S for success S for student

Successful students

Part 5-6

5. Don’t sit in the back of the room. Successful students minimize classroom distractions that interfere with learning. Students want the best seat available for their entertainment dollars, but willingly seek the worst seats for their educational dollars Students who sit in the back cannot possibly be their professor’s teammate (see no. 4). Why do they expose themselves to the temptation of inactive classroom experience and distractions of all the people between them and their instructor? Of course, we know they chose the back of the classroom because they seek invisibility or anonymity, both of which are antithetical to efficient and effective learning. If you are trying not to be part of the class, then, are you wasting your time? Push your hot buttons; is there something else you should be doing with your time?

6. . . . take good notes. Successful students take notes that are understandable and organized, and review them often.

Why put something into your notes you don’t understand? Ask the questions now that are necessary to make your notes meaningful at some later time. A short review of your notes while the material is still fresh on your mind helps you to learn more. The more you learn, then the less you’ll have to learn later and the less time it will take because you won’t have to include some deciphering time, also. The more you use them, the more you’ll improve.