GET ENGAGED IN CLASS

Hey, you don't think I'm talking about the guy getting down on one knee with a big diamond ring kind of thing, do you?

Really, in my quest to spend more time doing fun things and less time studying, I decided I must be engaged while in class. If you are already spending time to attend class, then you might as well get everything you can out of it. So what does it mean to be engaged while in class?

• Ask questions


• Participate in classroom discussions


• Clarify unclear concepts


• Take good notes by listening carefully to the lecture


• Listen and record due dates for homework, projects, exams, study sessions


• Read assigned material before the class lecture (you will understand everything so much more if you read before the lecture)

Now here is what NOT to do:

• DON'T bring your lunch and spread out all over your desk like you're at McDonalds. How many notes are you taking while dipping your greasy french fries in ketchup?


• DON'T come late to class. Get there early enough to set up your books, notebooks, pens, and pencils. No one wants to hear you rustling through your backpack while trying to hear the professor lecture.


• DON'T leave class early. A lot of good information is given either at the very beginning of class or at the end of class. Be there to hear it all.


• DON'T text or call on your cell during class.


• DON'T check your cell during class. It's a distraction plain and simple. You can't be absorbing the lecture and taking notes if you're checking your cell. Plus, you will be making the professor mad.

Now here is the most important tip of all. Read your notes directly after class, fill in any missing areas, firm up any areas you are unsure about, plus you will be setting firmly this information in your memory banks. To further increase your memory of the material, take the time to write your 3" x 5" index cards immediately after reviewing your notes. (See yesterday's blog regarding the use of index cards.) If you read your notes directly after class and immediately write up your index cards, you are well on your way to superior grades.

How do I get started studying smart?

Here's the situation: your parents are nagging you about your poor grades, you feel hopeless to improve your grades. That's where this blog is going to help. I have some very concrete ideas to assist you in studying smart. Some of these require that you start before the test, some are useful while taking a test.

Let's start with classroom attendance. First off, we all know that perfect attendance would help us in attaining better grades, but really what gets you noticed is attending class on days when most of your classmates have slacked off. Think about it. . . your teacher won't notice you are in class if the classroom is filled. But the teacher will notice you are there if the class is half empty. That teacher will be grateful for those students who made it to class even though it was raining cats and dogs, or it's the day after a campus-wide party, etc.

These are the most rewarding days to attend class. These are the times when a teacher will let down their guard and give those students who bothered to attend the upper hand in the next exam. Many teachers will give out hints, tips, extra credit points because the teachers want to reward those students.

How do you get these extra credit points, tips, hints on what to study? Ask.

When you find yourself on one of these special days where many students have skipped class, this is your opportunity to bond with the teacher, get to know the teacher as an individual. Your big impersonal class now becomes much more personal since there are fewer classmates cluttering up the room. It becomes an atmosphere of we are all in this together, let's help each other out.

Specifically, I would say, "Mrs. Brown, it wasn't easy for us students who showed up to get out of bed this morning, but maybe you could make it worth our while by giving us some tips on what you think is important for us to study on our next exam?"

Or, "Mrs. Brown, the weather today didn't make it easy for us to get to class so could you give us some extra hints on what we need to know for our next exam?"

Or, "Mrs. Brown, how about giving everyone who showed up an extra credit point for the extra effort we made in getting to class today?"

The worst thing your teacher can say is "No." If you ask in a respectful manner, no harm will come to you and your classmates who are present will love you.