ENJOYING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

As a student, the most important thing that comes to mind if you are lucky enough to be in a university that gives you the ability to choose your classes, is to find a class that is both enjoyable and informative. It may be mandatory for you to attend that class in order to achieve your goals and dreams but it is even much better for you to be able to achieve them in an environment that is enjoyable. However reality is that most of us are not lucky enough to be in a place where we can choose to have a fun education, we have to make due with what we have. Two weeks ago we came across students who had to sit through a few classes with a lecturer who they felt were outdated and were living in an entirely different time from them and also felt that they were not getting the quality education that they wanted. Let us be honest, most of us will not be fortunate enough to experience the change we need all at once. Some of our lecturers will take time to change their delivery methods and if as a student you do not try to use this to your own advantage then it will be a long semester for you. However, if you are one who sees situations as ones that are not hopeless but manageable then you are in for an easier semester. If you happen to be in the classroom that we had earlier on described, one with a lecturer who is far from cracking a joke or you have been sleeping most of the time to even notice that there is a lecturer in class then its best to change the situation a bit.

Coming to such a classroom ready with a learner’s mentality and the desire to come out of there with new information is important. One key to making every environment no matter how harsh you may perceive of it is to think positively about it and to avoid negative thoughts, so go to that class with the mentality of someone who is ready to learn and grow.

Avoid sitting in an area where you are likely to get the most out of your learning experience and not a place where you can easily be distracted or not focus on what is going on in the lecture room. Secondly, always ensure that you engage yourself in the lecturer’s topics of discussion. Always ask questions or be ready to give your own two cents about the topic at hand. You can also give your own weekly topic reports about what the lecture said or what you learnt, being involved in such a class gives you the motivation to want to be involved.

So though we may be quick to point out that lecturers are a certain way we must ask ourselves are we involved enough to challenge the lecturer to want to do better?