On some days the notes that you have taken are part of my assessment of your classwork (part of your grade.) Look at your syllabus for more details.

Taking notes while a teacher lectures is not famous for being the most effective way to learn something, but it is an activity that plays some role in the classroom. At times I will ask my class to write down some new information in their notebooks. You end up with a written record, and trying to take good notes probably forces you to listen more attentively and to focus your attention when you might otherwise drift off. While this is true for any class, there are reasons for taking notes in a second language class that are more important still, and I try to explain them below.

Dartmouth College: Taking lecture & class notes>

Cal.Poly: Notetaking methods>

Mindmaps: Look at the example drawing>

Berkley: Effective note-taking>

English companion: All diferent styles of note-taking with examples>

How to study.com>

York University: Formats>

Effective notetaking to improve GPA>

1. What you hear in class is your primary source and model of Spanish for the topics that you are learning. At the most basic level, you are hearing examples of how to say words and connecting them with things. "This is a b-o-l-i-g-r-a-f-o." Still, except for the example of how to say each word, you could get new vocabulary from your handout list, right? Sure, but there is much more. In class you are hearing words, phrases & ideas in context. You hear what the teacher says in Spanish when he or she greets someone. You hear the teacher express delight, sympathy, frustration (maybe), relief and gratitude. You hear how the teacher responds when you ask a question. You hear the teacher explain in Spanish the difference between "camisa" y "camiseta." Your phrases maybe repeated by the teacher with slight corrections. Any of this is worth jotting down in the personal space that is your Spanish notes.

2. There are always new words presented in class. If you have to learn how to describe your room, and your room has a fish tank, you are probably going to have to add fishtank to your notes. Other students might not need the word for a test, but you will. The fishtank in your room is the first thing you think of, and if you don't learn the word, you are going to have a mental block every time you are asked to talk about your room. Because it refers to a real situation, the word means something to you, and you will remember the word "fishtank" --if you write it down in your notes. The vocab list you get from your teacher is only a starting point. Often the words that are most important to you personally show up in your notes, or you never learn them.