How to listen to lectures: Understand & remember with these strategies

Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video, I am going to tell you about the

best strategies you can use when you're listening in lectures. Okay? So, this

video is for anyone who is in college, university, any type of program where

they're taking courses that require a lot of listening. It's very difficult

for many people to listen in lecture. So, whether you speak English as a first

language, or whether English is your second or third language, for people who

go to university or college — one of the most challenging parts can be

understanding and remembering what you learned in lecture. So, let's talk a

little bit about some of the types of people you might see in your lecture,

why lectures are hard, and why they're difficult to listen to. And then I'll

give you some great strategies that I know really work that can help you in

your listening. So, let's get started.

Imagine this situation: You are in college, and you're taking a really hard

college course — maybe it's physics, maybe it's English, or some sort of math

course — and you have to sit there for two hours and listen. Now, that's really

hard for a lot of people to do, but this is the reality for many courses you

might take. There's a big stress on listening to professors talk. So, I'm

going to tell you about some people I know and what they were like during

their lectures. My brother was the type of person who would go to lectures for

two hours and he'd just sit there; he would not write anything down; he would

just sit and listen. Now, the sad thing that happened with my brother is he did

not remember anything. So, during the lecture, he understood, and he would

think: "Oh, okay, yeah, you know, I don't need to take notes, I understand."

But when he would leave, he'd forget everything. And this was a big problem

for him whenever it came time to exams or tests.

Now, I had a friend, when I was in university, who would bring in a tape

recorder, and record the professor talking. And so for the two hours, she

would be on Facebook, checking her emails, doing other things, but not

really listening. And she would just record the professor talk. And then when

she got home, then she would listen to the recording again, and again, and

again. So, while she might have learned a lot of the material, she spent hours

doing this; it was a lot of time wasted — where, if she had just listened during

the lecture, it would have been a lot easier for her and she wouldn't have

spent so much time in her free time listening to this material. I had

another friend who had a computer, and would come to class, and would type —

type everything the professor was saying. Now, this friend was really fast

at typing, and she could just type every word the professor said, and so her

notes were always great. But the problem is while she was typing, she didn't

really listen well. She didn't process the information that the professor was

saying, because she was just typing everything he said word for word. So,

she would spend a lot of time reading her notes and studying from her notes,

which was also a bit of a waste of time, because she could have understood more

during the lecture.

Okay. And now, this is true — this is about me when I was in my first year of

university. It's taken me a long time to get really good at listening in

lectures, but in my first year of university, I was terrible. I thought it

would be good if I sat in the front row, because that way, I would be paying a

lot of attention and I could take notes well. But what often happened: I took

classes too early or too late in the evening, and I would fall asleep. And it

would be bad because I would sleep, and then I was in the front row, so the

professor could see me. And again, I didn't do this on purpose; it was always

an accident. I wanted to stay awake and take notes, but because I wasn't using

the proper strategies, I also wasted a lot of time. And I actually had more

problems than the rest of these people, because I didn't take notes because I

was asleep and I didn't listen, so I didn't get any information from the

lecture. So, there's many different types of people in colleges and

universities, many types of students who have these types of problems, and they

don't use their time well in lectures; they don't listen well. So, I am going

to teach you now some great strategies you can use that will help you become

better at listening to those lectures that might be really difficult or very

long, that can really help you achieve academic success.

Okay. So, the key to doing really well in listening in lectures is to put in

the effort while you're listening. So, this means you need to actively listen.

Okay? So, you can't just listen, be on your phone and looking around the class.

No, you really need to think about what the professor is saying. The other thing

that will really help you is to be prepared. And what do I mean by

"prepared"? Well, I'll talk about that in a moment. But what should you bring

to lecture? How should...? What is your plan for when you're in lecture? It's

important to be prepared and to have a plan in advance. So, I think that active

listening and preparation will help you have more success, and actually save you

a lot of time; because by doing this, you don't have to keep re-listening to a

lecture, or you don't have to spend all your time trying to figure out what you

missed. Okay? So, let's look at: What can you do before the lecture? Because

that's when this all starts — before you go into the lecture.

