Having trouble paying attention in class? College courses can be hard to wrap your mind around, especially if the professor is a boring lecturer. Moreover, it’s unusual for high schools to teach students the active listening skills they need to pay attention effectively.
Unfortunately, learning how to listen in class is important. In most courses, it’s unlikely that you’re going to do well unless you listen. You’ll miss stuff that will be on the tests and other information that you need to get a good grade – like deadlines and tips on what the professor wants to see in the paper assignment. And perhaps even more importantly, it’s important to learn how to listen in class because these listening skills will be equally as important as the working world. When boring classes end, boring meetings begin – and you’d better be prepared.
Learning how to listen well is something you can practice. Here are some tips to help you pay attention in class. Practice these and after awhile, they get easier.
Listen for the Main Points
If you randomly zone in and out of a lecture, it doesn’t make any sense, does it? Instead, figure out what the main points are ahead of time. If you do this, it will be much easier to follow along – even if you zone out once in awhile.
Main points? What if there aren’t any? Keep in mind that there almost certainly are main points to any professor’s lecture. Unless he or she is a horrible teacher, the lecture will consist of an organized and sequential group of ideas. Your job is to figure out what these ideas are.
You can figure out what the main points of a lecture are by:
- Following along on PowerPoint slides or outline, if these are provided.
- Listening to informal outlines throughout the lecture, such as, “Today we’re going to be talking about the state legislative process in three states: Maine, Kentucky, and California.” Keep in mind that the lecture might not be organized in a “first, second, third” kind of format, so be flexible when figuring out the lecture’s structure.
- Listen for the big ideas. When you hear a story, anecdote, or example, ask yourself, “To what does this relate?”
- Looking at the syllabus ahead of time to see what the topic is, and whether today’s topic fits into a larger unit of information.
- Doing the reading that was assigned that day for class – or at least look at the reading and know what the topics are.
- Looking over your notes for last time to see where you’re at in the class. Get in to the habit of writing down anything the professor says about you’ll be talking about in the next class.
- If you’re really lost, quietly ask a classmate what the professor is talking about.
Come Prepared to Listen
Listening is a physical activity. Getting your body ready to listen can go a long way to help you pay attention effectively. Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Listen with your eyes. Make periodic eye contact with the professor, or at least keep your eyes on where he or she is at in the room.
- Listen with your body. Sit up straight with your feet on the floor. Nod your head.
- Sit close to the front of the room – or at least not way in the back. Be present.
- Dress like you’re serious about learning. You wouldn’t go to a business meeting in ripped up sweats and a baseball cap pulled over your eyes. No need to wear a business suit, but come to class looking like you care.
- Get enough sleep. This is challenging for a student, but it’s way easier to pay attention if you’re not exhausted.
- Eat a healthy meal. This can also be a challenge for a student, but you’ll pay attention much better with some good nourishment (although don’t eat too much or you’ll be in a food coma).
Avoid Distractions
Students have always found ways to get distracted – the school newspaper, the cute girl in the front row, and so forth. But these days, students have all kinds of gadgets at their fingertips that are way more interesting than the professor.
If you’re going to listen in class, you absolutely have to turn of the stuff. No texting. No Facebook. No games on your iPhone. Think of this as good practice for the workforce. Your boss will not be thrilled if you play Angry Birds during a meeting, and neither will your professor. And no, multitasking doesn’t work. Not really. You may think you can text and listen effectively at the same time, but not as well as you think.
In addition, avoid the age-old distraction of in-class chatter. Resist temptation to chat by sitting closer to the front of the room, where you can’t get away with this. Avoid sitting near people who won’t shut up, even if they’re your friends.
Learning how to listen well can make a big difference when it comes down to grades – and when it comes down to later success in a professional environment. Make an effort to learn how to pay attention in class, even when the class is mind-numbingly boring. It will pay off.
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
