Information Processing
Can you imagine analogies that aid in your memory?
Can you reason from hypotheses to form conclusions?
Do you summarize or paraphrase class reading assignments?
Do you try to related class presentation material to things you already know?
Do you take effective notes during lecture? From your books?
Do you have trouble remembering information or recalling facts?
Good Information Processing involves – Active Listening
Because most classes involve lectures, listening skills are critical for success in college. Listening is not merely hearing a speaker; it is comprehension of what is being said and absorbing the meaning. Such intentional, careful attention is called active “listening.”
Good Listeners: Sit in front of the room
Sit up straight
Look at the speaker
React to what is being said
Ask questions and listen to the answers
Identify the main idea (what’s the most important point of the
lecture?)
Listen for major details (what supports the main point?)
Note the key words, especially if they are unfamiliar
Paraphrase the information when writing it down
Poor Listeners: Allow themselves to become distracted
Do rote (mindless) note-taking
Emotionally reject the subject or speaker
Good Information Processing involves – Taking Good Lecture Notes
To help you better understand and remember the content of lectures, record a speaker’s ideas while they are being presented. Several methods are used to take good notes. Below the Cornell System Format of note-taking is explained.
Preparation. Use a large loose-leaf notebook. Use only one side of the paper, making sure that you label, number and date each sheet in topical or chronological order. Fit the note-filled sheets into the binder after each class. Draw a vertical line 2 1/2 inches from the left side of your paper. This is the recall column. Notes will be taken to the right of this margin. Later key words or phrases can be written in the recall column.
During the Lecture. Record your notes in simple paragraph form. Don’t bother to make elaborate outlines. Strive to capture general ideas. Skip lines to show the end of thoughts and/or ideas. Use abbreviations or symbols to give yourself extra time. Write legibly. Your object should be to make your notes complete enough so they will have meaning for you weeks and months later.
After the Lecture. Read and consolidate your notes right after class or sometime that evening and make them more legible. Using the recall column on the left side of the page, jot down key words or ideas from the lecture. Overlap your notes showing only recall columns and you have your review.
Implications of Poor Note Taking
Poor note taking can have severe consequences for you, the college student. In order to understand this fully, take some time and brainstorm some of the effects poor note taking will have on your daily life. Begin by writing “poor note taking in the center of a piece of paper. Then think of some results that could occur because of poor note taking techniques.
To take an example from Cody Blair[1], Academic Coordinator of Success4Students, your chain of implications could look like this:
*Poor note taking = more studying = less free time = more stress =decreased immunity = more sick days = miss out on parties
*Poor note taking = missed test questions = failing class grade = poor GPA = flunk out of college
Many students do not consider the implications of poor study skills. Perhaps this “mind mapping” technique could be used in other areas in which you have study skills deficiencies. It is our hope that you will be able to formulate cause and effect relationships and begin to see them as MAJOR problems. Then use your critical thinking skills, available campus resources to fix these problems NOW!
Good Information Processing Means Possessing – Reading Techniques
Reading can be challenging! Like any other skill such as playing the piano or basketball or working algebra problems, spending time developing this skill will eventually make reading more easily. The more you do it, the simpler it gets, and the more enjoyable it becomes.
Give Yourself Enough Time. Because essays always propose a line of reasoning, if you stop in the middle, you run the risk of forgetting what came before. Not only do you have to read the whole essay, but you have to understand it too. A large part of that understanding involves following the process of the author’s reasoning. So, give yourself plenty of time to read completely through the assignment.
Use All Available Study Aids. If you are reading from a textbook, make good use of all the study aids the author or editor(s) offer. Read the introductions, summaries, glossaries, and indexes. Examine the study questions, take advantage of any section headings, margin notes and boxed passages if your textbook offers them. All of these are instructional features that can help you read the book more easily. Take advantage of them!
Grant All Ideas a Fair Hearing. One good rule to follow when you are reading is what’s called the “Principle of Charity.” If your instructor asked you to read the material, he/she most likely thinks that there is something valuable to be learned from the essay. Be charitable. Grant all ideas a fair hearing, even if (and especially if) you do not agree with them. People have the most trouble understanding and remembering ideas they disagree with, so this is something to work on.
Read and Reread. You can rarely read an essay just once and completely understand it. Some writings demand careful, slow and repeated reading. Reread as often as you need to, to understand what the author is saying. However, don’t spend so much time rereading the passage that you get discouraged.
Change Your Surroundings. If you are experiencing a great deal of frustration or difficulty with your reading, consider finding a new place to read. If you are tired, distracted, uncomfortable, hungry, thirsty or whatever, you may have difficulties with our reading. The better you can make the atmosphere, the better your comprehension is likely to be.
Read Actively. Always read actively –that is you must be constantly asking yourself: What is the main point? Why did the author just say that? What are the author’s reasons for believing this? Do I agree or disagree with this point? Keep a pencil, a highlighter, a pad of sticky notes, or a note pad handy. Mark passages that seem important or passages that you don’t understand. However, don’t highlight every sentence!
Keep A Dictionary. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is a good comprehensive dictionary that can often be found on sale for a reasonable price. A paperback pocket dictionary will not be adequate. Many of the authors are from a multitude of scholarly areas and tend to use large and sometimes obscure words. So using a good dictionary is critical. Or access the online dictionary.
Stop And Summarize What You Have Read. After you finish a section or a page, pause and see if you can restate what the author is saying in your own words. As you read, regularly stop. Close your eyes and mentally summarize the main points of what you have read. If you are ambitious, actually writing your summary down is even better; since it helps you remember what you’ve read.
Look for the Essay’s Main Point. On your first reading of the essay, you should be looking for the author’s conclusions. Ask yourself: What is the author trying to prove? Just grasping the main point is a large enough part of the battle. If there are passages or details that you find particularly difficult even after reading them several times, skip over them and you will understand them better.
Identify the Essay’s Premise. Once you understand the point or points the author is trying to prove, you need to figure out what his reasons are. On your second reading, ask yourself: Why does she think her conclusion is true? As a rule, all essays offer a chain of ideas, or premises. Premises are meant to provide reasons leading to the overall conclusion. The primary task in reading is to identify the author’s premises and conclusions.
Talk to Your Instructor. If you still do not understand an essay after following all these suggestions, then you should consult your instructor. Your instructor is one of your most important resources and is more that happy to help. Clarify, or just chat about your readings
[1] Cody Blair. 2002. “Getting Learner Buy-in: How to get learners at any level to discover for themselves the importance of what you will be teaching.” P. 1
Information Processing Resources:
Elaboration Strategies
Organizational Strategies
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Creating analogies
Notetaking System
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