【英專八級聽力訓練】Mini-lecture Effective Note-taking(2/2)

Be alert to the speaker's emphasis through tone, gesture, repetition and illustration on the board. A good lecturer, of course, often signals what is important or unimportant. He may give direct signals or indirect signals. Many lecturers, for example, explicitly tell their audience that a point is important and that the student should write it down. It is worth remembering that most lecturers also give indirect signals to indicate what is important. They either pause or speak slowly or speak loudly or use a greater range of intonation, or they employ a combination of these devices, when they say something important. Conversely, their sentences are delivered quickly, softly, within a narrow range of intonation and with short or infrequent pauses when they are saying something which is incidental. It is, of course, helpful for the student to be aware of this and for him to focus his attention accordingly. Having sorted out the main points, however, the student still has to write them down. And he has to do this quickly and clearly. In order to write at speed, try to develop a suitable system of mechanics: jot down words or phrases, not entire sentences; develop some system of shorthand and be consistent in its use; leave out small service words; use contractions, abbreviations and symbols. Most students find it helpful to abbreviate. They also try to select only those words which give maximum information. These are usually nouns, but sometimes verbs or adjectives. Writing only one point on each line also helps the student to understand his notes when he comes to read them later. An important difficulty is, of course, finding time to write the notes. If a student chooses the wrong moment to write, he may miss a point of greater importance. Connecting words or connectives may guide him to a correct choice here. Those connectives which indicate that the argument is proceeding in the same direction also tell the listener that it is a safe time to write. "Moreover", "furthermore", "also", etc., are examples of this. Connectives such as "however", "on the other hand" or "nevertheless" usually mean that new and perhaps unexpected information is going to follow. Therefore, it may, on these occasions, be more appropriate to listen. After taking notes, review and reword them as soon as possible. Don't just recopy or type without thought. Reminiscing may provide forgotten material later. Rewrite incomplete parts in greater detail. Fill in gaps as you remember points heard but not recorded. Arrange with another student to compare notes. Sharpen your note-taking technique by looking at other students' notes. How are they better than your own? How are your notes superior?Compare the information in your notes with your own experience. Don't swallow everything uncritically. Don't reject what seems strange or incorrect. Check it out. Be willing to hold some seeming inconsistencies in your mind over a period of time. Make meaningful associations. Memorize that which must be memorized.