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I'm not supposed to copy down lectures word-for-word?
Q: I'm not supposed to copy down lectures word-for-word?
A: Students should be very wary of trying to take verbatim notes of lectures, unless they are practiced at shorthand. In the midst of a lecture, students are as likely to write down their thoughts as the teacher's words, and distinguishing between the two is difficult. (Yes, I think you should cite a lecture if that is the source of your information. If your teacher in one class makes an exception, you may consider that a "class rule" that is applicable only in that course. Ask the teacher if you are not sure.)
In addition, student notes are notoriously inaccurate, and attempts to transcribe every word (or portions of the lecture) often lead to unintentionally funny misunderstandings. (See Richard Lederer's Anguished English for some examples of mis-history.) I advise a three-column method of taking notes: the left hand column for a list of topics (spaced out to correspond with the next columns), a right-hand column for terms and and evidence presented, and the middle column for explanations of key concepts in your own words. Yes, you should be thinking during a lecture!
| Topics | Concepts in your own words | Examples and evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality (?) Decreased in 20th c. | People live longer now for a few reasons (ideas or fact?): better nutrition internal plumbing and washing hands some due to technology. Prof says mortality decline was not related to antibiotics and medicine. I'm not so sure I agree. | Graph of infant mortality (picture here) Graph of life expectancy (what is "life expectancy") |
| Fertility (I know this one) 20th c. |
Generally down except for Baby Boom. All ages go up and down together (so teen birth rates are going down). Lots of ideas in class for why the Baby Boom: postwar optimism, the economy, men coming home from war (prof. disagreed—didn't follow his explanation), the pill (prof. pointed out it came in 1960—maybe better explanation of end of Baby Boom) something about happened in all English-speaking countries outside Europe |
graph of total fertility rate (picture here)
(something about kids if women never die) fertility much higher in 19th c. |
| ... | ... | ... |
I also have a few words for teachers who encourage students to regurgitate.