Questions are a sign
of an engaged student, the type that most teachers pray for. Don’t be afraid of
your peers' disdain either; you are doing them a favor by asking the questions
that they have too, but are afraid to ask. You are helping the learning process
along by clearing up misunderstandings, or clarifying a difficult point. I once
had a student constantly apologize for having a “dumb question.” As I told her,
it’s only dumb to have a question and not ask it.
Homework - Assigned and Self-Assigned
Do the homework the same day… as
soon as you have rested a bit. My daughter was an amazing social butterfly, but
she did her homework in the early evening, so she could indulge in guilt-free
partying the rest of the time. She was an A student too.
Your very first step is to re-copy
your notes. Whether or not you took them in outline form during class, you
will help yourself if you turn them into an outline now. They will be a lot
easier to read at “studying for tests” time. If you didn’t grasp the key words
in class, get them now. Flesh them out if you like. Try to summarize each point
your teacher made in a sentence. Try to turn this main point into a question.
Cover the notes and see if you can answer it. If your teacher was vague, or
wandered off topic, it will be glaringly evident. If that leaves you with questions
about the material you’ve been given, write them down to ask the next day. Any
teacher worth their salt will welcome questions. It means you care about the
subject they are trying to teach. It means you are paying attention.
Now do your assigned homework.
With the material from your class notes fresh in your mind, the work should be
much easier. If you have a tough time with the assignment, try to at least
figure out what parts you do understand and what parts you don’t. Write it down
in the form of questions for the teacher as well.
Use mnemonics. When you have to memorize lists, or
directions, or grouped information, mnemonics are little tricks you use
to aid your memory. Basically you mentally attach new things you are learning
to things you already comfortably know. The simplest example is remembering a
list by making a word or sentence out the beginning letters.