ARTICLE SUMMARY

This article discusses The Exposure Process, Jay West’s 4-step program that will help you maximize your learning and master your course material in the least amount of time. These are the note taking strategies that A-students utilize to get all the good grades in the class!

There are 4 stages that I have identified, which I believe fully encompass the entire processing of learning and mastering course material. Each stage is important and you must not skip any of them. Successful students implement all of these note taking strategies:

Exposure 1: Pre-lecture Preparation
Exposure 2: Lecture
Exposure 3: Processing
Exposure 4: Mastery

Exposure 1: Pre-lecture Preparation

In the section on How To Study Well, I touched on the importance of making sure you do all the required pre-lecture work. Why is this important? Imagine what happens when you’re reading something for the first time. Suppose you’re in a first-year biology course and your next lecture requires you to do pre-readings about animal cells versus plant cells and how they both differ. Since you’d be looking at this material for the fist time (lets just assume), you will not have any background knowledge. That means, as you try to understand and process what you are reading, you are going to have plenty of questions. This is very important because questioning in and of itself sets the stage for learning. When your mind is posing questions, what’s really going on is that information is being processed so that your mind can understand it. As such, as you do your readings, jot down all your questions.

TECHNIQUE 1:

Take a blank sheet of note-paper, write the lecture title on one side and the current date on the other. Beneath this first line, write down all your questions in bullet form as you work your way through the reading. Then, Draw a straight line after the last question, once you’re done the required reading, and slip the sheet into your binder so that you can go back to it when you attend lecture.

Exposure 2: Lecture

I would say lecture is perhaps the most important exposure (and, one that should never missed). With all your questions fresh in your mind (from your pre-readings), you will be in a state of mind that is ideal for learning. As your professors goes through all the material, your questions will start to get answered, one-by-one, and the material will start to make sense in a unique way compared to before, when you were doing all your pre-readings.

Compare this to the state of mind of students who don’t do their first exposure… Do you ever notice anybody falling asleep in lecture? You are not likely to snooze if you have all those questions bubbling around in your head because those very questions will actively engage you, whereas the snoozers will be passively taking in their first exposure, which runs them the risk of trailing off – you might be able to relate!

TECHNIQUE 2:

Put the current date under the line and then start taking your lecture notes, as the professor starts going through the material. You’ll have your questions handy and the lecture format should most likely be in the same order that the questions are. Quite often, most of those questions will get answered, but if there are any that remain, PUT UP YOUR HAND AND ASK! You’ll be busy taking down all the key information that your professor will be focusing upon, but make it a point to tick off each question that has been answered as the lecture proceeds. This way, if it’s really fast paced, you’ll at least know what to get help with later on when you’re able to visit your professor privately.

Exposure 3: Processing

Processing has to do with solidifying your learning. After lecture, you will have gained a solid understanding of the material because you will have been actively engaged and all your questions will have been answered. Having advanced this far, all that you will be required to do next is to process the information in a way that you understand it so that you could literally re-teach it to your professor the way he/she taught it to you.

The best time to do this is immediately after lecture (or, as soon as possible after lecture that you can manage). I have laid out a great system in my book, Easy GPA Booster that you can use to manage your time so that you will have time to do all of this.

TECHNIQUE 3:

Re-write your notes in your own language. Don’t take too much time doing this. Some students like to make fancy notes, complete with colors and legends, etc. A simple re-write will suffice, such that you fully understand the material. This is the time to get any help if you need it. The goal here to produce a complete set of notes that you understand.  Attach your lecture notes to your revised notes, once you are done.

Exposure 4: Mastery

This exposure is concerned with review. After your third exposure to the material, you are going to feel pretty good. You will feel like you have a good grasp of the material, so much so, that you will not feel the need to review it. Sound familiar? Many students make the mistake of not reviewing the material, even if they fully understand. Trust me, by reviewing your revised notes periodically (even if it’s just once per week), you will be doing yourself a great service when it comes to exam time.

And, what about all those questions you produced in your first exposure? Use them as a study guide! Quiz yourself and make sure you understand the material.

TECHNIQUE 4:

There is nothing further required in this exposure. This step is mainly about review and you should be reviewing at least once per week.

Final Thoughts

In this article, I talked about what I call the four stages of exposure and how these stages relate to learning and note taking techniques. Use this information and you will notice an improvement in your performance. If you want to put a full-fledged study system to use, download a copy of Easy GPA Booster and start making a change today!