Lecture Techniques

Lectures are a very important part of a student's life. In a lecture, a lot of information may be passed on to a lot of students at the same time, therefore it is important to be very attentive since most things said may not be repeated due to the amount of people around. If a lecturer was to repeat a sentence for each individual, little progress will be made. There are a few ways or techniques that may help in getting the most out of a lecture.

Reading ahead  is one way to prepare yourself towards a lecture, reading articles or books related to the topic being lectured helps prepare the mind. It allows you to get a better understanding of what the lecture may be about. This helps you from spending the first 5-10 minutes trying to figure out what the lecture is about.

Where you sit in a lecture is also another factor which may help determine how much you take in. I tend to look for any available seat as close to the lecturer as possible, if there aren't any seats at the front row, I look for seats a row or two away from the front row. The idea is, the closer I am to the lecturer, the less likely I am to be distracted by students movements in the lecture, I'll also hear exactly what the lecturer is saying better than most students sitting further away from the lecturer.

Note taking is another vital part of a lecturer, I try my best to write down what I feel may be important information in a lecturer, and leave out the less important ones. With the lecturer's permission, recording a lecture is also another good way to maximize your intake from a lecture, it allows you to go through everything the lecturer said and go over things you didn't get first time around. It is also important to put off mobile phones since they may distract you at a point when something important is being said.

Finally, going through the notes taken after a lecture,will help you remember the information better. By reflecting on your notes, you begin to remember exactly when the lecturer said what they said and the examples given in relation.All these are very good ways that help me get the most out of a lecture.