So, sometimes at college or university, you actually have a choice about what

time you go to lecture. So, maybe they have a course and it's offered at nine

am; and maybe on a different day, it's offered at two pm. So, if you have this

option, really think about: When do you listen the best? And again, not everyone

has a choice in this; sometimes there is only one lecture, and you have to go no

matter what. But if there's a choice, and you can choose what time — think

about: What is the best for you? When I took statistics in university, the first

time I took it, I did not do well, and that's because the course was at nine

am. For me, that was too early to learn math and to be in lecture. When I

re-took the course a little while later, I found that taking the course at about

eleven am was actually really perfect for me; my mind was very sharp at

eleven. Also important to know: A lot of people start to feel tired or sleepy in

the afternoon, especially around three pm. This has to do with our hormones,

and it has to do with our sleep cycle. So, know when you get tired — for a lot

of people, around two, three, four pm, they're very tired — and maybe avoid

having a lecture at this time if you can, because it is harder to listen if

you're tired.

Okay. What do you bring to lecture? You should try to pack your bag the night

before, just so you're prepared. And it's important to bring water; a water

bottle because keeping hydrated will actually help you stay awake and keep

you from being distracted. It's good to bring snacks. What kind of snacks? You

know, healthy snacks, so not like McDonald's or something that's going to

make you feel super tired and sluggish, but maybe a granola bar or something

that's healthy — because during the lecture, if you have a break, you can

take a bit of a snack and then that can help you with your thinking as well.

Sometimes in certain classes, they give you the lecture notes in advance. So, if

your professor is very kind and gives you lecture notes or slides in advance,

it's a good to bring these. And then for some people, they like to bring their

computer to lecture. This is a very important point: You really need to know

yourself. Are you the type of person that if you have your computer there,

you're going to be on Facebook the whole time, or Instagram, or Tinder, or

what... whatever websites are popular? A lot of students are very distracted in

class these days, and it's a total waste of time, because they're too busy on

their computers, so they're not listening, which means: Why are they

even there? I think what is very helpful for a lot of students is not to bring

their computer, but to only bring the slides, or have the computer but keep it

in your backpack, and pull it out if you need it. Or if you do bring your

computer and you'd like to type your notes, maybe use some sort of...

something that will prevent you from going on the internet. So, just know

yourself with your computer because this is a trap a lot of students fall into;

computers can be very distracting.

Another point on this is: A lot of research has actually shown that writing

your notes by hand is actually better than typing your note. And this is

because when you write your notes, you tend to write slower, and you don't

write everything, so you process what you're hearing a lot more; and by

processing, you remember a lot more. If you're typing, you might type too fast,

you might type every word the professor says, and you're not really processing

the information. So, for a lot of people, it's actually easier to remember

information if they write it by hand. So, I recommend writing it by hand —

that's how I always do it. I never bring a computer to lecture because I find

it's too distracting and I don't remember as much.

Another part of your plan is here: Look at your slides/readings early. So,

sometimes the professor will give you an assigned reading. Ideally, it's good to

read everything before the class. But some people are too busy with that or to

do that, or they're not going to, so if you don't have time, at least just read

keywords; see what the reading's about. You know, look at the title, look at the

headings, the subtitle — this information can... or even in the

slides, you can look at the pictures in the slides or the titles of the slides —

this allows your brain to start working. And it starts working before you go to

lecture, which will prepare you to actually learn. So, it's really good to

look at the slides and the assigned readings in advance. Even if you don't

read everything closely, you can still prepare yourself to learn that way and

to listen better. If... while you're looking at the slides and the assigned

readings, if you see there are things that are the same in both of them, that

often is important because professors often test on things where there's

overlap. So, if the reading says something, and the professor says the

same thing, or the slides say the same thing — that often is tested. So, that's

a hint. If you're wondering what to study, that can help you later on.

There's a lot of new terms you'll hear in lecture, a lot of new words you've

never heard before. You know, you can look at these words in advance, if they

are in the readings or in the slides — learn what they mean, so that way, when

the professor says them, you're not wondering: "Oh, I have no idea what that

means." Okay? And a lot of the times professors will give a definition of a

word, but sometimes they don't, so this can be very helpful. Okay. My next tip

is: Arrive to lecture early. It's not good to come running in ten minutes

late, because your brain is going to be stressed, and stress prevents learning.

