A Study Question Answered

Michael asks,

As a fellow collegian student,ok this is a long question…

What study strategy would you recommend to a student who normally absorbs everything through the lecture while recording notes and normally would do better on exams when they don’t study their notes than when they do?

Reason for asking is I have a Biology II professor that lectures with no explanation, only terms, then definition, then terms, terms, terms, and definition. The whole class is so busy recording notes that they can’t absorb or process anything that the professor is saying. She just goes on and on and on and on.

IF you attempt to stop her and ask her to clarify, which is what she asked us to do in the beginning of both semesters (This is my second time taking the class with the same professor), she just goes off on a tangent and insults you for not keeping up.

Advice?

I think the first thing to remember is that professors don’t get paid to be nice. Sure, most teachers could probably do a better job at teaching if they had a little more niceness sprinkled on them, but it’s just not in the job description.

On top of that, the average professor has to deal with a lot of frustrating things. Should a professor allow that frustration to bleed over into their classroom manner? Of course not, but there’s really no punishment (besides negative student feedback) for behaving insensitively. The bottom line is, don’t be surprised when you encounter a cranky professor and don’t kill yourself worrying about it.

With that said, your primary concern is learning the material and/or getting the grade you want in the course.

It’s not unusual to feel like lecture time is unhelpful for your personal studies. It is very difficult, especially in larger classrooms, to teach in a manner that every student can find useful. If you read the material, pay attention in class, and still don’t feel comfortable with what you’re studying, it’s time to take more social approaches to learning.

Here are some things to try:

1. Office Hours

Arrange a time to meet with a professor and/or TA. Show up with specific questions about specific material; hopefully they will be able to help.

2. Study with other students

Whether it’s as simple as asking someone else in the class, or as involved as getting a tutor or gathering a few classmates to study together, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You will get three basic types of responses:
- students who know everything already and are too busy to help you (these are the students who will graduate and become like the professor you described)
- students who are just as confused as you are
- students who can answer your question or at least give another way to look at the material

In my experience, most students are in the second group. But the idea that I’m trying to get across is to talk to those around you. You never know who might be able to help.