Listening means more than just hearing. LISTENING means hearing and trying
to understand and/or appreciate what you have heard. Hearing is a natural
ability, but listening means directing your attention to what is being said.
Generally, people talk at about 125 words per minute. However, we think at a
speed that is more than three times as fast, about 400 words per minute.
That means that our thoughts move much faster than the words of whatever
we're hearning. So, it's not surprising that we often let our attention
wander away from what someone is trying to say to us.
The key to becoming a good listener is to be an ACTIVE listener: to keep our
thoughts directed on what we are hearing.
One way to be actively involved in listening ( or reading ) is to take
notes. To take useful notes you must decide what is the main idea and the
important details.
There are several ways to take notes. What is important is that the
notetaking style you use works for your learning style and that they are
written in a way that you will understand them when you review them.
Internet Links
Use the following links to complete the Cornell Notes: Listening and
Notetaking. You will need to look at each link from both sites to complete
this activity.
Listening and Notetaking tips from Western Washington University
Tips from Rochester Institute of Technology
Other Resources
School To Work: A Student Handbook
The Listening Process: Item Numbers 389 - 391
389 - The Listening Process in Action
390 - Listening Effectively
391 - Listening Stages
Note-Taking Skills: Item Numbers 520 - 525
521 - Using A Note-Taking Guide
522 - Guidelines for Improving Note-Taking Skills
523-525 - Learning Logs