Okay? And not only that, you will distract everyone around you. So, please

arrive to class early; and this way you can... be calm, take your time getting

prepared for lecture, and this will help you listen better. My next tip: Choose

your seat well. You want to be in a place where it's quiet, and there's not

a lot of distraction. If you sit at the back door, people are going to keep

coming in and going, and so maybe it's harder to listen because you keep seeing

other people come and go. If you sit in the front seat, you know, that might be

an idea for some people. I never liked doing that, personally, because I told

you I fell asleep in the front seat so I feel like the professor notices you

more. But it could be a good spot for some people, too. The main thing is: Try

to find a spot that is not... does not have too many distractions — okay? — and

where you can hear really well. So, this is what you do before the lecture. Let's

see what you do during the lecture.

Okay. So, there are many different ways to take notes. And it's important to

have a system, and finding a system that works best for you. Okay. For me,

personally, I always like the Cornell approach. I have a video on this, if

you're interested. Some people like to take notes using something like a

flowchart, where they don't write full sentences — they just, you know, draw

circles and with arrows to show how things connect. Some people actually

like to just write everything out. So, find the system that works best for you,

and stick with it. It will make your life a lot easier to be consistent in

your note taking. Also, it's good to come up with a system of keywords or

words you see a lot. So, for example, whenever I'm in lecture, and the

professor says: "because" I don't write the word "because", because that will

take too long; what I write is: "bc". And so, whenever I read my notes, I know

this means "bc" — "because". Or if the professor says: "therefore", what I

write instead of "therefore" is I put three dots. So, having your own system.

And you can use different symbols or different abbreviations can help save

you time when you're taking notes. So, come up with a system and stick to it.

It's also very important in lecture to pay attention to information that is

repeated. A lot of professors keep saying the same thing in different ways.

If you hear the message again, and again, and again — this is likely

something that's important, and maybe on the exam. So, listen for repeated

information. Also, speaking of exams, or tests — a lot, a lot of professors like

to give clues to students. So, what they might say during lecture is they might

say, you know: "Make sure you study this; it's very important", or "This

will be on the final exam" — they might even just say it straight out like this.

Or they might say: "Hint. Hint, hint; wink, wink. This is important for the

exam." Listening for these hints or tips can help you so you know what to study.

What I like to do is when a professor says something like this, I take my red

pen, and I put a giant circle around it or a giant red star, so I really notice

it for when I go back and study my notes. It's also important to listen for

language cues. There's a lot of things happening during lecture, a lot of

information coming at you, and it's easy to get lost in all the information. So,

one thing that can help is knowing when the professor is changing topics, or

giving an example, or giving smaller points or details — and you can use

language cues to help you with this. So, for example, if the professor is about

to change the topic, they might say: "Now let's move on to", and then they'll

tell you what the next topic is. If they want to emphasize something, they might

say: "The important thing is..." As soon as you hear this, you know: "Okay, it's

important — write it down". "Next, I'm going to talk about" — again, this might

be a signal that they're going to change topics. So, this is helpful in the

organization of your notes, as well as to understand what's happening, because

again, it's easy to get lost in lecture.

My next point is about the organization of the lecture. It's good to know what

your professor's like, and you'll notice different professors do things

differently. Some professors like to just say exactly what's in the textbook,

and their lecture is organized the exact same way as the textbook. So, if you

know that, then listening isn't so important because you know: "Okay, the

textbook and the lecture are the same. I can get the information in either

place." Other professors might give a lecture that's very different from the

textbook, and it might be more like a spoken essay. They give you their

argument or their idea, and then they give you reasons why they believe this

or reasons why this is how it is, and then they might give you details. So,

understanding how a professor gives a lecture, and how their lecture is

organized can really help you understand what the professor is saying.

One thing I like to do in lectures is ask: "Why? Why is the professor saying

this?" Understanding the answer to: "Why?" and how everything connects can

help you understand the main idea of the lecture, which is important. So, you

always want to ask yourself: "Why is he talking about this?" Or: "Why is she

talking about this?" And your answer can help you figure out what's important to

listen for. Some profs also like discussion in class. So, they will have

you think about something, and then they will ask you for your opinion. So, it's

also good to know people who give lectures like this, because you might be

expected to speak during a lecture. Now, there's so much information. So, what

happens if you miss something? "I had no idea what the professor just said; I

stopped listening for a moment." What I like to do is I put a mark — so maybe,

like, a star — beside, you know, that area, and I wait until break. At the

break, I ask my friend or my classmate: "What did the professor say here?" I

notice a lot of people will ask during lecture — they'll turn to the person

beside them and say: "Hey. What did he just say? I... I didn't get it." The

problem is: Then you both miss the very next point, and then it's easier to

become lost. So, don't panic if you miss something; just put a star; and at the

break, ask your classmates. Or if they don't know, you can go up and ask the

professor, and hopefully, they'll be able to tell you what you missed. All

right. Now let's look at some other strategies for how you can become better

at listening during lectures.

