My teacher has assigned us a mountain of reading and no guide for what we should know. We are all in full arguement mode with her and the average student is getting a D on exams. I have tried every argument I can and nothing has helped. This is not a hard class, we just need to know what to learn. She doesn’t want to tell us. Where do I go from here? Is it cheating if I look up the registry of questions that are possible for the class? I would rather memorize a 1000 terms than do this class, it would be easier. And do I have a footing to transfer to a different class? I tried looking up school policy, but got lost, and I don’t want to start talking to the school officials without some knowledge.
Either withdraw from the class if you are in the window, or stick it out and do your best with the work assigned. Part of education is learning how to manage the unmanageable without lawyering up and being a victim.
You didn’t tell us your school, so how could we help you find your school’s policy about transferring classes? Google it, it’s almost certainly on their website or in a handbook.
“Confidential” has nothing to do with “controversial.”
Isn’t the lecture “the guide to what we should know?”
Or are you hoping to get a formal study guide?
Also, a useful learning goal is the ability to tolerate ambiguity. You won’t always be told exactly what to do, but you need to try to do the best you can.
It would be helpful if we knew what subject you’re talking about, and what kind of reading material.
Here are some tips on how to read a textbook.
Textbooks tend to be structured very deliberately. The chapters will be broken up into sections with headings and sub-headings.
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Before you read each chapter or section, page through it reading the chapter title, the headings or sub-headings, looking at any graphs or illustrations. At the end, you should have a general overview of what the chapter will be about. (e.g. “Ok, this chapter is about economic distress in Germany after WWII.”)
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If there are end of section or end of chapter questions, read them before you read the material.
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Read the selection, keeping the questions from #2 in mind. When you see material that pertains to one of the questions, write the question number in the margin. If you can’t write in the book, use little Post-it notes instead, write lightly in pencil and erase carefully, or take notes with page numbers on a legal pad while you read.
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When you finish the reading, summarize the chapter to yourself. Write out a 1-paragraph summary in your own words. Re-read the questions again to see if you can answer them. In general, the questions will be in pretty much the same order as the material in the book, so if you know the answer to #3 but you don’t remember anything about #2, you’ll find it somewhere before the spot where you marked the margin for #3.
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Go back and highlight the topic sentence of each paragraph. Usually, the topic sentence is the first sentence in the paragraph, but sometimes it’s the last one, and very occasionally it’s the second sentence in the paragraph. When you review the material, read just the topic sentences. If you know what’s in the rest of the paragraph without reading all of it, keep on reading the topic sentences until you get to a place you’re weak on. Read all of the text until you get through the weak spot.
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Take your summary and your answers to the end of section questions to class. If the professor touches on these in discussion, make a note of it. If the professor asks discussion questions about other topics, make a note of them, too, so you can look through your text for supporting material.
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Not all of the test material will be from the book. Lecture material may appear on the test as well. This is why you should read first and then take notes in class - so you know when the prof is lecturing on something that isn’t in the book.
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As test time draws near, you should now have a good idea of the major topics / themes / events, etc. from both reading and lecture. Study these areas.
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After the first test, sit down and review what was on the test vs. what you thought would be there. Use the first test to guide your study for the rest of the class. Does the prof stick to broad themes, or does she like to get into dates and details?
Tip: There may not be a registry of questions. Lots of professors make their own tests.
I don’t even know what that is, but if it exists then how can it be cheating? The question makes no sense to me, so maybe you can explain it better.
I don’t know about your school of course, but at all the schools with which I am familiar, you don’t need a reason to transfer or drop a class, you just do, assuming there is room in another class if you transferring. But even if you cannot find it in the school handbook or online, to be reticent about talking to an advisor is, to be blunt, very silly. They are there to help you. The biggest mistake most college students make besides partying too much, IMO, is not taking advantage of the resources the college makes available. Be that office hours of the prof, advisors, tutors, whatever. Too many students think they are “weak” or for some other reason don’t want to utilize resources the college puts there for exactly those purposes. Meanwhile, you are wasting valuable time because transferring classes and dropping classes usually have deadlines. Just ask. And BTW, that is true for much of life in general. Not everything has to be reinvented from scratch. Take advantage of what other people have become expert in.