We all know that JC (junior college) lectures can be protracted affairs. They go on and on and it is totally up to you to glean the vital information from them.
Why do you attend JC lectures?
They are important, right?
I mean you have a senior lecturer or teacher who is imparting all the tools of her trade during her lecture. A lecture is a sum of that teacher’s experience and you are expected to jot down some useful nuggets of information from it.
Have you attended lectures before?
If you have, you must know that it is more than a time for you to be jotting down notes.
A lecture is a vital time for you to To Be Aware.
Look around you. What are your junior college schoolmates doing?
Take a hint from them and refresh your techniques.
Here are 6 practical tips on how to reap maximum benefits from a junior college lecture.
#1 Take down notes
We all know this. In fact, Singapore students are pedantic about jotting down notes. We believe that note-taking embeds your experience wholesale. There is something about note-taking that makes us feel safe and comfortable.
We feel that it is better for us to take notes than to simply just listen. Both are vitally important of course. I have heard of junior college students who record their lectures. Of course, some lecture halls prohibit this.
Note-taking is a great way to memorise your information. You pay respect to the lecturer’s words. It is more than lip service that attendance provides. You also have a better ‘feel’ of the lecture. When you peruse your notes at the end of the day, it seems to make sense and you also feel you have got a better experience.
Ok. So, make sure you get that notepad handy! Or just record the lesson if the rules allow. I would recommend writing it down as you get an immediate information download, so to speak.
#2 Why is it important to be awake during a lecture?
I know this may sound silly but more students take off to the clouds than they would care to admit. By clouds, I mean sleeping, not iCloud.
Yep, before you become noddy, make sure that you are prepped and have your adrenaline going. Drink lots of coffee or get a good night’s rest. Coffee worked for me as I’m a caffeine addict. Junior college lectures can go on longer than intended and you don’t want to sound rude if you just walk out of the auditorium, do you?
Besides, it can be very comfortable and relaxing in an air-conditioned lecture hall, so make sure you get every ounce of those golden nuggets from the lecturer’s lips. Stay awake and lucid. Be aware of what is going on around you.
Make sure you are well-rested and if that does not work, drink water or just move around slightly just to give yourself a bit of exercise. You need to pay attention during a lecture and it can be a struggle if you’re one of those who burns the midnight oil.
#3 Interesting snippets
A lecture is partly made up of a lecturer’s life experience. Most lectures are littered with anecdotes. They can spice up the entire discourse. Do pay heed to the moral or point of it all. Most of these snippets comprise a personal experience endorsing that particular lesson. You may sometimes think of these as being more important than the lesson notes themselves.
Pay heed to these tiny remarks, thoughts, idioms, and views. A lecturer brings a part of himself/ herself into these talks. They are meant to give you a different point of view from the norm. And this makes all the difference between self-learning and a junior college lecture.
You may also have visiting lecturers. They will have a wealth of information they may wish to share with you. And most of them are original. So keep up with them!
#4 Visuals
Visuals are the order of the day! Which lecturer does not rely on Powerpoint slides? Those are the stuff to look out for! Visuals are treats that give you an insider’s view of what’s going on. Visuals also contain notes that convert the massive load of information into something far more digestible.
And we all need that, don’t we?
Just imagine a junior college lecture without a single video or photo. I mean that will really be a drag. And pictures tell a story far more evocatively than words. We all know that, don’t we? Try to understand what the visual is meant for? What is its purpose? What is the message?
Understand it and try to use it for your future work in junior college. And visuals are far easier to memorise than text.
#5 Ask questions
Oh, do remember to ask questions, will you? Questions mean that you are alert and on top of things!
Try to figure out where you will go with this information. Ask yourself how it will help you. Make sure you have everything down straight before you leave the lecture hall. And if you have any niggling doubts, ask a question.
Lecturers love questions. It tells them that the student is in tune with them and attentive. Take note of the lecturer’s response, please. Write it down if possible. And revert to those notes in the future for your junior college exams!
#6 Compare notes
Try observing what other junior college students are doing. If possible, share notes. And if not, listen to their questions. This is the most interesting part of all as they are your peers.
They will provide insight into the nitty gritty of that subject. The other students are just like you. They are running the same treadmill and are bent on trying to come to grips with the junior college syllabus just like you. They may provide you with some interesting views. You never know, so pay heed.
Well, we have come to the end of my 6 pointers to note while attending a lecture. Hope it works for you!