Okay. So, I've talked about what to do during lecture. For a lot of lectures,

you'll actually get a break — it might be five minutes, ten minutes, or fifteen

minutes — it's important to use these breaks well. Okay? So, my first piece of

advice is: Talk to your classmates and get to know them. Your classmates can be

very helpful in a class; especially if you miss information, or maybe you're

sick one day, or maybe even to form a study group. It's very important to get

to know people in your class, because this will really help you be more

successful. So, how do you get to know people in your class? Well, what I

usually do is I talk to somebody close by me, and I noticed something I like

about them; maybe they have a nice backpack or an interesting necklace, or,

you know, a nice shirt. I might say: "Oh, I like your bag. Where did you get

it from?" And this can open up conversation. Or I might talk about the

lecture: "Wow! Our professor just said something so interesting." So, there's

many different ways to get to know your classmates, but make an effort. Okay.

And also, you know, choose your classmates that you talk to wisely. If

you notice the person was on Facebook the whole time during the lecture —

maybe they're not the best classmate to talk to, you know, to create a study

group with. Look for somebody who was actually really interested in the

material.

Another piece of advice is: During breaks, it's good to walk around, or to

stretch, or do some sort of light exercise. The reason is: When you move,

blood goes back to the brain and this helps... helps wake you up and it also

helps you with your learning. Okay? So, if you just stay in your seat, you're

going to get more tired, and it's going to be a lot harder to listen to the

second half of the lecture. So, get up and get moving. And that way, you will

have more energy. I had one friend who would go up and down the stairs during

breaks in order to get that blood flow. So, get moving during breaks. Another

option is: You can talk to your professor. Some professors really like

this — they like to talk to students; other professors don't, so know your

professor. You can ask them questions about what you're learning about or

maybe you didn't understand something — this is a good time during break to talk

to them.

Finally, you've made it — the lecture is finished. Okay? Good for you. It was

hard listening for those two hours. So, what can you do after the lecture? Well,

it's always a good idea to review. Look at the assigned readings. Okay? Maybe

you didn't read them before class. Well, now's a good time to read them because

everything is fresh in your mind. Or you can look at your notes again; just take

a moment, look at what you wrote. So, review these things can be really

helpful and save you time in the future. You can also discuss what you heard with

classmates; sometimes just talking about something helps you to remember it

better. Finally, if there's something you don't understand from the lecture —

you've talked to your classmates, you still don't understand; it's really

confusing to you — it's a good idea to make an appointment with your professor

during their office hours. So, office hours are a time when professors can

answer your question. And because they have an hour or two devoted to this,

they're not in a rush, so they can explain things to you clearly and they

can take their time. Sometimes if you ask them a question just at break or

after class, the professor can't give you the best answer because they're in a

rush; they want to get going. So, it's good to find out: "What are the office

hours?" and go to them. Okay? This is also a great way to connect with your

professor, which can help you in the future if you need references, or if you

are looking for maybe a job or something like that. Okay? So, get to know your

professor is a really good thing to do during lecture.

So, I know I've given you a lot — a lot of different strategies. Now, it takes

time to change, so what I recommend is trying out a few of these things first;

see what helps. Okay? You don't have to do everything in this video, but try to

take some of the tips that work the best for you and try them out. See if it

helps you with your listening. I've been in university, or I've taken many

university courses, and so I have tried all of these tips; and for me, they have

all been very helpful. So, I wish you the best of luck. And I also wanted to

tell you that if you wanted to practice what you learned in this video, you can

come visit our website at www.engvid.com. There, you can take a

quiz on everything shown in this video that can help you with reviewing the

material. You can also subscribe to my channel — I have a lot of other

resources on all sorts of topics; just remember to ring the bell. Finally, you

can also visit my website at www.teacheremma.com. And there, you can

find more resources, as well as information about me. So, thank you so

much for your time and for watching. Until next time, take care.