Many students go to class unprepared to listen to the lecture with their full attention on the professor and what he is saying. They either come to class late, have other thoughts racing in their mind, they are daydreaming, or they dislike the professor so believe, "why would he have anything important to say?" Here are some helpful tips that the experts say will help your listening skills and decrease distractions to yourself while you are in class. Skim material before class: If you do not have time to read all of the material in your textbook before class, at least skim the material. Pay close attention to the vocabulary, so you will understand what the professor is saying during the lecture. Also it helps if you review the notes from the last class, so your attention is focused on what you will be listening to in the lecture. Attend class regularly: Many students skip classes on a regular basis and still believe they will do well. They feel any excuse is find to miss class. Wrong. There are no excuses to miss class, (excluding deathly ill or a family emergency). If you do not go to class you will miss important information that you will be tested on later and miss an opportunity to clarify any confusions you may have had with the material. Arrive to class early: Many students arrive to class right on the hour making them not prepared with their material, pen and paper, when the lecture begins, thus they do not have their full attention on the professor. Also when students arrive late they usually end up sitting up in the back row, far away from the professor. Experts say to arrive early and sit in the front row. This will help you focus your attention on the lecture and not be distracted by others around you. Also you will have more of an inclination to participate in class when you are right in front of the professor, while in the back you can hide and daydream. Prepare yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally: Listening is a very active task. It takes your entire being to fully listen to a professor. Many students go to class physically exhausted from staying up too late, emotionally drained by thinking about problems occurring in their life, mentally not alert because they are tired, stressed over other things in their life, or bored with the course. Experts say it is extremely important to get enough sleep before class, leave all thoughts that do not pertain to class outside so your full attention is on the lecture, and beat boredom by having the motivation and will power to take excellent notes during the lecture. This will help you from becoming bored, since you are actively listening and writing notes. As with anything that is worth doing, you have to prepare physically, emotionally, and mentally. Before class you need to create a desire to pay careful attention. You also must intend to pay attention. This desire is to take quality notes for the entire class time. You possess the self-discipline to control your focus and accomplish your goal. If you use these strategies to prepare yourself to listen, it will be very difficult for you to be distracted and lose your focus on the lecture. By using these tips you will be able to participate in class, which will increase your focus on the lecture even more. Another important aspect is when you prepare yourself to be focused on the lecture and concentrate on the information you will know exactly what you do not understand, so you are able to ask question to clarify the subject matter. Opinion Poll | Goal Setting | Quiz | Experts Say | Links