1. Br. Mahyuddin Daud (Sem 3 2012/2013) Making the most out of lectures
Academic Legal Skills
Making the most out of lectures

2. Lectures
Lectures involve the unidirectional communication of information from lecturer to students
Involve circulation of a handout with the key points noted upon it or display of such points using PowerPoint
May involve minimal risk that participation from the students will be required
Research suggests that normal person can give full concentration for the first 20 minutes of a lecture

3. 3-stage learning process
Good student practices this habit:
At the lecture
After the lecture
Before the next lecture

4. At the lecture
Listen, think and note what seems to be the main points made by the lecturer
Check the handout and supplement this with your own notes rather than rewriting what is provided
Highlight anything that the lecturer identifies as a particularly important point.

5. After the lecture
Read through your notes to ensure that they make sense and complete
Make list of key cases you need to read
Note anything that puzzles you as an issue to follow-up in your own reading (private study)

6. Before the next lecture
Find the relevant chapter in your textbook that covers the material covered in the previous lecture to supplement your notes
Read cases and articles to gain more and deeper understanding
Glance over the subject matter of the next lecture to think about how it links to the material you read before.

7. Purposes of lecture
Outline basic aspects of a topic to provide students with a foundation of knowledge
To cover an aspect of the topic in an engaging manner to encourage students to carry out thorough reading on the topic

8. To explain complex concepts that the students encountered in their private readings

9. Since lecture alone is not enough, so what should students do?
Students must supplement the information communicated in the lecture with their own reading.
No lecturer will give you complete information
Don’t ever think that your lecture notes as all you need to know about a topic.

10. Note-taking
Reading and taking notes is a significant part of studying the law
To prepare for lectures, seminars, tutorials
A great deal of time will be spent in making notes

11. Why are you taking notes
You should consider the purpose of note taking
What is it that you are trying to achieve
Most of the time, students tend to write everything and ended up writing the whole chapter
No focus – notes should be concise and precise and fit the purpose it is written

12. Recording information
Linear notes
Traditional approach to note-taking
Uses blocks of text, separated by headings or bullet points
Key points emphasized by highlighting or underlining
Weakness : students tend to capture every word in lectures and copy out large chunks from written sources

13. Flow diagram
Seeks to include an indication of the relationship that different points have to each other.
Easier to do when all the information are available in front of you
Suitable to be done if refer to textbook

14. Mind maps Also called concept maps and spider diagrams
Ways of recording not just the key words, ideas, and concepts but also the links between them
Many students report that it is easier to recall information on mind maps
May use different colours / shapes to highlight different points
Up to your creativity

15. Students should reconsider recording due to several factors
Some points discussed in lectures are not particularly useful
Lecturer repeats the same points to make students understand.
Notes may be too lengthy with repetition
Anyway, its your own choice and preference