How Do I Listen During a Lecture

Why It Matters?

Active listening during a lecture is important for several reasons. By actively engaging in the material presented during a lecture, you increase your ability to retain and comprehend content. Active listening helps you connect new information and previously learned concepts, as well as helps detect gaps in your understanding of the material. 

How Do I Listen Actively and Effectively During a Lecture?

There are four things to consider when actively listening to a lecture:

1. Understand the structure of a lecture - Unlike everyday conversations, lectures are planned and organized hierarchically to deliver complex information over extended periods of time. Listen for the overriding theme, question, or objective of the day. It is usually presented at the beginning of the class (what the presenter says first) and can be presented as a statement, question, or summary of what will be covered for the day. Recognizing this structure makes it easier to determine what is important and where to focus your attention. 
2. Organize your notes - Write the theme and subpoints at the top of your notes to maintain focus on key topics. If the instructor does not tend to explicitly state what the lecture is about, it might be helpful to reference your textbook before lectures, preview the topics in the chapter, and create headings, questions, and themes to write down ahead of the lecture. 
3. Detect any gaps in your understanding - Actively monitor your understanding. If you search your memory for a fact or connection and don’t find it, note the gap. Make sure the connections you make between ideas align with the instructor’s intent. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor for clarification if needed.
4. Actively engage with the lecture - Rebuild the hierarchy by continuously working to understand how new information fits into the overall structure of the lecture. During transitions or pauses, review your notes and check your understanding of how the current topic relates to the overall theme. 

When Should I Apply These Strategies?

These strategies should be used throughout the lecture and during review sessions. It might be helpful to prepare before the lecture by previewing the assigned chapter and creating your own questions ahead of time. After the lecture, review your notes, clarify any misunderstandings, and connect new information with previous knowledge.

Action: 

During your next lecture, think of a lecture like a tree. The main idea is the trunk. From the trunk, there are big branches, which are the main points supporting the main idea. Smaller branches grow from the big branches, representing details and examples.

Just like how all branches connect back to the trunk, all points in a lecture connect back to the main idea. This helps you see how everything fits together. When you listen to a lecture, find the "trunk" (main idea) and see how the "branches" (main points and details) connect to it.