Welcome to Learn Law Better.
Today I want to talk to you about staying engaged in class.
I provide you with several techniques
some of which, will help you not only stay engaged
but avoid falling asleep , which will lead to better learning.
Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to provide you with eight techniques
that you can use during class to help you from falling asleep.
And, to stay engaged.
One, turn off all electronic devices and put them away.
If you have to, place that cell phone in a locker, put it at the front of the room,
keep it away from you so you're not tempted.
Recent studies demonstrate that multitasking is a myth—you do your best when you focus
on one thing at a time.
Two, sit as close to the front of the classroom as possible.
Students who sit in the front score higher on tests for several reasons, including fewer
distractions from others, material on the board is easier to read, and most importantly,
it is very hard to fall asleep when you're that close to the professor.
Also, sound begins to dissipate at about 8 to 12 feet away, so if you are beyond that range your
ability to understand is more difficult.
Finally, those who sit in the front are making a public commitment to learning, which actually
results in more learning.
Three, recognize that daydreaming happens to all of us, so use a few strategies to get
back on track.
If you suddenly think of something you have to do after class, write it down on your to-do
list, and then get back to paying attention.
A second technique is to visualize yourself next to the professor and that both of you are in
a one-to-one discussion.
Focus on his or eye, his body language and facial expressions, just like you would in a one-to-one
meeting.
Four, defer judgment.
When you disagree with something that was said, write it down and mark it with a big
D. Then spend time after class reflecting on the disagreement, rather than focusing on it during class.
It's just going to take you away from the class and you're not going to be engaged with the discussion.
Five, participate.
If your professor asks for volunteers, then occasionally raise your hand.
Now, I know that many of you don’t want to be a gunner, so if you don’t want to be a gunner
that's fine, but decide then to raise your hand every other class, maybe once per class.
Regardless of whether you are speaking aloud or not, you should always be answering
the professor’s questions in your mind.
Six, on days when you are really finding it hard to stay engaged,
write your goals at the top of your notes.
For example, your goal might be to get on law review. It might be to keep your scholarship money,
or just to make it through school.
Write it at the top as a reminder of why paying attention is important for you.
And that gives you a reward, something to look forward to for paying attention.
Seven, ignore the professor’s lecture style.
Maybe your professor says ummm all the time, and you start counting the umms.
Don’t do that, as you are now focusing on the style rather than the content of the class.
If your professor rambles, then mark down where you started getting confused and use that as a tool to
organize your notes after class.
You know you're actually going to learn the material better
if you do the organization yourself.
Finally, engage in active note writing.
This means listening and then capturing the important thoughts being discussed, though
not a verbatim transcript.
For example, suppose your professor shares a hypothetical.
Rather than capturing every single word, listen to the hypothetical, answer it in your mind,
and then capture some ideas from the hypothetical.
So your notes might state something like this:
“hypo dealing with adverse possession and whether car parked
on neighbor’s property once a week qualifies: No.”
There you go. You have the gist of the hypothetical and your answer to the hypo.
By the way, a verbatim transcript of class, while keep you awake, results in less learning,
not more learning, as I noted in my episode “Handrwrite or Type Notes.”
I hope you enjoyed today’s discussion.
If there are things you do to remain engaged in the classroom, please leave a comment for
me below.
We have many other episodes, so feel free to explore.
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Thank you for watching.