Best way to learn?

Alright. So, I am curious to know something. This isn’t about school courses or AP exams or anything but is simply about how people learn. I have seen many kids (I am a sophomore btw), who say they study really, really late to get a good grade in a tough class. Or, they just study a lot (with no reference to time). However, personally, I am taking difficult classes and I am taking a lot of them. However, I don’t really study a lot out of school and still score high A’s in all of my classes.

I did notice something though. Many people do not listen in class and are just fooling around when our teacher is teaching a concept. Later, when homework is assigned, they get really mad and say that the teacher does not teach well and assigns too much homework. However, if people really listen in class then they can easily learn the concept (many teachers are good at explaining concepts) they learn the material and then can easily do the homework. Personally, this has worked for me. Instead of fooling around in class, I pay attention to my teacher and learn the material in class instead of learning the material while doing the homework.

I do NOT mean to brag as there are other kids who simply listen in class and this lets them easily finish homework and really understand a concept. Also, I have never observed any teacher (until now, 1/29/20) who seems unable to teach his/her corresponding subject matter well. This requires me to do less work out of school, just simply by listening. Any thoughts or personal opinions?

Yes. Is there a tie-in somewhere in your post to financial aid and/or scholarships?

Nope, no tie-in at all. I really want to see what people think about the common stereotype of teachers being bad. Of course, this does not apply to parents but more to what kids (or better, teenagers) believe in. Also, I have seen so many people complain about tougher work. I am currently at the Honors level and am taking all H classes except my electives and PE class (both of which do not have Honors). I really do not feel the stress that many kids in my classes do.

I’m sure there’s a better forum for this type of discussion.

Oh wait, you are right. How can you choose which forum to post in? It seemed to default me to Financial Aid and Scholarships. I didn’t notice that. Thanks for letting me know!

There are different learning styles. Some people learn well by listening, some need to see things visually, some need to “do” to learn. It’s important to figure out your style and incorporate it into your study strategies. My D needs to see and do to learn. So, taking notes while someone is talking helps her. She was also the type in high school who paid attention in class and thus felt the work was easier than those kids who goofed off. I’m not sure that is so much a learning style as a personality characteristic.

I will say though, that she’s had to rethink her study strategies while in college. The classes at her her school are exponentially harder and require a lot more work than her hardest honors, AP and dual enrollment courses in high school. Might be the school she is now attending and also the STEM curriculum she she is taking. It also doesn’t help that ALL the kids she attends school with now were good students in high school and are very bright kids. It’s been eye opening for her. Some of her classmates are struggling because they don’t have good study skills because they were able to pull off all A’s in high school without them.