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If I turn and write a single word on the board, all heads go down and everyone dutifully copies that word. How useful is this as a notetaking system? Not very - I'm sure my students go home and wonder what in the world that word meant.

When I show overhead presentations, I see a similar phenomenon. My students carefully copy the words on each slide, but few of them jot down the ideas as I explain what the concepts mean. If I show a figure, a picture, or an animation and talk about, the pencils are all still.

Instead of copying presentation slides word-for-word, learn to summarize the concepts. As your professor talks, you should jot down the ideas in your own words. Develop a few shorthand abbreviations so you can write faster. Use a good note-taking system, such as the Cornell system (example: http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/ Cornl-ex.htm), where you use one side of your paper to write detailed notes, and the other side to summarize main ideas, sketch pictures, or create small concept maps.

LEARN ABOUT MISCONCEPTIONS
Misconceptions about science are common, and they can be a real barrier to learning. So many common misconceptions just seem to "make sense," even though they're contrary to what we know about the world. Some misconceptions arise from the specific way science uses a word that has many different meanings outside of science. For example, the word "dominant" in genetics refers to a form of a gene whose trait is expressed even if you only inherit one copy of that gene. With recessive genes, you have to inherit two copes to show the trait. "Dominant" in this sense does not mean "most common," nor does it mean the gene will "take over" in a population. Other misconceptions arise from things we've heard all of our lives. For example, most people know that plants give off oxygen, which leads them to believe that the purpose of photosynthesis is to produce oxygen. Be aware that all of us, everyone, even your instructor, has misconceptions about something. Don't be embarrassed about your own. Be aware that you'll learn something that's contrary to what you thought was true about the world, and be open to changing your ideas.

STUDY IN GROUPS
Put social learning to work for you. Meet other people in your lecture and see if you can get together with them to study. Drill each other on vocabulary, quiz one another using your notes and the textbook, and go over study guides together. Many studies have shown that social learning increases student comprehension, especially in the sciences.

SEE YOUR INSTRUCTOR OFTEN
Your instructor is there to teach you, not just test you. If you're in college, find out when your instructor's office hours are and use them. If you're in high school, arrange a time after school when you can see your teacher. Bring specific questions, such as concepts you're not clear on. Try drawing a picture of the concept and show it to your instructor to see if you've got the main idea. If you do poorly on an exam, ask the instructor to go over the questions you missed with you so you can understand them better.

Give each of these study techniques a good, sincere try. You may find that an idea that you thought was not for you actually gives you a big boost on the next quiz or exam. Soon you'll find which techniques work best for you, and you may even find they're helping you in your other classes.

Learn more about this author, Karen Bledsoe.
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