Belize/Study Skills/Student Success/Preparing for Class

Preparing for Class

• Do you arrive on time for classs?
• Do you attend all or most of your classes?
• Do you listen attentively in class?
• Do you participate in whole class and group discussions?
• Do you take notes in class?

Class Preparation

Attend classes

Make it your duty to attend your classes as you loose out on valuable information that are likely to appear on your tests. Some lecturers give students pop quizzes which will put you at a disadvantage if you miss quizzes and class sessions as these might be a part of your evaluationas well.

Do Assignments

Ensure that all assignments are completed. Check your assignments for grammatical errors, clarity and organization.

Textbooks

Bring necessary supplies to class to ensure that you are in a position to interact with in-class activities that may come directly from your text. Some lecturers garde these activities as part of the class evaluation.

Review Notes & Course Outline

Review making sure that you are familiar with the previous days' lecture notes. Some lecturers engage in a brief review of past lessons before they embark on the objectives for the day and might also give a pop quiz ensuring that you understood concepts taught in the previous class. Reading your notes helps you retain information that are likely to appear on tests and exams. Ypu can make the library one of your study places whenever you are on campus. Instead of hanging around campus with friends socializing, use your time wisely to review your notes that will demonstrate your commitment and investment in your education. Your course outline is also a vital document that provides you with a guideline of the course. Information such as methodology, due dates for assignments, tests, content and evaluation from this outline can help you keep on task with deadlines.

Listen Attentively

Your seating position in class is very important in order for you to get a good vantage point. You willbe able to see the board, listen attentively with fewer distractions and participate in class. Sit eithr at the front or in the middle where your lecturer can see you. Students who sit a the back of the class tend to engage in conversations as they are easily distracted. There is also a possibility that students might engage in conversations and you might be condemned with them for making noise and distracting the class, which might go against you.

Questions

Prepare questions for your instructor after you have reviewed your notes. Apart from utilizing consultation hours for querries you can also ask questions in class to clarify uncerntainties. This is an indicator that you are an active student that is engaging in the critical thought process.