Using your notes
How well does your note-taking work for you?
Overview
In this task, you’ll describe a single slide from a lecture, focusing on the concept of “blocking” in learning experiments, using only the notes you took at the time. You’ll have 100 words to summarize it. The key goal here is to test how well your notes serve as a resource for revision, helping you reflect on the quality of your note-taking and its effectiveness for later study.
This exercise is important for several reasons. Research shows that actively engaging with material, such as by summarizing or explaining it, leads to deeper conceptual understanding and better factual recall. This contrasts with passive review strategies, like simply rereading notes, which tend to be less effective. By forcing yourself to retrieve and articulate concepts, you’re strengthening neural connections related to that information, which aids long-term retention and understanding.
Additionally, practicing this skill mirrors real-world tasks where you often need to explain complex ideas clearly and concisely. Studies on “retrieval practice” (Roediger and Butler 2011) suggest that actively recalling information improves both factual recall and the ability to apply knowledge in new contexts. Similarly, “elaborative rehearsal”—a method of actively reviewing material by explaining it in your own words—has been shown to foster deeper processing and stronger memory encoding (Craik and Lockhart 1972).
So, this task helps not just with memorizing facts, but also with connecting ideas conceptually, reinforcing the learning needed for more complex, higher-order thinking. It’s a good habit to get into for key concepts from all your lectures.
Instructions
Instructions
Consider the slide on “blocking” from Peter Jones’ lecture shown below (ppt version)
Blocking slide Use only your notes.
Without referring back to the full lecture slides or Panopto, use only the notes you took at the time. This will help you evaluate how useful your notes are for revision purposes.Summarize the slide in 100 words.
In your own words, describe the concept of “blocking” as it was explained in the lecture. Keep your summary concise, sticking to the 100-word limit.Reflect on your notes.
Once you’ve written your summary, think about whether your notes were helpful. Did they contain the key points? Would they be useful if you were revising for an exam?
Recording your work
Record your explanation AND reflection with Psybot for instant feedback