Being a student is not just something you do when you are completely unfamiliar with a subject. Many times we will find ourselves in a job that will require us to be RETRAINED or RECERTIFIED in something new or in something we already have used. Regardless of whether you know the material being taught, there is a method to learning that a lot of students completely ignore, to their own detriment. In this article, I am going to talk about aspects of learning that are relevant for people who are new to a subject, and especially those who are already familiar.
SHOW UP ON TIME
The first step to being a good student is just showing up. Not just showing up on time, but early. Being early is not always possible (Traffic Jams), but it should be the goal and the standard you set for yourself. Being on time puts you at risk of being late. Being late makes you a distraction and steals valuable time from the class and yourself. This is a time to learn something knew or refine what you do know. You cannot do either if you are late. Being early allows you to ease into the class and settle your brain down and prep it for the new learning or refining experience. Take the time to close your eyes and meditate on the subject at hand and prime your brainy purging interfering emotions, distracting thoughts, etc. Being early also says something to your teacher and peers that you are responsible, which is a commodity these days, sadly.
HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF
It doesn't help to come to a new class as a new student with no way to take notes or follow along. Even if you are in a classroom that has handouts and in-class books, I highly encourage having paper and a pen/pencil with you. Also, I would encourage any student to learn how to take notes. Learn how to summarize, do "Cornell notes", and how to record important information such as general context, examples/samples/statistics, points of confusion to get clarification on (use a separate sheet of paper), and related/relevant references or sources.
For those students who know the material being covered, I would still show up as if you are a new student and take good notes. This instruction, though known, should be considered an opportunity to refine your knowledge and skills rather than just a boring review. If you think you could teach this material, show it in your notes. Writing things down is very important for remembering and recalling information due to the amount of times we have to reimagine the subject or concept as we write it out. We have to picture it, describe it, and then strategically paraphrase the information in a way that will be easy to recall. As we write, we may go through this process a dozen or more times. This is like having someone repeat the material over and over again. This is a huge learning aid, even if all you are doing is relearning or going over what you already know.
KEEP YOUR FEELINGS TO YOURSELF
Every time I go to a class or group training event, I always hear or see an emotional outburst from the students/trainees before and during the course of training. This may be an expression of boredom, fear of failure, excitement for a favorite subject, humorous perspective, shock/surprise, disagreement with material presented, etc. Publicly displayed emotions have the potential of spreading through a class like a plague and interfering with the learning of other students. Not only can a scoff actually distract from some paying attention, it can cause those who are new to the material to become confused, putting them in a precarious neurological situation. Whether you are completely new to the material or know it by heart, be respectful of the other students and keep your emotions about the material reserved.
ASKING QUESTIONS
Some of the worst parts of class have been during the time when instructors/teachers ask if there are any questions. This seems to be the time when the frustrated ones display themselves publicly, and not in a good way. If you are new to a subject, feel free to ask a question or two, but keep the question short, direct, respectful, and emotionless. For example: "I have a couple of questions. Would you please explain how 3x5 equals 15? Also, would please explain how dividing 15 by 3 gives you 5?" In that question, you did not identify yourself as having a paralyzing confusion, but you asked for a deeper explanation politely and without adding in your emotional state of mind about the equation. In the event that you are absolutely confused about the whole topic or hate speaking in public, keep note of all the points being discussed that confused you, if you can. When asked if there are any questions, simply ask: "May I meet with you at the end of the class?" Again, there is no display of emotion, and you can save yourself from feeling embarrassed if public speaking is your weakness.
For those out there that may see themselves as subject matter experts in the material being taught, do not under any circumstance treat question time like an opening to have a public debate. You will just make yourself look like a jerk and possibly toss the new students into confusion about the material. If you feel that the teacher of the class is wrong about something, simply make note of the instance(s) where you feel they may be wrong and request an audience at the end of class. If it is something as simple as a different method for solving a problem, as long as the result is the same, let it go until you get an audience with the teacher. You have no idea how easy it can be to damage someone's learning ability by publicly announcing ten thousand options for something. If you truly are an expert, you should merely have an offline discussion with the teacher in private and away from the other students.
