Are you wondering how to study for a law school online class?
Curious how you can earn high marks and stay motivated?
Unfortunately, many law students that do well in a traditional classroom don’t do well
in an online class.
Having begun my teaching career as an online professor in 2000, today I will share with
you some of the problems with online learning and 14 ways you can overcome them.
Hello my lawlings, this is Professor Beau Baez.
If you find yourself taking an online class, keep in mind that your experience will be
different in each class, depending on the professor’s online experience, course design,
and the technology used in the course.
For example, your professor may be new to online teaching, which means they will generally
default to what goes on in a traditional face-to-face classroom.
Also, the course might not be designed to maximize the online environment.
And finally, the technology that your professor uses can influence how you learn.
Not everyone uses state of the art video, decent audio, or multimedia.
Because none of this is in your control, let me shift focus and discuss what you can control.
Ultimately, your enemies are distraction and procrastination.
This is a biological problem called temporal discounting, where we prefer immediate rewards
over distant rewards.
So instead of studying we spend hours on social media, cleaning the house, running to the
store, eating nachos, or just about anything else other than studying.
So to overcome temporal discounting, you need to develop strategies to keep you disciplined
so that you can succeed.
1. Work Triggers.
A huge challenge is getting your brain to understand that class time at home is the
same as class time at school.
You need to ask yourself, what are your work triggers?
This could be something as simple as finding out what kind of clothing works best for you
when studying?
The answer isn’t always pajamas, though it might be.
For me, when I work from home I need to get up, I need to take a shower,
I have to shave, and get dressed. Not in a coat.
There is something about the formality of getting ready for the day that gives me the
energy I need to become productive.
If I stay in bed clothes, then I don’t work at my highest level.
If you don’t know what works for you, try both approaches and see
which one works better for you.
2. Space.
Create a place where you can study without distractions.
This means taking your smartphone out of your room, clearing your desk, and taking other
steps to avoid any visual distractions that can derail your study and class time.
If you work best somewhere other than at home, then make sure the location is as distraction
free as possible.
If you want more tips on study spaces, you can watch my video on that topic.
3. Specific time to study.
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.
The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
John C. Maxwell.
Differentiate between class time and study time—they are different.
Just because you spent three hours for one class doesn’t mean you spent any time studying
for that class.
This means blocking times on your calendar for specific tasks.
And when life throws you a curve ball, which it will from time to time,
what you need to do is move that studying to a different day or time.
Just don’t eliminate it from your schedule.
Always remember that you are the referee between immediate gratification and delayed gratification.
4. Planning.
Successful students use calendars to plan and manage their time.
Decide when you are going to study, how long you are going to study, and what you are going
to study.
Then, at the beginning of each week, review what's on your calendar and work hard to
complete everything on time.
For each day, you might also want to create a to-do list to keep you motivated for that day.
More on this on my video on study schedules.
5. Guard your study time.
At home, your friends and family need to know you are not available
for other things during study time.
Let them know by setting boundaries with your time, which might include closing a door or
maybe a sign near your desk that says “studying.”
6. How to study.
Do not study any one topic for more than one hour, otherwise our brains get bored and
they work less efficiently.
Cognitive science indicates that we learn best with variety, so after about an hour of studying
one topic, switch to a different topic.
7. Breaks.
Your brain needs short rests so that it can keep working at its most efficient level.
The popular Pomodoro technique can be used to help you stay on track.
You set a timer for 25 minutes and you work till it rings.
Then you set the timer for a 5 minute break.
And then you set it for another 25 minutes,
you set it for another 5 minute break.
Well you do this through a set of 3 "pomodoros" or sets: 25, 5, 25, 5, 25 and
at the third break you take a longer break: 15 minutes.
The breaks will help you operate at your optimal level.
8. Enjoy Your Study Time.
You can learn at a deeper level if you enjoy what you're doing.
The material might be boring--maybe it's bankruptcy. I don't know.
But you can change some of the circumstances in your learning environment.
Take, for example, music.
I enjoy listening to Bach.
So I have some Bach playing in the background.
Your music will be different. You just need to make sure it's not distracting.
I also enjoy coffee, so before I begin studying I make a pot of coffee.
If you enjoy food, maybe a bagel, or a scone if you're at a coffee shop.
9. Communicate.
When you have a question, reach out to your professor.
This is more critical in an online setting, because you won’t have the luxury of asking
a question in class or having another student ask the question in class for you.
This means you have to be proactive and ask the professor a question, not ignore it hoping
it’s not important.
Even when your professor has a synchronous online class session, they may not see your
question in the chat box.
When that happens, send the professor an email for clarification.
And when you get confused, see if you can set up a video call with your professor
10. Participate.
If your class has a time when you meet, be there on time, have the right technology,
and participate.
Video interaction is best, as it allows you to fully engage with the professor and other
classmates.
And whatever you do, don’t be a lurker.
This is a sure sign that you are not engaged and you might be trying to multitask.
Sorry, but our brains don’t do multitasking very well.
11. School email.
Check your school email at least once a day.
Some of you only check this every once in a while,
resulting in you missing an important email
12. Alerts.
Set alarms to remind you when to complete tasks.
This could be something like a dentist appointment or a class meeting time.
Depending on the time of day and the importance of the task, give yourself an appropriate
amount of time to prepare.
13. Exercise.
There is a strong correlation between exercise and brain cognition.
This means building exercise into your routine.
It doesn’t have to be an hour at the gym and
it might be something as simple as a walk aroun your local park.
If you're in the city, going around the block or two blocks.
14. Rewards.
After you meet a goal, give yourself a reward.
Maybe that means watching a movie, going to the coffee shop, or just having a snack.
The setting of a reward, in advance, gives you something to work towards.
New videos every other Wednesday, so hit the subscribe and bell buttons so you can become
a better student and a better lawyer.