This blog post is the first of a series of posts I’m calling “The Bad Habits of the Highly Ineffective Student.” This series is not condescending. The purpose is to highlight many of the bad habits I saw during college that led students to get bad grades. So if you want to get good grades:
Avoid these ineffective student behaviors at all costs.
Highly ineffective students have bad classroom behavior, and it affects their grades. These are the 5 worst classroom behaviors of students who sabotage their grades, whether they realize it or not.
If you don’t show up for class, you can’t expect someone else to tell you what you missed. This is how it’s played out:
The student will ask a “fill-in friend” to tell him what he missed in class. The “fill-in friend” is often a student flattered by the chance to help. The interaction is relatively benign—at first. However, the “fill-in friend” quickly realizes that he now has the added responsibility of giving regular updates to the MIA student. The student gets to take a few days off from school while the “fill-in friend” does the work of actually being present in class. This arrangement isn’t a friendship—it’s exploitation. Unless you’re genuinely friends with your classmate, don’t be a “fill-in friend”.
How do you avoid this ineffective student behavior?
Avoid this situation by showing up for class. Skipping days usually means you’ll have to catch up with little to no help.
Many students mistakenly believe that teachers have to understand why assignments are late like it’s their obligation. This belief is a terrible mistake.
Teachers hear excuses day in and day out. Some reasons are valid, but most late assignments are due to oversights that could’ve been avoided with better planning and time management.
How do you avoid this ineffective student behavior?
By working on assignments early and having an ongoing schedule of due dates. Any teacher who extends the deadline for an assignment is performing an act of mercy, and by definition, mercy is not an obligation.
I don’t understand the logic behind this bad classroom behavior. Why would anyone try to argue with the teacher for a bad grade? The teacher has the power to fail you. Why not take a different approach?
Nine times out of ten, a bad grade is the direct result of ineffective studying. But instead of taking responsibility for the poor grade, some students take an entitled stance and argue the botched or arbitrary nature of the test.
How do you avoid this ineffective student behavior?
When you get a bad grade, ask your teacher to help you understand the correct answers. Asking the right questions gives your teacher a chance to explain the right answers to you and shows her that you care about learning. You won’t get 100% on every test, so refine your understanding of the subject by asking your teacher to explain where you went wrong.
You’ll gain a better understanding of the subject and you’ll affirm your teacher by appealing to their ability.
You know who these people are. They’re the students who sit at the edge of the classroom and criticize the classroom discussion. They’re the experts on what information is valuable and what is pointless, and often crack jokes to call attention to themselves.
They’re a fun crowd to hang out with, but their cynicism is toxic and leads to endless excuses for not studying effectively.
How do you avoid this ineffective student behavior?
Spot the cynical crowd and sit on the opposite side of the classroom. You have a goal to get good grades, right? Don’t let their cynicism bring you down.
This sneaky is a favorite tactic of the cynicism crowd. After criticizing the value of the topics, they’ll show up later in group study and ask other students to give them the answers. Instead of contributing new and valuable information, they leech information from students who are trying to learn.
How do you avoid this ineffective student behavior?
This one’s easy: don’t let these people into your group study sessions. It’s already a challenge to get the group study session right, don’t make it more complicated by letting in a student who isn’t pulling his weight.
Also, don’t be one of these students. If you’re joining a study group, add valuable insights so that other students can benefit from your perspective.
Having good classroom behavior will set you up to get better grades and help you avoid problems later in your professional life.
If you want to get more tips on how to get good grades, click the Join button below to connect with the Straight-A Scratchpad Brainstormers Group.
College Lecture Participation: Forget Everything You Know and Do ThisDecember 29, 2015In "Study"
How to Study like a Straight-A Student...in 5 MinutesDecember 17, 2015In "Study"
How Can My Grades Help Me Gain a Competitive Edge?December 23, 2015In "Live"
联系客服
