My Thoughts after Participating in an Introductory Course to “Note-taking”.

Member of the Sign Language Club
Yuki Mori, freshman of School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences

The members of the Sign Language Club first explain to us in detail what “note-taking” is. (Pictured is Keiko Harayama, a third-year student of the Education department)

Participants listen closely. (Writer is in the first row, second from right)

Professor Mamoru Enjouji of the Faculty of Education and General Sciences gives a practice lecture. It’s not rare for classes to use Power Point, but it is difficult to take notes in a darkened classroom.

The introductory course had a translator who translated simultaneously in sign language.

Do you know what “note-taking” is? I don’t suppose many people do. If I hadn’t joined the sign language club, I definitely would never have known myself.

Basically, “note-taking” is sitting next to a student who is hearing impaired, and transcribing what the professor is saying in a lecture. Even if a student with hearing difficulties has managed to keep up with classes by themselves in high school, it is difficult to do this at university, where the blackboard is not used as much, and the focus is more on lectures than on textbooks. This is when “note-taking” becomes necessary.

“Note-taking” involves two transcribers sitting on both sides of the hearing impaired student, and taking turns transcribing. When doing this, unlike when we copy what is written on the blackboard for our notes, we write everything that is said during the lecture. Of course, this includes small talk and observations of what is happening around us in the classroom. Basically, we become the ears of the hearing impaired.

In the introductory course, after having the basics of transcribing explained to me, we took a practice class and tried it for ourselves. The process was much more difficult than I had imagined. I could not keep up with the teacher’s rate of speech at all, and my panic kept on getting the better of me. However, seeing that someone was trying hard to understand the class using the notes I had written made me see that even if it was just a small contribution, I was being of some use. This realization made me feel happy. This was the first time I tried “note-taking”. I can’t do it as well as the older students who are more experienced, but I’d like to keep at it and be of as much use as I can.

Transcribing is volunteer work that you can do simply with a piece of paper and a pen. Anyone who has the motivation can do it. This is why I would like anyone with even the slightest interest to participate. I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience.

The actual completed notes. Little tricks of the note-taker, such as abbreviations, can be seen.