Introduction

If you are a new university or college student, it can sometimes be difficult to get the most out of attending class without being overwhelmed. In what follows, I am going to assume you are in a physical classroom with other students. If you are taking a philosophy course online, you can just skip over this part.

The Traditional Classroom

A traditional classroom environment will find you sitting down and your instructor standing at the front of the class lecturing.

At one extreme, your approach to what you hear might be trying to write down every single word that your instructor utters. This is a bad strategy since it does not allow you any time to digest any of the material and copious note-taking does not distinguish between what is important and what is not. At the other extreme, you might just sit back and try to absorb what you hear. Of course, this is also problematic, for the moment you leave the room, you are almost guaranteed to forget everything since you have to move on to whatever else you have planned for the day.

Complicating the matter of trying to get the most out of a lecture is the issue of classroom dynamics.

You might be in a class where no one talks, or there might be one person who monopolizes the time by constantly asking questions or making comments. In both situations, you may be apt to tune out and try to just make it through a very long hour. It may be a huge class or just a handful of students.

The room might be hot or cold, or there might be someone sniffling and sneezing beside you. You might be in a bad mood, tired, hungover, sick, or just plain bored. Your instructor might be dynamic or dull. She might just read from the textbook or write on the blackboard and mumble with her back to the room. Still, you might luck out by having a vibrant instructor who motivates you and presents you with handouts and other supporting materials. Since each course you take will be different from another and each class in each course can be different from another, you want to be consistent in your own approach by creating a personal rhythm that works best for your needs, week in and week out.

Suggestions

Here, then, are some simple suggestions:

• Take Notes
  • Come with paper and a pen (of course!), and do not forget to bring the textbook. Use a highlighter to identify key passages in the book that the instructor refers to, or jot down any significant ones in your own notes. If you are not planning on keeping the textbook or want to keep it clean, consider using a pencil to put light marks in it or Post-it^® notes to “index” the relevant passages.

   

• Read Assigned Readings
  • If there is an assigned reading, do it before class, not during it! If you do not have an opportunity to read everything before class, try to at least glance at the material so that you are not completely lost on the topic of the day.

   

• Read Materials Before and After Class
  • Read the materials after class, as well. You may find that the lecture helped you get a clearer picture of what was being said in the book. This is especially the case with older works that are not written in modern English. Furthermore, in some classes, it may actually be more useful to read the text after the lecture so that if you did not understand the lecture, it might make more sense to you from the book and vice versa.

   

• Ask Questions While Reading
  • Ask yourself questions while you are reading. Do you agree with the author? Do you understand what he or she is saying? Do you even understand all the terminology?

   

• Make Use of Classroom Time
  • Ask questions. It is quite appropriate to raise your hand and say “I wasn’t sure what the author meant by such and such on page 16, but it seems to me that he is saying . . .” (and state the issue in your own words)“. . . am I on the right track?” This shows:
    • You have been reading.
    • You have been thinking about what you have been reading.
    • You are keen enough to  want to know more.
  • Do this sort of thinking and questioning before you start trying to impress everyone with your own views on the world. You need to deliberate upon or challenge the source material before you can try and show why your own argument is better. I guarantee you will impress the instructor too.

   

• Do Rush Out of the Classroom
  • This next point may sound simplistic, but do not be in a hurry to leave. Often, at the very end of class when people are picking up their books and putting on their coats, the instructor may shout out some important information, such as the fact there is a quiz next week worth 95% of your mark.

   

• Rewrite Your Notes to Study
  • When studying for an exam, rewrite your notes and try to put them into your own words. If you take copious remarks, you may want to consider summarizing them again. Highlight or put asterisks (*) at key points. Do not forget to put down objections and key terms or to further defend the points that you have written down. Try to accomplish these tasks on the day of the lecture so that it remains fresh in your mind.

   

• Compare Notes
  • Do not be afraid to compare your notes with someone else from the classroom.

   

• Talk to Your Instructor
  • And do not be afraid to chat about any confusions, questions, or ideas you might have with your instructors during their office hours. That is what they are there for!

   

• How to Take Class Notes
  • When taking class notes, be sure to capture the following details:
    • Record the date and main theme of the lecture.
    • For main points, feel free to use arrows or flow diagrams to link up the points to each other (or to previous lectures).
    • Make note of any pages or passages the instructor refers to.
    • See how these notes fit in with the last lecture and how they might suggest where the lecture will be going next class.
    • Jot down any due dates, etc.

Attribution

Unless otherwise noted, “How to Do Philosophy” in The Originals: Classic Readings in Western Philosophy by Jeff McLaughlin (2017) is adapted and used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.