Summer = BBQs + lectures.

 Hi! I hope everyone is staying cool today as it gets more humid and hot outside. Summer is here and that means more outdoor activities with family and friends.  However, these BBQs and getaways may prevent you from having time to attend your lectures.

 It is important to keep in mind that attending and listening in your class has many benefits that can eventually help you achieve your academic success. Through hearing the professor and seeing the information, you are able to understand the material more efficiently and accurately. You are also more likely to remember a chunk of information from attending your lectures regularly. From this, you will be able to retain them on an exam easily. In short, having verbal and visual memory for a piece of information makes it easier for you to recall them on an exam.

Attending your lectures also helps you “space out” your review or study time more effectively. Through reading before and after your lectures, you give yourself the chance to study the materials prior to an exam in a very effective manner.

 Note taking and active listening are as important as attending your lectures. Before I go any further, active listening is when you focus on and attend to what is being said to you, as opposed to passive listening or exerting little effort in participating and being involved in class. Through this, you are engaging yourself in the learning process. You can improve your attention span from this as well. It is helpful to realize that the more you are involved in your class, the more interesting your class will be to you. Therefore, you will exceptionally do well in that class.

Because learning is an active process, you will eventually learn how to develop your study skills as your time in university progresses. You become more flexible and adaptable when it comes to attaining the proper skills you need to achieve your academic goals and eventually, success.


For further reading on how to take proper notes and listen in lectures.
Please refer to AACC tipsheet: 

http://joomla.utsc.utoronto.ca/aaccweb/images/stories/AcademicTipsheet/notetakinglistening.pdf

and as well as a tipsheet for helpful learning styles in university:
 http://joomla.utsc.utoronto.ca/aaccweb/images/stories/AcademicTipsheet/LearningStyles.pdf

Enjoy the start of your summer with a proper balance of school and outdoor leisure,

Katrina