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Paying Attention in Class

Active Listening is Key to Better Grades

Apr 30, 2008 Julie Refnov Mortensen

Don't be just another body in the classroom. Actively participating and listening in class is crucial to retain information and prepare for upcoming exams.

Although showing up for class is important, it is useless if you just show up to be another body in the classroom. In order to get anything out of the class it is crucial to be an active listener, who pays attention and participates. No matter how boring or uninteresting a subject may seem, you signed up for the class and therefore have an obligation to yourself to get the most out of the it.

Show Up With a Positive Attitude

Your attitude shows as you enter the classroom. Being the one who drags your feet to the back of the class before dumping yourself in a chair does not leave a good impression with your professor and definitely will not make you pay attention to what is going on in the front of the classroom.

Stop Daydreaming

It can be hard to stay focused and concentrate during a whole class period and your mind might start to wander. It’s easy to stare out the window and wish you were out there in the sun with everybody else, playing ball on the lawn. To avoid daydreaming and drifting, sit in the front of the class where your focus is on what is going on at the board.

Be Active

Ask questions but remember to remain open to other people’s ideas and opinions and don’t shut down just because you don’t agree with what other students have to said. Being close-minded will make you stop listening to what is said in the front of the classroom and make you start listening to your own thoughts on the matter instead. Actively participating in the class will make it easier to stay focus and alert and help retain information.

Listen

Although you might fool the teacher by nodding and making eye contact from time to time while your mind is somewhere completely different, you are doing nothing to help yourself. Pretending to listen can become a really bad habit, so catch yourself when you are planning the weekend in your head instead of paying attention.

Take Notes

Although writing as fast as the teacher speaks is impossible, following outlines and taking notes of key points will make you a better listener and prepare you for upcoming exams. Go over you notes when you study for the next class period and rewrite them if necessary.

Turn off Cell Phone

Your friends will still be there when you get out of class. Hiding you cell phone in your lap and texting everybody when you think the teacher is looking the other way will make you loose focus and is a sure way to get on your teacher's bad side.

For more read: Classroom Behavoir and Identify Your Learning Style

The copyright of the article Paying Attention in Class in Campus Life is owned by Julie Refnov Mortensen. Permission to republish Paying Attention in Class in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.