Listen Critically and with an Open Mind

1. Be ready for the message. Prepare yourself to hear, listen, and receive the message. If you have done the assigned reading, you will already know details from the text, so you can focus your notes on key concepts during the lecture. You will also notice information that the text does not cover and will be prepared to pay closer attention when the instructor presents unfamiliar material.
2. Listen to the main concepts and central ideas, not just to fragmented facts and figures. Although facts are important, they will be easier to remember and will make more sense when you can place them in a context of concepts, themes, and ideas.
3. Listen for new ideas. Even if you are an expert on a topic, you can still learn something new. Do not assume that college instructors will present the same information you learned in a similar course in high school. Even if you’re listening to the lecture again (perhaps because you recorded your lectures), you will pick out and learn new information. As a critical thinker, make a note of questions that arise in your mind as you listen, but save the judgments for later.
4. Repeat mentally. Words can go in one ear and out the other unless you make an effort to retain them. Think about what you hear and restate it silently in your own words. If you cannot translate the information into your own words, ask the instructor for further clarification.
5. Decide whether what you have heard is not important, somewhat important, or very important. Although most of what your instructors say and do in class is important, they may occasionally make comments or tell stories that are only loosely related to the class material or may not be related at all. If an instructor’s comment is really unrelated to the focus of the class, you don’t need to write it down. If it’s very important, make it a major point in your notes by highlighting or underscoring it, or use it as a major topic in your outline if that’s the method you use for taking notes. If it’s somewhat important, try to relate it to a very important topic by writing it down as a subset of that topic.
6. Keep an open mind. Every class holds the promise of letting you discover new ideas and uncover different perspectives. Some instructors might intentionally present information that challenges your value system. College is supposed to teach you to think in new and different ways and train you to provide support for your own beliefs. Instructors want you to think for yourself; they don’t necessarily expect you to agree with everything they or your classmates say. If you want people to respect your values and ideas, however, you must show respect for theirs as well by listening to what they have to say with an open mind.
   
7. Ask questions. Early in the term, determine whether the instructor is open to responding to questions during the lecture. Some teachers prefer to save questions for the end of class or want students to ask questions during separate discussion sections or office hours. To some extent, it might depend on the nature and size of the class, such as a large lecture versus a small seminar. If your teacher answers questions as they arise, speak up if you did not hear or understand what was said. Get clarification immediately, if possible, and remember that other students are likely to have the same questions. If you can’t hear another student’s question or response, ask that it be repeated.
8. Sort, organize, and categorize. When you listen, try to match what you are hearing with what you already know. Take an active role in deciding how best to recall what you are learning.