Tips when Listening to a Lecture

Here are ways to make the most of using your ears in studying, whether they're your learning strength or not.

WHEN LISTENING

Use only your ears. Try closing your eyes when you're listening to something you want to remember, whether it's a tape of a speech or notes you taped into a recorder. Now your ears have to do all the work! Try the same thing when you're on the phone or listening to news on the radio or TV. Closing your eyes can help your ears focus. You're helping your ears get the most out of what you hear by not letting what you see get in the way.

Learning a New Language?

If you're studying a language, the sooner your ear becomes familiar with the sound and rhythms of that language, the easier it will be for you to use that language, both in speaking and writing. Tune into the language you're learning by listening to radio talk shows and TV programs in that language. Remember to close your eyes! You're just using your ears. It's too easy for your eyes to figure out what's happening on TV.

WHEN READING

When you're reading something you want to remember, try reading out loud. Listen to your voice and change the sound of it when the mood of what you're reading changes. Have fun making deep and high sounds, loud and soft sounds. Have you ever noticed in a play or movie, that just before actors say something important, like, "The butler did it," they pause? There's usually a pause after they say it as well. Decide what's important to you in what you're reading, and try pausing before and after you say that. Try it right now with this paragraph.

IT'S IN THE EYES

Here are ways to make the most of using your eyes in studying, whether they're your learning strength or not.

WHEN LISTENING

When you're listening to something you want to remember, try drawing a picture or taking notes. If you're drawing, draw what comes to mind right away. These are your notes, so they have to make sense to you! Stick figures are fine. If you're writing, pretend you're a newspaper reporter with a lot of readers. It'll help you focus on what's important, and your notes will be clearer to you if you pretend you're writing them for someone else.

WHEN READING

When you're reading something you want to remember, draw or write. If you're writing, try choosing the most important word in a sentence, then the most important sentence in the paragraph. Underline it if it's your own book; if it's not, write it in your notebook. Explain why it's important; summarize what you read in words. If you're drawing, make a series of pictures, just like in a comic strip, summarizing what sticks out in your mind about what you read.