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Study Guide & Strategies
Preparing for the classroom
Before class:
- Do your homework!
Read critically, form your own opinions
- Review your notes
from the previous lecture and reading for the day
- Communicate immediately with
professors about any study problems
- Focus on the task at hand before
class:
take a moment of silence to gather your thoughts and mentally
prepare yourself to the topic
- Write any objectives that come to
mind at the head of your notepaper:
- preparing for an up-coming test,
- understanding a particular
concept,
- gaining a good foundation on a
topic
- understanding or reviewing the
readings
In Class:
- Arrive on time for
class. Professors do not take lateness lightly
- Position yourself in the
classroom to focus on the subject matter;
Consider the best location for:
- listening
- asking questions
- seeing visual materials
- discussing--not only with the
teacher but also your classmates
- Avoid distractions
that may interfere with your concentration
(daydreaming, looking around the room, talking to a friend,
passing notes, dozing)
- Evaluate as you listen:
- Decide what is important and
should be placed in your notes and what can be left out;
- Listen long enough to be sure
you understand what was said before writing.
- Ask clarifying questions
(but wait for "breaks" in the instructor's stream).
- Review your class
objective(s) throughout the class period
- Did your objective(s) mesh with
the instructor's introductory remarks?
- Has the class digressed from
stated objectives, yours or the instructor's?
- Write a "to do" list
including
- assignments;
- reviewing difficult concepts;
- joining study groups;
- making appointments with a study
pal, tutor, or the instructor.
One resource often overlooked is a classmate who seems to have a
good grasp of the material. If it seem appropriate, seek the
individual out for help.
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