • Step 4 how to write it in note form Note-taking in lectures A: the most important step: • Step 1 what is being said • Step 2 what it means (how it relates to what has been said) • Step 3 whether it is important and whether to note it down • Step 4 how to write it in note form Note-taking techniques From “This is how modern students take notes” by Jeff Dunn (Edudemic, 2012). Note-taking techniques Discuss in pairs: • How is note-taking different from dictation? • What is the purpose of making notes? • Who are notes written for? 3 basic rules • Rule 1: Be selective decide what’s important • Rule 2: Be brief use abbreviations and symbols • Rule 3: Be clear show the interrelationship between the speaker’s points Rule 1: Be selective A first-year undergraduate and a first-year postgraduate studying the same subject attend the same lecture. What differences would you expect to see in their notes? Rule 2: Be brief What abbreviations, symbols or other techniques do you use to represent example important point causes / leads to is caused by more than international problem solution is the same as goes up / raises I don’t understand Is this right? Rule 3: Be clear common formats: • linear • mind map • Cornell notes linear notes mind map (a.k.a. spidergram, key word pattern, branching notes…) Cornell notes Discuss with a partner: • What might be the advantages (or disadvantages) of these methods? • What method(s) of note-taking do you normally use? • Why? • Have you tried any other methods? • Do you make notes by hand or on a laptop / tablet? Have you used note-taking software? • Do you ever record lectures? Is this helpful? Note-taking practice 1 You are going to practice taking notes from an audio-recording of a short (4 minute) talk: Try a note-taking method you don’t normally use. Comparing notes: content Compare your notes with another student’s: • Have you included the same information? • If you missed any points, has your partner made notes on them? • If there were points (or words, or sections) that neither of you could understand, see whether others in the class can help. Comparing notes: form • How did you get on with the method you used? • Would you use it in the future? Why (not)? Strategies for efficient listening 6 general ‘macrostrategies’ for successful listening: Internal • Predicting • Monitoring • Inferencing • Evaluating Interactive • Responding • Clarifying Internal strategies Predicting Thinking about the possible content of the lecture before you listen Predicting Use 2 types of information: Background • general knowledge of the world • knowledge of local culture • specific subject knowledge Context • situation (who is speaking, where, when) • the co-text – what has been said so far Internal strategies Monitoring Noticing your problems as you listen and identifying areas of uncertainty Monitoring Involves asking yourself questions, e.g: • Have I heard that correctly? • Have I understood what was meant? • Have I understood why s/he said it? (e.g. jokes, cultural references) • Has the lecturer changed topic? • Where is this leading to? Internal strategies Inferencing = guessing! Making hypotheses when you aren’t sure of something. e.g. the meaning of an unfamiliar word or expression Inferencing Helps us to cope with situations such as: • the information we get is incomplete • we don’t know the expressions the speaker is using • we hear a familiar word, but used in an unfamiliar way • we can’t hear what someone is saying Internal strategies Evaluating Assessing how well you have understood the lecture Evaluating Evaluating your success in listening can help you to: • identify which areas of knowledge you need to work on • identify which listening skills to practise more • compare your listening skills in different subject areas of your course • assess your progress in listening over time Interactive strategies Responding Giving your own opinion on the ideas presented by the lecturer Responding Responding involves asking yourself questions such as: • Do I accept that what the lecturer is saying is true and relevant? • Can I think of other examples that support – or don’t support - what the lecturer has said? • Do I think the lecturer’s opinions are reasonable? Interactive strategies Clarifying Preparing questions that you can ask the lecturer to get a clearer understanding Clarifying When you ask a question, you can help the lecturer to give the information you need by making clear whether the problem was due to: • not hearing what the lecturer said • not understanding what the lecturer meant • not seeing the connection between different parts of what was said More practice Your opportunity to practice these strategies and your note-taking techniques. You are going to watch a video recording of a TED talk by a psychologist about working memory: How your working memory makes sense of the world by Peter Doolittle (professor of educational psychology in the School of Education at Virginia Tech). The talk lasts about 10 minutes. Predicting Before you watch, discuss with a partner: • Have you watched any TED talks before? In what ways might you expect this talk to differ from a normal university lecture? • How much do you know about ‘working memory’? If you don’t know the term, guess what it could refer to. If you have studied psychology, you may be able to explain! • How relevant do you expect the content of the talk to be to the task of listening and note-taking? • Do you think it might offer advice that could be helpful to you in your academic studies? Note-taking practice 2 As you watch and listen, take notes on the talk using any method you like. Comparing notes Show another student your notes and compare: • the content – do you agree on what the main points were? • the form – what method did you use? How well did it work? Post-listening discussion: internal strategies • Predicting How accurate were your predictions? • Monitoring Were you aware of any difficulties as you listened? • Inferencing Did you have to guess what the speaker said / meant at any stage? Did you understand why the audience laughed? • Evaluating How much (%) would you say you understood? How does that compare with listening to your subject lectures – better / worse / the same? Where next? TV and radio are very useful resources for listening practice. Which do find more useful? Explain your answer to another student. Look at the list below and decide which types of TV / radio programme you think are (a) most useful and (b) least useful for improving your listening to English. Discuss the reasons for your choice. local news political discussion quiz show science programme drama international news cartoon American sitcom film weather forecast Summary Note-taking: 3 basic rules Strategies for efficient listening: 1. Be selective 2. Be brief 3. Be clear • • • • • • Try different methods Predicting Monitoring Inferencing Evaluating Responding Clarifying

Lecture Listening and Note Taking