Listening skills are as important in college as reading skills. College students are expected to listen to their lecturers in class and remember and understand what is said. In discussion classes, listening is important also for participating well in discussions.
If your personal learning style favours listening, then you may already be good at understanding class lectures. Listening, Taking Notes, and Remembering provides tips to help you pay close attention, take good notes, and recall the information and ideas you have heard.
Here are some active listening tips:
- Sit where you can best hear the instructor, away from other distractions.
- Study with other students and listen to what they say about the course material. Hearing them talk from their class notes may be more helpful than reviewing your own written notes.
- Record lectures and listen to them again later when reviewing material before a test.
- When studying, read your notes aloud. Review previous tests by reading the questions aloud and speaking your answers. If a section in your textbook seems confusing, read it aloud.
- Talk with your instructor if you feel you are not understanding course readings.
- Use rhymes or acronyms to recall verbal information.
- Explore supplemental learning aids, such as audio and video podcasts (even from other colleges and universities) on the course’s subject matter.