Notes for the study programme

Occasionally I am asked by students how best to learn from lectures, whether/what to take notes on, what role "slides" play etc.

Everyone learns differently, so there is no general answer to this question. If you are a first-year student, it will take a while to develop the best learning strategy for yourself. A good way to do this is to discuss it with your fellow students and in the tutorial.

In any case, you should not overestimate the "slides". They don't contain everything important, nor is everything on them important. Much is for illustrative purposes. My recommendation: listen attentively and with curiosity, note down short keywords on what you consider interesting and/or relevant and then (and this is probably the most important thing) work through it thoroughly at home. You will realise that even if you have only written down short key words, you will be able to reconstruct many thoughts afterwards and thus enrich your notes. The textbook and further reading in the library or on the Internet will help you to do this. In my experience, it is precisely this active work, this enquiring reflection, this (thoroughly critical) engagement with the content that leads to an understanding of things, the ability to place them in a wider context and ultimately also to learning.

(Malte Rehbein, 20 January 2018)