Note-taking

Note taking is an important activity since it encourages active learning and acts as a memory aid later for revision or practical work. It helps to process the information you are receiving and notes are your own interpretation of what you have just read, heard or observed. But remember that you may be doing several things at once, listening, thinking and then writing. So there has to be a trade off to a certain extent, since the time you spend taking notes is going to reduce the time available for listening and thinking. Some lecturers go at a reasonable pace and will watch to see when the majority of students have stopped writing, but we have all heard the ‘hang on a minute, I missed that last bit’ or ‘ can you repeat that ..’. If it is really important, don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat it, but you will soon become unpopular if you continually hold the class up!

Many students struggle to take effective notes, for example will you remember what they refer to, or have they become detached from the original material? Are they so copious that you cannot be bothered to go through them? Are they just a repetition of the printed handouts? So try to make life easier and decide at the outset how you want to compile your notes, how you will use them for future reference, because that is the main reason you are making them after all, not to look as if you are working hard in a class!

The LCCH supply a set of handouts, some of the written material is background material about facts and procedures, the rest is mainly scripts to be used virtually as written, or at least at the beginning of your career.

Scripts

You will be using these frequently, in your training and future work, and they may be the original copies or you may choose to photocopy them for a working folder, but either way it makes sense so annotate the actual sheets themselves. There is no point putting notes about the script itself, how to use it, which parts need emphasis, what can be omitted etc., on a separate sheet of paper. They will soon part company or you will end up with a bundle of notes in a session, which will not impress the client.

Add notes at the top, in the column, use a highlighter pen, or even use the back of the sheet, a quick PTO will remind you. If there are other relevant notes, add a reference such as ‘also see page x, weekend 3’ or ‘ see notes in regression section’.