In class,

• don't just sit there,
• don't play games,
• don't chat online,
• don't try to get ahead, and
• don't try to catch up from before.

In class, actively listen and take notes.

Focus on the tasks at hand. Listen to what is being said, by the prof and other students. Ask relevant questions. MAKE YOUR OWN NOTES!

After each class,

1. DON'T do your homework! INSTEAD, read over class material and YOUR own notes. When you come to an example done in class...

2. DON'T read the example. Copy out the question, set your notes aside and do the question yourself. Maybe you will get stuck. Even if you thought you understood the example completely when the professor went over it in class, you may get stuck. And this is GOOD NEWS! Now, you know what you don't know. So,

   1. consult your notes,
   2. read through your resources (books, online references),
   3. talk or email your team mates
   4. see or email your professor...

   do whatever is necessary to figure out. Once you have sweated through the problem, DO IT AGAIN! AND AGAIN! Do it as often as you need so that it becomes, if not easy, then at least straight-forward. Also, when redoing the example, make sure you think through every step. You should not only understand each step, but why each is necessary.

   If you do this honestly, you will not simply memorize the solution, you will make the subtleties of the problem unsubtle. This is an important step! If your aptitude is strong, then maybe you'll have the example down pat after doing it twice. If it's not so strong, you may have to do it several times. Understanding what you are doing, will also help you to SOLVE similar problems, NOT just REGURGITATE the same answer! But after you have done this for every class example...

3. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Homework is not the same as Assignments. Do all suggested reading and problems, not just what you are asked to hand in. The work you hand in is just a small example of all your effort to be evaluated.

If you follow this method, and if the professor chose the examples well, then most of the homework questions will relate easily back to the examples done in class and the rest should extend or synthesize the ideas behind those problems.

Guess what you'll find on 80% or more of your tests and exams? The same kinds of problems! And you'll have your A. Good luck, although if you use this method, luck will have nothing to do with your INEVITABLE success. I hope you will find the course interesting, useful, and more than occasionally fun.

The materials provided in class and in SLATE are protected by copyright. They are intended for the personal, educational uses of students in this course and should not be shared externally or on websites such as Course Hero or OneClass. Unauthorized distribution may result in copyright infringement and violation of Sheridan policies.

2021-2024 @ FAST, Sheridan College