Have you ever dozed off in one of your classes, or found yourself daydreaming? You close your eyes and put your head on your desk for just a moment, and suddenly you wake up and you have no idea what’s going on. Or maybe you stare outside the window instead of paying attention to what your teacher is writing on the board. Your grades are dropping, and when you take notes in class, afterwards when you read them over, some things still remain unclear because you were never paying attention to what you were writing down. So what can you do to make sure you stay fully engaged in class and actually take in what you are learning? Here are some steps that you can take to make sure that you are taking the most out of each class:
Take care of your body. Sometimes the problem may not even be with the class or the subject itself, but rather the current state of your mind and body. Paying attention in class will come much easier if you’re not tired or falling asleep, so make sure that you get at least 8 hours of sleep before class. Make sure to eat a nutritious breakfast beforehand to ensure you are not hungry during class. If you find that you are constantly hungry and it is distracting you, make sure to pack some snacks such as a granola bar or an apple. Staying hydrated is also an important part of being able to focus in class. Being even slightly dehydrated can affect your overall mood, memory and concentration, as well as slowing down your circulation which causes your heart to pump faster to get oxygen to the brain, making you feel tired and sluggish.
Remove all distractions. Try to pinpoint the things that usually end up distracting you in class. Are you sitting next to your friend who talks during lessons, or next to the window where you tend to zone out? If so, try to find a spot near the front of the class where you won’t be distracted and you can see and hear the teacher clearly. You should also put away your phone or any other devices that may distract you during class. Make sure to turn off the notifications as well. Another potential distraction could be the temperature of the room itself. A room that is too hot or cold can make it very difficult to focus. Try to speak to your teacher if this issue is present and see if you can turn up the temperature or open the windows with permission.
Write down some questions along the way. The best way to make sure you are engaged in a lesson is by actively writing down some questions about the content that you are learning. This will make class much more interesting than listening and not doing anything with the information being presented to you. Thinking of questions allows you to ponder and analyze the given information so that you can understand it better, especially in a more difficult class. Write down a list of questions along the way and wait until your teacher asks the class if anyone has any questions. If you do not want to ask your question in front of everyone, ask your teacher after class. Questions are also a great way to spark discussions in class, which can allow other students to participate as well and it can be a fun way to learn something new from both your teachers and classmates.
Take notes! Writing down notes can help you stay present in class and remember the content later on. However, the way you take notes is also important, because you don’t want to write down stuff you don’t even understand. Try to write down some key words and what they mean, and rephrase some concepts into your own words so that you understand the core idea of that concept and you’re not just memorizing what your teacher writes word for word. For example, a key word could be chlorophyll, and your definition could be: the chemical that is in charge of photosynthesis in a plant and it is why plants are green. A concept would be photosynthesis, where you explain in your own words what it is and what it does.
Identify a source of motivation. In order to be able to take full interest in a class, you need to know why that class matters to you. The classes that we think matters the least to us or that we find unenjoyable are usually the ones we find hardest to concentrate in. You might be taking a class that is completely unrelated to the career you want to pursue which might seem useless, or a class which you find extremely boring. Instead of dozing off in these classes, try to think of the useful skills you are learning, outside of the content being taught, as a source of motivation. For example, in history class you might think learning about battles is a waste of time, however, that class provides a lot of opportunities for you to learn how to work with other people in group projects and improve your communication skills. You could also think of different situations in your day to day life where the information being learnt could be applicable.
All in all, concentrating during class is not an easy task, but with these tips hopefully you will be able to improve your experiences within class learning and be able to look forward to new lessons each day.
Edited by Jamie Zhang
Anisa Ali is a grade 10 student from Iroquois Ridge High school. She has three pet birds and enjoys reading, writing, and playing soccer.
Comentarios