BEING THE CLASS LEADER
If you know the material being covered, do not try to butt-in on other students' questions, despite how helpful you may feel your input could be. New or confused students are very volatile neurologically for the first 24hrs after being taught something new. Your input could harm or scar that student, simply by adding another variable, option, technique, etc. If you truly care about the new people in the class learning the material, allow the teacher to do the teaching. As a student, the best you can do for your fellow students is to never contribute to public griping about the subject or the teacher. Say positive things such as: "This material is very important and you can get a lot out of this if you stay engaged." If the others know you are experienced, you will be an example for them by reinforcing the importance of attention, focus, and subject engagement. In effect, you will become a class leader. I have seen how much of a difference a class leader can have on the learning ability of new students. As a class leader, put on a game face and project humility, attentiveness, focus, and engagement as an example for others to follow.
In many cases, the class will follow the example of the class leader OVER the suggestions of the teacher. This is just how humans work in a classroom dynamic. If a new student asks you how to do something and it has already been introduced in class, simply repeat what was taught. Do not try to teach a new way of doing things. The best thing to do is actually to suggest the student speak to the teacher/instructor about articulating how they want something done. This will prevent you from corrupting the information presented to the new students. I know there is temptation in boosting your social image, but you are also risking being a harmful distraction. Just by offering a second way of solving an equation in a math class can cause the student(s) to pay less attention to the teacher in the future. You will have boosted your own social rating while also possibly decreasing the attentiveness, focus, and engagement of those you were supposedly helping. I have watched this happen in college and on the range too many times. One of my favorite ways to take care of this situation is to publicly ask the teacher to explain whatever I was asked about. It may seem to the class and the confused student that I myself need help, but it also allows the struggling student a second shot at comprehending the subject. Being shy about revealing confusion is a real thing so don't be afraid to be a sacrificial lamb and ask the question for others....without pointing them out as the confused ones. If the teacher asks if you comprehended what was explained, either ask for more articulation or just say "Yes, thank you."
THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
This part is directed at those who may already know some or ALL of what the teacher is teaching. Everything is dictated by your mental outlook. If you think the class is going to be boring, you will possibly miss a detail. If you think the course is engaging and an opportunity to learn something new, you may find a new way of comprehending or teaching something. My advice is to think positively and view retraining as an opportunity to validate what you THINK you know. I have been a student in many classes where I though I was the top dog, only to be humbled by something simple that I thought I was good at. For instance, I thought I was an ace at math until I got into Algebra and had to assemble and solve Percentage, ratio, and rate equations out of word problems. I still got a 4.0 in the class, but it was a challenge that I would have failed to meet if I blew off Algebra as too basic after I just got done studying and applying Calculus and Trigonometry in Engineering and Mechanics. You would be surprised how much you can learn sometimes by going back to the basics and intently paying attention and applying yourself. There is no shame in it, but rather it a mark of maturity to truly seek a thorough understanding of a subject, even if it is basic and simple. Even if you do not get anything out of the material, at least try to figure learn how YOU would teach it or how you could communicate the information more clearly and efficiently. You are still gonna have to take notes and immerse yourself in the class to do this, but it will be a mental exercise that may show you how much or how little you actually know.
REFINEMENT AND TACT
As I have already eluded to in previous parts of the article, it is important to go into a class you may already know as an opportunity rather than a burden. It should be seen as an opportunity to refine even those most basic skills and reinforce those concepts you knew already. Also, remember that you are the student and that you are responsible for learning and the teacher is responsible for teaching. Just because the subject is basic does not mean the teachers' knowledge of the subject is basic. Often, the course material is dictated by another entity or it is a standard format for teaching a subject per policy, regulation, code, etc. Just because you are attending an hour long class you feel could be shortened to ten minutes does not give you the right to cause interruptions or negatively affect the learning of your fellow students. Give the teacher the benefit of the doubt and wait to have an opinion until the conclusion of the class. If you do approach the teacher/instructor after class, do so in a tactful manner and in a private manner. The last thing you want to do is make a scene in front of students, and even fail to communicate your point by merely attacking the teachers teaching method publicly.
SUM IT ALL UP
I have had experience on both ends of the spectrum. I have been attacked and debated while teaching, and I have been the student who attacked and started a debate. As a teacher, I could see the decline in attention after being attacked, despite perceptively winning the debate. As the attacking student, I saw an ego boost from winning a debate but also saw the rest of the class become less attentive and more reliant on me to just give them answers instead of learning how to get the answer for themselves. In both instances I meant well, and in both the spectrums, I watched the classroom performance degrade. As a teacher, I learned that half of my ability to teach effectively relied on having good students. As a student, I realized the value of maintaining bearing, discipline, and professional tact. I found out how much it can help the teaching ability of the teacher, even if their method of teaching differs from my own. Be a good student for your sake, the sake of the teacher, and for the sake of the entire class.
RSS Feed